Most people don't highlight 'Carlito's Way' among Al Pacino's gangster movies, but in my opinion it's an instant classic. It's not as hyped as 'The Godfather' or 'Scarface', but it's an extremely honest and captivating film, that wins you over exactly because it doesn't seem to have been created to make it into film history.
All the characters are very well defined, so there are no ambiguous or contradicting behaviors. Al Pacino is extremely charismatic, convincing the viewer that as well as he can play an Italian or a cuban, he can play a puerto-rican. And his complete change from one character to another is what makes this movie so special among the other great gangster movies.
Carlito Brigante is a more mature gangster, reformed from his years spent in jail. Differently from Tony Montana, Carlito doesn't feel, or needs to feel isolated. He reaches out to the people around him. He wants to trust, and mainly, love. Gail, his love interest, is put on a pedestal, as the person with whom he wants to escape to 'paradise', and the entire film revolves around the expectations and the hope that the viewer feels for this romance that along with Carlito's way out of the crime world would lead them both to the dream life. If Michael Corleone's essence was in honor and Tony Montana's in money, Carlito Brigante's is in this sensitivity, that make's you forget about his ethnicity or his background, which isn't so in 'Scarface'. His body language and his looks as a Latin-American also change amazingly compared to Tony Montana.
The supporting actors were also amazing, mainly Sean Penn, that really embraced his character, Kleinfeld, a stressed-out, corrupt lawyer, who betrays everyone around him. John Leguizamo is also great as 'Benny from the Bronx'.
Overall the film is very well paced, as it begins with a bit of action, when Carlito returns to his neighbourhood, goes on revolving around him getting his life back on track and making plans with Gail, and ends with the thrilling and greatly edited scenes of the Grand Central Station chase. Finally, when he's shot, you're left wondering if there was any way out to begin with, and if there's really a possibility of 'paradise', even for a reformed gangster like himself.
All the characters are very well defined, so there are no ambiguous or contradicting behaviors. Al Pacino is extremely charismatic, convincing the viewer that as well as he can play an Italian or a cuban, he can play a puerto-rican. And his complete change from one character to another is what makes this movie so special among the other great gangster movies.
Carlito Brigante is a more mature gangster, reformed from his years spent in jail. Differently from Tony Montana, Carlito doesn't feel, or needs to feel isolated. He reaches out to the people around him. He wants to trust, and mainly, love. Gail, his love interest, is put on a pedestal, as the person with whom he wants to escape to 'paradise', and the entire film revolves around the expectations and the hope that the viewer feels for this romance that along with Carlito's way out of the crime world would lead them both to the dream life. If Michael Corleone's essence was in honor and Tony Montana's in money, Carlito Brigante's is in this sensitivity, that make's you forget about his ethnicity or his background, which isn't so in 'Scarface'. His body language and his looks as a Latin-American also change amazingly compared to Tony Montana.
The supporting actors were also amazing, mainly Sean Penn, that really embraced his character, Kleinfeld, a stressed-out, corrupt lawyer, who betrays everyone around him. John Leguizamo is also great as 'Benny from the Bronx'.
Overall the film is very well paced, as it begins with a bit of action, when Carlito returns to his neighbourhood, goes on revolving around him getting his life back on track and making plans with Gail, and ends with the thrilling and greatly edited scenes of the Grand Central Station chase. Finally, when he's shot, you're left wondering if there was any way out to begin with, and if there's really a possibility of 'paradise', even for a reformed gangster like himself.