Al Pacino plays Carlito Brigante, an ex-con who gets released from jail in 1970's New York City. He hopes to live an honest life, but his past unfortunately won't allow it. When he resists, things then get very ugly for everyone (to say the least).
Pacino and Sean Penn (as his cocaine-addicted lawyer) are in their usual top-notch form, and Penelope Ann Miller adds an interesting spin as Carlito's legitimately living girlfriend trying to help him lead a straight life. While "Carlito's Way" may contain many of the things that one anticipates in a movie about criminal life, it always fulfills our expectations of what an A-list movie should be. Definitely one of Brian DePalma's best.
Pacino and Sean Penn (as his cocaine-addicted lawyer) are in their usual top-notch form, and Penelope Ann Miller adds an interesting spin as Carlito's legitimately living girlfriend trying to help him lead a straight life. While "Carlito's Way" may contain many of the things that one anticipates in a movie about criminal life, it always fulfills our expectations of what an A-list movie should be. Definitely one of Brian DePalma's best.