So I watched this last night. It'd been about 10 or 12 years since I've seen it last.

Say what you will about Pacino playing a Puerto Rican, the rest of the movie is aces. DePalma directed the shit out of this thing. He and his crew did pretty much perfect work:

Lighting and color timing, beautiful.

Every cut is perfect, not one frame too short or too long, all cuts are there for a reason.

If the camera is moving it is laser-like in its precision and specifically motivated. The is not one second of arbitrary (emphasize: arbitrary) steadicam or hand-held.

Framing and angles, all perfect. Always composed in a pleasing way, but again, specifically motivated for what the shot calls for information wise.

Long story short, this is a movie shot by real professionals. None, and I mean not one of the younger generation of directors can direct like this. And 99.5% of the time they don't even try.

This is what I mean when I say so many movies today look like TV. This movie can not be mistaken for TV level work in any way, shape or form.

I think it's a great movie. Sean Penn is excellent in this. John Leguizamo, as always, is entertaining in his role; and it's cool seeing Viggo Mortensen show up as well. Scarface gets all the praise, but I think this is easily the best DePalma/Pacino collaboration. I agree that it's extremely well directed, there are some insanely suspenseful moments.

Loved it as well, only saw it last year for the first time. I actually think this is one of DePalma's middle-tier movies, which says a lot for his stuff like Blow Out or Dressed to Kill. He is a technical master.

Yes, Pacino as a Puero Rican isn't believable for a second, especially with John Leguizamo standing right next to him. It takes you out of the movie when it mentions his culture and it's not believable that Leguizamo is a younger version of Pacino. Aside from that the performances were solid and Pacino's only problem is his ethnicity. Every aspect that he could possibily control is handled well.

Sean Penn turns out to be a chameleon.

"You mothafuckas think you big time, you gonna die big time! Here comes the pain!"

Sean Penn's best role, right here. I still have a hard time believing it's him every time I watch it.

I would've replaced Penelope with another actress - she doesn't do anything for me - but the rest of the casting is impeccable. Leguizamo can be so much better than people think he is; films like this prove it.

I think that this is top 5 De Palma. The acting, direction & cinematography are top notch.
The way De Palma uses the scope frame is excellent. Yes the weak link is Pacino but that does not ruin the film for me.
He is still good but Sean Penn in one of his best acting performances shows why he is one of the greatest.
Don't sleep on Viggo Mortensen in this one. While he has a small role, he is great.
I guess it also helps that he lived in Venezuela and went to elementary school in Argentina (he is fluent in Spanish).


Carlitos Way>>>Scarface

Top 10 in no order

Sisters
Blow Out
Dressed to Kill
Carrie
Carlito’s Way
The Fury
Body Double
Obsession
Casualties of War
Phantom of the Paradise

I saw this opening weekend and was all excited and when the movie was over I left with a empty feeling.
Over the years when it plays on cable I tune during channel surfing and and have liked it enough to buy it on dvd twice. It is Pacino's performance and the ending that I didn't like.
Viggo gives a great performance and I was hoping they had more footage of his character in the spec. ed. dvd. I wonder why Pacino dropped the ball on this or maybe it was the writing that gave him nothing to say or do.

I saw it on opening night as well. I was floored by it and couldn't stop thinking about it for days. So many scenes have staying power...the main one for me is when Pacino walks into the nightclub after his final meeting with Penn in the Hospital. Pacino walks in and the music in the soundtrack gets loud. The steadicam tracking him from the front as he swiftly walks up the stairs to get his money. That whole bit along with him threatening "Ron" is masterful and intense in a way you just don't see anymore.

I saw it when it came out but not since and didn't like it then. Not sure what my exact criticisms at the time were, but one thing that really infuriated me was its botch-up of New York City geography. In the finale, the bad guys chase Pacino onto the elevated subway at 125th St. on the west side and within a few stops they get off and continue the chase in Grand Central Station! Which is miles away downtown and across town. They would have had to take the #1 train 11 stops downtown and then switch to the shuttle from Times Square across midtown Manhattan before being able to enter Grand Central. Granted, if you don't live in NYC it won't bother you, but it just took me out of the film.

Best film to use the Grand Central shuttle: THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), in that scene where Popeye is tailing "Frog 1."

It's a solid movie, fun to watch but the ending was very flawed and tarnishes the entire movie from being a classic.

otherwise. I really like the film. Can't really say anything bad about it. It's not a criticism of film but Penelope Ann Miller just didn't look right to me. I don't know how to clarify on that. Maybe it's the huge ass age difference between the two characters. Bugged me a bit in the context of the story. But...doesn't hurt the narrative.

Love this movie and I have it in Bluray. The only flaw was that De Palma already showed Carlito's fate at the start of the movie, which sort of lost the suspense at the end. But that long tracking shot during the chase in the station was just fantastic!!

Yet nobody ever seems to have that problem with Lawrence of Arabia.

I'll have to give this one another shot. Been a long time. Liked bits and pieces, but the whole thing didn't click back then. Recently saw King of New York again after 2 decades and really liked it this time.

If this bothered you I suggest you don't watch any film noirs.

Why would Pechanga trust Benny Blanco?
Then that lame hit of Benny Blanco on Carlito and shoots Pachanga.
That scene was very bad movie making it felt like I was watching High School film making.

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/...eat-movie.html

Damn. There was already a thread on this movie nine years ago. Is it too late to delete this one?

Fuck it. It's been a while. You're thread is fine.

This movie is about the same as other DePalma efforts. High on style, but low everywhere else.

When I first saw it I thought the blonde woman was the one who shot him at the beginning so I was expecting either Penelope Ann Miller's character to turn on him, or some other white woman. I was totally surprised when it was Benny Blanco. I thought the ending was excellent. All that running, for what?

One of few gangster films I still watch. Even though the main character is this bad ass anti-hero who almost appears like an action hero in the shoot out scenes, the film plays out in a very somber way.

"You said they were your friends. But there ain't no friends in this shit business."

You see a glimpse of the fast life and it's filled with scumbags.

One of my favorite scenes is Al breaking down Penelope's apartment door to Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful"...loved it.

I like the movie, but if feels derivative to me...like Scarface mashed up with Untouchables. The ending is pretty lame, and I'm not a big fan of Penelope Miller's performance. I always feel like it is a sequel to Scarface, if Scarface didn't end with Pacino getting blown away.

Loved it when I saw it back in high school. Haven't really seen it since then (I did see it 4 or 5 times in the theatre, so I think I had had enough). Might check it out someday again. The score is epic.

I liked the casting of Penelope. She's not too hot looking but just right for Carlito.