Carlito’s Way

Summary

“Bad start, Jack.”

Back in the Seventies, Brian De Palma was part of the upstart group of young filmmakers that was considered up to the task of shaking up the Hollywood system. His peers were Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola. All four directors were friends and sounding boards for one another. All four of them made a huge impact on cinema during the Seventies and Eighties. Lucas’s work began to wane in the Nineties, and Coppola never reached the same level of success as his amazing run of films in the Seventies, but their legacies were secured by their early work. Spielberg is widely considered the greatest director of the bunch and has been the most consistently acclaimed. Brian De Palma unfortunately has been given the least amount of critical respect out of the group. De Palma specialized in directing thrillers and crime dramas with strong knods to Hitchcock’s work which meant that his filmmaking career was not given the same amount of appreciation. By focusing on niche genre films or grittier fare, he had difficulty with critics who seemed to consistently miss the artistry behind his films. In many ways, his career arc mirrors that of his hero Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock only received a proper amount of respect late in his career when filmmakers like Francois Truffaut and Godard shared their admiration of his work. De Palma has recently been the subject of a documentary by Noah Baumbach that celebrated his work, so I remain hopeful that the next generation of film lovers will discover his body of work and find themselves inspired. My wife and I sat down the other night to watch one of his most critically acclaimed films Carlito’s Way which has been given a new UHD release by Universal Pictures this year.

The film begins in 1975 in New York. Puerto Rican drug dealer Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) gives an impassioned speech to the judge that had locked him away. Carlito tells the judge that in the five years he has spent behind bars he has reformed. He plans to go straight. The judge does not believe Carlito who has only been released on appeal because of some negligent police work that should not have been used in his prior trial. Carlito’s lawyer and close friend Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) has found the proper loopholes to have Carlito released. Kleinfeld has a snack for working for gangsters and is morally compromised. Outside the courtroom, Carlito explains that while he was locked up he had met someone inside who had planned to go to the Bahamas and set up a car rental agency. The agency is doing well and Carlito can buy in at any point for seventy five thousand dollars. Carlito plans to do just that. Kleinfeld asks Carlito if he would like to pay off some debts for a club owner named Saso (Jorge Porcel) and take a stake of his club. Kleinfeld believes it could be a mutually beneficial investment. Carlito considers the prospect but he does not have the cash. Carlito goes to the streets of the old barrio and bumps into an old colleague named Pachanga (Luis Guzman) as he walks to see his old boss. He brings along his cousin Guajiro (John Ortiz.) Speaking with his old boss, Carlito lets it be known that he is retired from the business and bears no ill will towards his former employer, nor does he want anything despite having never said anything while locked up. Planning to eat dinner with his aunt and cousin, he rides in his cousin’s car. Guajiro explains that he has to make a quick stop to purchase thirty thousand dollars worth of coke. He asks Carlito to come inside the bar with him in order to provide backup. Carlito begrudgingly agrees. When the deal goes south, Carlito ends up with thirty thousand dollars in cash. He uses that money to buy into Saso’s business and begins to help the bar pay off debts and right its balances. Carlito employs Pachanga in the club to back him up and begins saving up cash in a safe in the office. One night, Carlito meets a young up and coming drug dealer named Benny Blanco (John Leguizamo.) Carlito is not impressed by him. When Benny asks him to have a drink, Carlito turns him down. His snub will cause trouble later on. Outside of the club, Carlito pursues an old flame named Gail (Penelope Ann Miller.) Gail is a talented dancer that has taken a job performing topless off Broadway. Their romance begins to bloom while Carlito begins to save up the necessary funds to escape to the Bahamas. Unbeknownst to Carlito, Klynefeld has run afoul of the Italian mob and plans to ask Carlito for a favor that could endanger all of Carlito’s plans.

Carlito’s Way is a fantastic movie. Al Pacino is an actor that when utilized properly is as good as it gets. While I find many of his more recent roles to be completely overacted, (aside from his recent role in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,) this is classic Pacino. I think the choices that Pacino can make onscreen when he is in the zone are so unique and captivating, and his turn as the Puerto Rican drug dealer trying to make good allows Pacino to consistently hit his stride. While I may not fully buy Pacino in the role like I fully buy him as Michael Corleone, his performance absolutely works. He is fantastic to watch in the film doing what Pacino does best, which is being Pacino. It’s a well written role in which he is allowed to dominate the screen. Just as important in the film is the casting of Sean Penn. Playing a cocaine addicted curly haired and balding lawyer, Penn sells the role despite playing against type. Penn is a handsome guy and Klynefeld is not. He deservedly was nominated for best supporting actor at the Golden Globes, but strangely his acting did not catch the eye of the Academy that year. He holds his own while acting across from Pacino, which is an excellent compliment given that Pacino is firing on all cylinders in the film. My wife and I had a lengthy discussion about actress Penelope Ann Miller and how she fit the role of Gail well. We both agreed that the actress is not the most memorable, but when cast well she can really shine. She is an underrated actress in my estimation and does a great job in the role. In supporting roles, John Leguizamo has never been better than he is here. I am admittedly not a big fan of the actor, but he is very good in the role of up and coming drug dealer Benny Blanco. Viggo Mortensen has an amazing small role in the film as a wheelchair bound former drug dealer. Luis Guzman is also great in the film in his minor role.

Carlito’s Way is spellbinding from the beginning to the end. De Palma’s use of motion in his shots is mesmerizing. He pulls off difficult shot after difficult shot while making it all feel effortless. His actors hit their marks as the camera spins around them. De Palma has always pushed himself and his crews to deliver amazing sequences, and Carlito’s Way has possibly the best sequence of De Palma’s career. The sequence I am referring to is a chase scene that takes place in Grand Central Station. The sequence took weeks to film due to its difficulty. This sequence deserves to be studied in film classes across the country and is one of the best of its kind. The fact that this sequence is just one of many great scenes in the film demonstrates just how good of a film Carlito’s Way is. The film benefits from a strong script by David Koepp based on two books by Edwin Torres. There are a few moments where the script falters, but they are few and far between.There are only a few moments in the picture that don’t work, and they are pretty minor.

For my money, it does not get much better than Carlito’s Way. Fans of Goodfellas, Casino, and Scarface owe it to themselves to add this picture to their collection. Carlito’s Way is one of De Palma’s best films, and De Palma is one of my favorite directors.

Video

The new 4K HEVC/H.265 transfer from Universal Pictures, is a solid improvement over the 2010 Blu-ray release. That release was pretty good for the time, but the new UHD presentation is a pretty substantial improvement to my eyes. Fine detail is improved significantly from the prior release and the HDR is used properly to give a deeper level of color. Like many films from the Nineties, Carlito’s Way has a slightly softer look than the digital film that has become so prevalent over the last couple decades. The source is in great shape. The film’s color palette has never looked better than it does here, and this is a pretty colorful film thanks to the sequences at various night clubs. I was really impressed by the work put into the new 4K transfer. Fans of the picture should be very pleased with the results of this new 4K edition.

Audio

Universal Pictures has provided a great DTS-HD MA 7.1 track for this release along with a DTS: X track.  Both are very effective.  Clarity is great and the track is immersive with strong surround and LFE channels support. The film features a number of songs from the era from bands like Santana, the Beegees, and KC and the Sunshine Band. I was pleased with how the tracks were handled and can;t imagine a fan of the film being disappointed.

Supplements:

• Deleted Scenes
• The Making of Carlito’s Way
• Brian De Palma on Carlito’s Way
• Original Promotional Featurette
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores: 

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 2.5/5

Overall – 5/5

Carlito’s Way is one of the best films from director Brian De Palma. It shines as one of the best examples of his particular genius for crafting perfectly staged camera movements and shots. The film is staged so well that it feels effortless despite every sequence revolving around complicated filming techniques. Al Pacino and Sean Penn are both fantastic in their roles. This also ranks as one of the best films starring Al Pacino in the later phase of his career. Certain sequences in the film are some of the greatest that De Palma ever put to film, especially the Grand Central sequence which is absolutely incredible. The new UHD presentation of the film looks wonderful to my eyes with the added pop of the HDR colors. The audio is likewise very good. The supplements are enjoyable but a little brief. This release earns my highest recommendation.