Well, its about high time I did another post on this blog as its been ages since I last did one, so this post will be another revisitation and it will be on the crime thriller, Carlito's Way starring Al Pacino as a reformed gangster, who is trying to go straight after serving a prison sentence. So, I will do the usual here and expand on certain sections and add any flaws I can think of also.
So, with that said let's load and take another look at this modern classic.
And yep the usual is coming...
PLOT SPOILIERS AHEAD!!!
STORY
So, the story is set in 1975 and begins with Carlito Brigante (Pacino) who has just been acquitted after serving five years of a 30 year sentence, and a former big drug dealer, who returns to the streets of New York and his Peurto Rican neigbourhood. However after his time in the joint, Carlito finally has changed and no longer wants to return to his life of crime and wants to start again with a clean slate.
However, going straight isn't all that easy for Carlito as he gets drawn into the life again, after narrowly surviving a botched drug deal which he is brought along on by his cousin, who is then killed, leaving Carlito to shoot his way out of the bar. Carlito then uses the money from the drug deal to buy into taking share of a nightclub, which his lawyer friend David Kleinfeld (Penn) also puts money into. But Carlito insists he is only buying in so he can get enough money together to get out and take over one of the friend's in the joint's car businesses, to ensure he will go straight.
Along the way Carlito also re-unites with his former girlfriend Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) who works as an exotic dancer in a strip bar. But Carlito also faces a few new problems, the first one being and up and coming gangster Benny Blanco "from the Bronx" (John Leguizmo) who repeatedly tries to get Carlito to become business partners with him, which ultimately leads to a fight in the club, where Carlito tells Benny if he returns to the club he will be killed. Benny then vows to kill Carlito if he ever sees him again, which leads Carlito to knock him down a flight of stairs, but rather than kill Benny, he chooses to let him go.
However, Carlito's biggest problem of all is Kleinfeld, who in his absence has become very corrupt and involved in jury tampering, bribing, and money laundering. Kleinfeld also becomes involved in ripping off a mob boss Tony "T" Taglialucci (Frank Minucci) by stealing a million dollars from him. Tony insists that Kleinfeld help him bust out of prison, and given very little choice in the matter, as Tony will have him killed if he doesn't. At this point Kleinfeld becomes a nervous wreck, using cocaine regularly, and he asks Carlito to help him with Tony T's prison break, who initially is reluctant but agrees to help David out.
On the night of the breakout Kleinfeld is accompanied by Tony T's son, Frank (Adrian Pasdar) as well as Carlito, but on locating Tony in the rough waters, Kleinfeld beats Tony T to death with a golf club and cuts Frank's throat. With Carlito's help, Kleinfeld dumps the two mobsters bodies into the river, Carlito now incensed at Kleinfeld's actions, says they are through and walks away. Despite being confident about shaking off the mafia, Kleinfield the next day is attacked by two mobsters who stab him in the chest, however he survives.
Shortly after, Carlito is brought in for questioning by the DA Norwalk (James Rebhorn) who plays him a tape of Kleinfeld tipping off Carlito as supposedly dealing again, Norwalk offers Carlito a chance to testify against Kleinfeld, but he denies knowledge of the events surrounding Tony T's murder, even though the DA insists he knows that he was on the boat with Kleinfeld at the time.
And its from here Carlito must decide if he will testify against Kleinfeld or flee the feds whilst also trying to escape the clutches of the vengeful Mafia.
THOUGHTS
Carlito's Way is not only a great crime thriller in its own right, its also ranks as one of Brian De Palma's best films and it features so many great suspenseful scenes, two of which in particular are the drug deal that goes awry near the start of the film with Carlito forced into shooting his way out. And the other being the big chase scene through Grand Central station at the end. De Palma as usual also employs many of his camera techniques, the opening scene is definitely worthy of note, the way it starts with the camera turning upside down as we see Carlito being carted away on a stretcher into an ambulence.
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section continues spoilers and strong language!)
Performance wise, the film also features an excellent cast, who are all on top form.
Starting with Al Pacino who is great in the title role of Carlito, and plays him as a man with a dark past who really has changed and become a better person, who just wants to try wipe the slate clean and start again. Pacino has his share of good scenes that include both actual scenes and his narration and this post could mega long (as they usually are!). I will also refrain from quoting his narration as there is simply too much of it to include here aswell, so I will just use his actual dialogue scenes.
So, the first scene worth mentioning for Pacino is the one where Carlito is trapped in a bar where a drug deal is going down with his young cousin, Guijaro (John Augustin Ortiz) who is killed during a gunfight involving Carlito. And in the scene, Carlito decides to interrupt a game of pool to set up a trick shot, to buy him some time and he tells the dealers, "No trick shot! This is magic time! When you see this shot...you're gonna give up your religious beliefs!".
And in the scene Carlito takes cover in the bathroom (where Guijaro's killer emerged from) and finds the gun he had taken from one of the other gang members is now empty, so he reloads the clip back into the gun and then shouts out to the others as follows: "I'm reloaded! Okay? Come on in here, you motherfuckers! Come on, I'm waitin' for ya! What, you ain't comin' in? Okay, I'm comin' out! Oh, you up against me now, motherfuckers! I'm gonna blow your fuckin' brains out! You think you're big time? You gonna fuckin' die big time! You ready? HERE COMES THE PAIN!!!".
Then there is the scene where Carlito's meets with Laleen who (SPOILER!) is wearing a wire and trying to catch out Carlito to see if he is dealing again. So, in the scene, Laleen tries his best to get Carlito to admit but Carlito tells Laleen how he isn't connected anymore and instead he grabs a knife and holds it to Laleen and looks at his lapel and pulls off a radio mic. So, Carlito furiously asks Laleen "Is this how you beat 30 years, you piece of shit?! I oughta kill you, motherfucker! I oughta push you in the FUCKING RIVER!" and he furiously kicks Laleen's wheelchair just as Pachanga walks in. So, Pachanga on seeing what has happened pulls his gun out to shoot Laleen but Carlito pushes him out the door as Laleen shouts at Carlito in self pity.
Carlito then approaches Laleen and asks him "Who sent you?! Who sent you, motherfucker?! Answer me!" and Laleen gives in and says "The DA. The DA! He got a tip you were dealing again, big time!". Carlito however inisists "I have been clean since I got out! I haven't made one fuckin move! Who told him that?! WHO TOLD HIM THAT?!" but Laleen insists he doesn't know. So, Carlito get's out his gun as he prepares to leave and Laleen out of self pity says "Do it, man, just fucking kill me!". Carlito then tells Laleen "I ain't gonna kill you. I ain't even gonna hurt you, man" and he walks up to him close and asks him "I ask you...how could you fuck the only people that ever cared for you??" and he grabs Laleen by his hair and pulls his head back and says "You lost, motherfucker!" and let's go of Laleen and then he walks out.
Then there is the scene where Carlito is confronted by Benny Blanco, an upcoming gangster in the drug business. And as Benny says to Carlito "Mr Brigante, this is the second time you turned me down for a drink. What don't you like my champagne?" and Carlito says "Hey, could be". Then after a pause, Benny says "I don't know, but there may be some mis-fuckin'-understanding, I don't know man, but maybe you don't remember me, my name is Benny Blanco...". However Carlito then cuts him off and says "Maybe I don't give a shit. Maybe I don't remember the last time I blew my nose either. Who the fuck are you, I should remember you? What, you think you like me? You ain't like me motherfucker. You a punk! I've been with made people, connected people. Who you been with? Chain-snatching, jive-ass, maricon motherfuckers! Why don't you get lost? Go a head, snatch a purse. Come on, take a fuckin' walk!". Then after Benny causes a commotion, he is dragged upstairs by Carlito's men and he tells Benny "OK, Benny Blanco, from the Bronx, the chic, Stefi, belongs to the club. Now if I ever, if I EVER see you here again...you die! Just like that!"
Another good scene is where Carlito has a row with Gail after she meets Kleinfeld and takes a strong dislike to him as he keeps making thinly veiled references to their "boat" trip to bust out Tony "T" from jail. So, they go back to Gail's apartment and she argues with Carlito, pleading with him not to help Kleinfeld.
So in the scene, Gail angrily says to Carlito "Why did you make me believe all the crap about Bahamas and paradise??! I FEEL RIDICULOUS!! Because you haven't changed! You haven't changed a bit!". Carlito then says to Gail "What the fuck are you tryin' to tell me? That my gettin' out is just some bullshit fantasy trip I'm layin' on you? Is that what you're sayin'? How could you say that? How can you say that when you know how close I am? How could you say those words to me? I gotta do this, just this one thing, and then I'm out!". Gail the angrily tells him he doesn't owe Klenfield anything and that their dream will end with him dead and that he is "bullshitting" her, which prompts Carlito to angrily smash Gail's bathroom mirror and yell "YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME!" and having cut his hand his walks to the door and Gail follows him, concerned for his injury. And Carlito tells her before he goes "Dave is my friend. I owe him. That's... ...who I am. That's what I am, right or wrong. I can't change that!".
Then there is the scene where just after Kleinfeld disposes of Tony T and his son's bodies, he and Carlito arrive back on the shore, with Carlito now really seeing Kleinfield for what he is. And Carlito says to Kleinfield "You ripped him off, didn't you?!" and Kleinfield asks "What?" and Carlito says "Tony T. You DID take the million dollars, didn't you?!" and Kleinfield takes a moment and with a guilty smile says "Yeah". Carlito then looks angrily at Kleinfeld and says "You ain't a lawyer no more, Dave. You a gangster now. On the other side. A whole new ball game. You can't learn about it in school, and you can't have a late start!". Kleinfeld then confidently says "Don't worry about me" but Carlito then tells him "One more thing: we're even" and Kleinfeld puts his hand on Carlito's shoulder, who knocks it away and shouts "SAY IT!! We're even!" and Kleinfield, shocked gives Carlito a look and says quietly "We're even" and Carlito then walks off angrily.
Another good scene is where Carlito confronts Kleinfeld in hospital over ratting him out to the DA, Norwalk as Norwalk has Kleinfeld on tape claiming Carlito is dealing again. So, in the scene Carlito tells Kleinfeld where he has been "I've been to Nowalk's office, heard the tape..." and Kleinfeld looks guilty and says "That pig..." and Carlito angrily says "Never give up your friends, Dave, no matter what!". And after Kleinfeld launches into an angry tirade at Carlito's code and honour and that he only has one rule and that is to save his own ass.
So, Carlito, who had taken Kleinfeld's gun places it back on Kleinfeld's bed table and says "See this? It belongs here. Not behind a pillow. This way you can reach for it quick. They come in, you ready for 'em. So long. You got a beautiful future!" and he leaves. And in the next moment, we discover that Kleinfeld's gun was emptied by Carlito without his knowing, as Kleinfeld tries to shoot Vinnie, who walks into his room and we then see Carlito drops the bullets into a bin and he says "Adios, counsellor!" and Kleinfeld is left to his fate.
And last of all is the scene where Carlito confronts Saso in the club when his money goes missing and he storms up to Saso with grabs him and holds a flick knife up to him. So, in the scene, Carlito storms and shouts at Saso "MOTHERFUCKER! Where's my fuckin money?! You heard that Kleinfeld got whacked out, you thought I was dead too! You thought you'd inherit my money, right motherfucker?!". Carlito shouts again "WHERE'S MY MONEY?! I'LL CUT YOUR FUCKIN LIVER OUT!!" and Saso finally gives in and tells him "OK! OK! Its in the box, under the register! I was going to tell you!".
This is then followed up by Carlito being forcibly introduced to Vinnie, Tony T's son, as the two of them share an intense glare, Vinnie says to Carlito "I heard your jew lawyer met with an accident!". Carlito however dismissively tells Vinnie "Well, I have seen him lately" and as the waiter comes with a bottle champagne, Carlito uses this as an excuse to leave and says to the waiter "I thought I told you to bring the best and bring this cheap shit?" and he says to Vinnie and the other mobsters "Excuse me" and he quickly leaves.
Sean Penn is also great as the devious lawyer, David Kleinfeld, who is good friends with Carlito but he ends up getting him in serious hot water. Penn also doesn't shirk from showing his character to be of the 1970s with his ridiculous permed hairdo!
Penn also his share of great moments in the film that include the one where Kleinfeld pleads with Carlito to help him spring Tony "T" from prison while they are at a party hosted by Kleinfeld. And in the scene, Kleinfield suddenly notices one of his guests is getting some action from a girlfriend. So, Kleinfeld yells at the man "Your fuckin' chick's giving you a hand-job in front of everybody! I got guests here, for Christ's sake! People are eating!". And as the man says "Take it easy, Dave!" Kleinfeld yells back at him "You take it easy! Got any manners? You wanna fuck her, fuck like a normal human being! Take her to the bedroom!" and then he goess to get a drink and says to Carlito "People, huh?!".
Then Kleinfeld explains what he wants Carlito to do in regards to picking up Tony "T" in the waters as he intends to use his boat to get him. Carlito then says to Kleinfeld "Dave, you're a lawyer, man. What the fuck is happenin to you?" and Kleinfield anxiously says "I am so fucking shook up, I cannot see straight. I'm in an impossible fucking situation here. Once I get Tony on the shore...there is a distinct possibility that he and his goombah son... ...have got some plans for me". And as Carlito asks what kind of plans, Kleinfeld tells him "How do I know he's not gonna kill me? This guy hates my guts. I'm in trouble. I am in fuckin' trouble here. You are the only fucking person on earth...that I can trust!". And Kleinfeld asks Carlito if he is in and Carlito takes a moment and says he is and Kleinfeld then immediately hugs Carlito and says "Thank you...thank you!".
Then there is the scene where Kleinfeld holds a party at Carlito's club but he suddenly notices Gail dancing with a suave Italian and he expresses his disgust at him and Italian hoods in general. So, Kleinfeld says to Carlito "You're gonna let this fuckin' goombah paw your woman like that?!" and Carlito says "They're just dancin. Don't you appreciate that, the movement, the rhythm?". However, Kleinfeld vehemently says "What I don't appreciate, he's got his fucking hands all over her ass!!" and he continues "Look at the shithead. These wise guys think they're so hard-assed. I am so sick of hoods like that...coming into my office, MY office...thinkin' they can push me around!". And as Carlito sarcastically tells Carlito he should tell the Italian how he feels, Kleinfeld suddenly calls out to the Italian "Hey! Hey!! You!" and the Italian stops dancing with Gail and asks "What's that???" and Kleinfeld "Yeah, you. Wop!". The Italian looks taken aback and asks "Me?" and Kleinfeld grins drunkenly says "You, spaghetti dick!" and Italian says "You talkin to me?" and Kleinfeld says "Yeah, you!" but Carlito and the others soon difuse the situation.
And lastly there is the scene where Carlito confronts Kleinfeld in the hospital, where Carlito tells him he heard the tape at Norwalk's office of Kleinfeld ratting Carlito out to Norwalk. And Kleinfeld looks guiltily but then tries to cover up by saying "They doctor these things...play them out of context. I can't believe..." but then Carlito, who had taken Kleinfeld's guns, points it at him, prompting K to yell "Don't do that! Fuck you!". Kleinfeld then angrily says to Carlito "Fuck you and your self-righteous code of the goddamned street! Did it pull you out of a thirty-year stint in five years? Did it?! No, I did! Did it get you acquitted four fucking times?! No, it didn't. I did! So fuck you, fuck the street! Your whole goddamn world's this big and there's only one rule: you save your own ass!!".
Penelope Ann Miller is pretty good (and pretty nice!) in her somewhat underwritten role as Gail, Carlito's girlfriend, with whom he reunites after he is released from jail.
I will however for time just mention Penelope's best scene in the film where Gail argues with Carlito after meeting Kleinfeld at a party and she storms out and they go back to her place and row over Carlito's involvement with Kleinfeld, whom she hates.
So in the scene, Gail enters her apartment with Carlito in tow and she says "I don't like him. I didn't like him the minute I met him!". Then Gail asks Carlito "So what is this boat thing then? What is that asshole manipulating you into? Tell me!". Carlito then tells her that he owes him but Gail angrily says "You owe him? He's a fucking cokehead! I can't believe you hang around with that guy. He's sick. He's gonna get you killed, or sent back to prison!". Carlito shouts at her as she walks off to get changed out of her dress "He saved my life, Gail!" and Gail says "So now you have to pay him with it? Jesus Christ, Charlie, you give me this whole song and dance about how you're out of that shit, but you're not!". Gail then angrily asks what Carlito dragged her into this and he asks her "Dragged you into what?!" and she replies "Why'd you make me believe all the crap about Bahamas and paradise? I feel RIDICULOUS! 'Cause you haven't changed! You haven't changed a bit!".
Then Carlito follows Gail into the bathroom as she has now changed into a dressing robe and he angrily says how he can't believe she doesn't believe in him and that he owes Kleinfeld one last favour. Then Gail turns around and shouts "You don't owe him shit! You think you do. That's the problem. That's why nobody like you gets out. Everything you learned in the neighborhood won't do anything but get you killed!". Carlito then tries to dismiss what she says as he says she knows nothing about his neighbourhood.
However Gail then becomes emotional and tells Carlito "I know how this dream ends. It isn't in paradise. It ends with me carrying you into Sutton Emergency Room...at 3:00 a.m. And standing there...crying like an idiot...while your shoes fill with blood and you die!". And she starts crying and yells "COS YOU'RE BULLSHITTING ME!! ALL YOUR TALK IS BULLSHIT!" and Carlito then angrily smashes her bathroom mirror and he goes to walk out but Gail runs after him and he tells he owes David and that he is what he is and can't change. Gail then pleads with Carlito not to go with Kleinfeld as she gently wraps his cut hand from the mirror in his handkerchief "Whatever he wants you to do...don't do it. For me, please, don't do it. Please. Just don't do it". However, Carlito instead walks out the door and Gail shouts after him "That's the last time I wipe up your blood!" and she slams the door.
John Leguizamo is also very good as the ambitious young gangster Benny Blacno who later proves to be Carlito's nemesis, and Benny is naturally very arrogant, and all too quick to point out who he is all the time
And Leguizamo also has his good moments such as the scene where Benny first meets Carlito while he kisses a girl over at a table in Carlito's club and he is brusque at first under he realises who Carlito is and he immediately apologies and tries to charm him into going into business with him.
So, in the scene Benny says to the girl he was kissing "Get that stupid look of your face! You know who this man is? This man here, he's the fuckin' J.P. Morgan of the smack business!". So, Benny then tries to talk Carlito into getting involved in his drug business "I'm starting out small. I'm just building my organization. I'm refining it and maximizing my potentialities. I got my finger on some shit that's about to explode. If you can just give me two minutes...". However Carlito is not interested and tells him "Maybe next time. All the best to ya" however Benny continues "Just two minutes of your time" and Carlito says "I'll talk to you again" and he walks off. This leave Benny looking frustrated as he calls out to Carlito "Just two minutes! That's all".
And lastly there is the moment where Benny confronts Carlito at the club for turning down his champagne and for not sending over his moll, Steffie (Ingrid Rogers). So in the scene Benny walks over to Carlito says "This is the second time you turned me down for a drink. You don't like my champagne?" and Carlito tells him "Could be". So, Benny tries again "Maybe there's a mis-fucking-understanding. Maybe you don't remember me...." and Carlito shuts Benny down and tells he doesn't give a shit who he is and he should get lost. So, Benny then becomes angry and says "The only problem here is that Steffie doesn't know where she belongs" but Carlito holds Steffie back from going with Benny. So, Benny says "I think Steffie is making a big FUCKIN MISTAKE!" and he lunges forward to grab her but Benny is pulled off her by Carlito's men and dragged up the stairs.
So, Carlito along with his bodyguard Pachanga and another men take Benny upstairs and Carlito warns Benny to stay away from the club and if he shows up again he will die. Benny then looks at Carlito angrily and tells him "You're over, man. You're fuckin' in the history books. So you might as well kill me now, 'cause if I ever see you again, I'm gonna kill you!". Carlito then suddenly hits Benny in anger, who falls down a flight of stairs and he is taken out back by Pachanga to await his fate.
Luis Guzman is also excellent as Carlito's right hand man and bodyguard, Pachanga, who watches over Carlito but towards the end his loyalties seem to drift away from Carlito.
And Luis has his good scenes also that include the one where Pachanga first meets up with Carlito again on the old neighbourhood streets. So, Pachanga tells Carlito "Carlito, man, Death Valley out here, man. Mira, you know me, I take to the street with any of these motherfuckers, man. But these new kids nowadays, man, they got no respect for human life. They shotgun you, just to see you fly up in the air. 'Chacho, you're better off in jail. I don't even go up to black Harlem no more. They're fuckin' crazy up there".
Then there is the scene where Pachanga at the club goes up to Carlito, having just learned about the drug deal incident that happened a month ago. So, Pachanga, concerned says "I heard about that shit with your cousin. Why didn't you call me so I could watch your ass?" and Carlito tells him "That happened a month ago. You just found out?". Pachanga then complains about Carlito making him watch out for Kleinfeld "You got me chasin' Kleinberg in the daytime and then you got me here..." and Carlito becomes annoyed at Pachanga mispronouncing Kleinfeld's name "Feld! Kleinfeld! I hope you are doing a better job with him than me!". Pachanga however then tells Carlito "The guy got a lot of money. He got a safe in the office with stacks of hundreds just waitin'..." and Carlito interrupts and angrily says "Hey! Kleinfeld is my brother! Look at me! He is my brother". Pachanga then says "Pachanga's only fuckin around!" and Carlito tells him "Don't fuck around, just keep your eyes open. Watch the bar. They're stealin money in here!" and Pachanga complains "I wanna try, but it's so dark in here. What do you want me to do?!".
Then there is the scene where Carlito has his altercation with Benny in the club and knocks him down a flight of stairs. And Pachanga takes Benny down the stairs outside in a back alley to shoot him and Pachanga excitedly says to Carlito "Let's put him in the trunk of the car and drive him off the pier! It ain't that far. Down the block. It'd be like the old days. Be fun, papi! Be fun!" however Carlito then decides to let Benny go, leaving Pachanga shocked and saying "WHAT?!".
And last of all is the scene near the end where (SPOILER!!!!) Benny shoots Carlito at the train station and he stands over Carlito as he falls down and we see suddenly see Pachanga stand next to him as he has clearly switched sides. And Pachanga tells Carlito "No hard feelings, Carlito. But I got to think about my future, too. You know, it be's that way sometimes, papi" and he says to Benny "Come on, let's go" however Benny then says "No, you stay here" and shoots Pachanga and runs off.
James Rebhorn is very good as the DA, Bill Norwalk, who is investigating Carlito and also keeps a close eye on Kleinfeld.
And Rebhorn best scene comes when he has Carlito brough to Norwalk's office, who tells him about Kleinfeld's duplicitous activities. So, Norwalk tells Carlito "David Kleinfeld became a very big fish while you were gone. Even bigger than you. He's dirty. Money laundering, jury tampering, bribery. We've been after him for some time now". Norwalk then plays a tape recording of Norwalk speaking to Kleinfeld, who tells him that Carlito is back dealing again. Norwalk after tells Carlito "We don't believe him. Word on the street is you've been clean since you came out of prison. Kleinfeld's the one we're after. He was right. I'd never get an indictment with what I had. But now, with your help...we can put this filth away for a long time".
Carlito however denies his knowledge of Tony "T" or that he had anything to do with helping Kleinfeld dispose of Tony "T" and Tony's son's bodies in the river. However, Norwalk refuses to believe him and angrily tells Carlito "All right, here's the deal. If you were on that boat, and I know goddamn well you were...testify against Kleinfeld for first-degree murder. You'll receive complete immunity and a couple airline tickets to the Bahamas. You wanna get even with Kleinfeld? Here it is on a silver platter!".
Carlito however continues to deny any knowledge of what Norwalk has told him. So, Norwalk stands up from his desk and walks over to Carlito and firmly tells him "Let me tell you somethin', Mr. Convicted Dope Peddler...if we can guess you were on that boat, how long do you think it will be before the Italians figure it out?! What if they get to Kleinfeld? They can twist his arm. You think he won't give you up? Think again!". Carlito then looks blankly at Norwalk and says "That it?" and Norwalk annoyed at Carlito's continued ignorance tells him "I wanna hear from you by noon tomorrow. You think you're gonna sail off into the sunset, asshole? Think again!".
Joseph Siravo is probably the weak link in the cast here but he does not too badly in his role as the son of the mob boss, Tony "T", Vinnie, who is out for revenge after his father and brother are murdered by Kleinfeld. Siravo would of course then go on to appear in The Sopranos as Tony Soprano's father, Johnny, who was formerly the boss of the New Jersey crime family before his death.
And Siravo still has some good moments too that include the one where, Vinnie turns up at the hospital, dressed as a policeman and he eyes Carlito leaving Kleinfeld's room, so after that he goes up to the policeman on guard outside Kleinfeld's room and tells him "Quittin time!". And the officer says to Vinnie "You're early" and Vinnie says "Yeah, a few minutes" and he spots the officer's newspaper and says "You finished with your paper?" and the officer hands it over "Its all yours" and Vinnie takes it and says "Thanks" and as the officer leaves he says "Be good". Vinnie then conceals his silenced gun in the paper and knocks on Kleinfeld's door and he says "Mr Kleinfeld" and he walks in. And Vinnie says "There's a delivery for you, Mr Kleinfeld" and Kleinfeld cautiously asks "From who?" and Vinnie then produces his gun and says "From my father and my brother!" and as Kleinfeld tries his gun, he discovers it to be empty and Vinnie exacts revenge and shoots Kleinfeld in the head.
Then there is the scene where Vinnie turns up at Carlito's club as they are very suspicious of his involvement with Kleinfeld, so Carlito nervously tries to evade them but he is soon met by Vinnie's mob associates and soon Vinnie. And one of Vinnie's associates, Pete Amadesso (Richard Foronjy) introduces Vinnie to Carlito and Vinnie says "I heard your jew lawyer met with an accident" and Carlito lies "Well, I haven't seen him lately" and he uses the waiter bringing over cheap champagne as an excuse to escape. And Vinnie then angrily tries to go for Carlito but Pete stops him ""Ain't seen him lately!" The lyin' fuck! - Seen him in the hospital, Pete!".
And lastly there is the moment where Carlito flees the club through a trap door underneath the bar area and as Vinnie keeps looking out for Carlito to come up again from the bar, he suddenly get's up and rushes over to the bar and sees Carlito is gone and says "That little fuckin spic bastard!". So, Vinnie goes behind the bar and pushes the waiter aside, who tells he can't back there, and Vinnie yells "Get the fuck out of here!". Vinnie sees the trap door and opens it and looks through it and they then go outside and spot Carlito running away, so Vinnie shouts "There he is! Come on!" and they begin their lengthy chase of Carlito to Grand central station.
Jorge Porcel next is also good too as Saso, aka "Ron" from Ranaldo. Porcel himself actually could not speak English very well, so for his part in the film De Palma had to resort to using a series of written cue cards with Porcel's lines of them.
I will mention only a couple of Porcel's scenes starting with the one where Saso reacts in surprise at Carlito turning down Benny's request for champagne. So, Saso says to Carlito "Please, you can't do this. Benny spends a lot of money here" but Carlito dismissively says "Come on, he's a nicklebagger!". Saso then tells Carlito "What happened to you? What are you acting like this for? It doesn't make sense you should hate this guy. This guy is you 20 years ago!" but Carlito tells Saso "Never me. Never me!".
And last of all is the scene where Saso talks with Carlito privately about Pachanga's disgruntlement with Carlito's behaviour. And Saso talks in Spanish to Carlito "Listen to me carefully, Carlito. Rudy says Pachanga is complaining about being broke; that he doesn't have a single dollar. He's also saying that you're a piece of shit, and that you don't have the balls to take care of the problem; and he's wasted a lot of time without making any money. Besides, I hear he's spying on us for Benny Blanco". So, Carlito responds in Spanish "Let me deal with Pachanga. He's my brother" but Saso angrily responds also in Spanish "He's your brother? That son of a bitch would kill his mother for money!". Carlito then says in English "Most people will!" and he concludes their discussion in Spanish "See you in the morning".
Viggo Mortensen next up is excellent in his role as the wheelchair bound gangster, Lalin, who was once formerly a suave, handsome guy, who set up Carlito's crew with ladies as well get involved in his deals. And the role showcases Viggo's talents as an actor and in this role his performance is a far cry from his Legolas from Lord of the Rings.
And Viggo only has one main scene but its a great one where Lalin shows up at Carlito's club and unbeknownst to Carlito at first, Lalin is wearing a wire as he was sent by Norwalk to feel out Carlito to see if he was dealing again.
So, in the scene Carlito greets Lalin in his office and Lalin tells him why he is in the wheelchair "I took a few in the back. When the street's mad, she doesn't put you in a box, she puts you in one of these things!". And Carlito asks Lalin "You wanna a drink?" and Lalin tells him "Like you wouldn't believe!" and Carlito closes the blinds in his office, so they talk privately.
So, after a bit, Lalin then starts to try and feel out if Carlito is back dealing and he says "Listen, I'm in with some new people now. Unos italianos, t sabes. They trust you. They think you're a fuckin' guinea". Carlito then briefly plays along and asks "Where they from? Plesant avenue?" and Laleen tells him "No, downtown. Anyway, they got the money. They got a lot of money. Some heavy paper. They go up to $25,000 for a key, if it's good shit, you know. They want regular street people, gente del barrio. Old school all the way!".
However, Carlito then tells Lalin that he isn't connected anymore and he silently grabs a knife and holds it to Lalin's throat and he pulls back the top of his shirt and sees a wear taped inside his shirt and he pulls it off Laleen, disgusted. Carlito then says "This how you beat your 30 years, you piece of shit?! I oughta kill you! I oughta push you in the FUCKING RIVER!" and Pachanga then comes in and finds out what's going on and attempts to shoot Lalin but Carlito shoves him out the office.
Lalin then explains to Carlito tearfully "Look what I got! I mean look at me! You got everything, man! Come on! Look what I got to fucking go around with, fucking diapers! I shit my pants everyday! I can't walk, I can't hump... you know? Go ahead and kill me, you COCKSUCKER!". Carlito then goes up to Laleen and asks him "Who sent you?! Who sent you, motherfucker?! Answer me!" and Lalin tells him "The DA. The DA! He's got a hardon for you, man. He got a tip that you were dealin again, big time!".
And last of all is Frank Minucci as the mob boss, Tony "T" who threatens Kleinfeld with his life if he doesn't bust him out of prison barge he is held at.
And Minucci only has two scenes but I will mention his main one (as the other is just him bobbing in the water waiting to be picked up Kleinfeld) where Tony meets with Kleinfeld at the prison barge and he is apparently unwell as he is coughing constantly.
So, in the scene Tony "T" says to Kleinfeld "I never liked you, Kleinfeld. Not 'cause you're a Jew. I know plenty of Jews. It's 'cause you're a lyin' piece of shit. Now, I give you a million bucks to make a simple payoff and nothin' happens!". Kleinfeld however tries to bluff Tony "T" who is having none of it and he interrupts Kleinfeld saying "You look at my hands! Now, you make me raise my voice and I'll snap your neck like a bread stick! You fuckin' phony! What do you take me for? Nicky never saw dollar one of my money. My million bucks went straight into your pockets!". So, Kleinfeld tries to deny this and says "I personally..." but this makes Tony "T" even angrier, who says "Don't fuckin' lie to me, you scumbag. You lie to me again, you're gonna end up in that river out there. You think about this when you go out, and you'll take a look down and imagine what it'll feel like, slidin' around down the bottom with eels and crabs crawlin' outta your eyeballs!".
Then after this Tony "T" tells Kleinfeld he wants him to bust him out of the prison by using Kleinfeld's boat to pick him up and he is to be watched by Tony's son, Frank (Adrian Pasdar) on the night of the breakout. However as Kleinfeld is reluctant to help out, Tony "T" lays down a brutal ultimatum to him and says "The contract's already down on you, pal. The guys, the guns, the LIME pit's already dug. You understand? And from in here, just one button I push!".
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
Finally moving onto the director of the film, Brian De Palma does an excellent job here as he is an expert at cranking up tension and creating thrillers in general. And the aforementioned scenes of Carlito tensely waiting out what to do during the botched drug deal near the start and the Grand Central station chase scene with the mob are both great examples of De Palma's ability to create suspensful sequences.
De Palma also employs his usual great visual sense here too in the film with his excellent use of composition of placing his actors within the frame and also using askew camera angles in certain scenes to give them a unique look. So, overall this remains one of De Palma's best directorial efforts in his career.
As for the original music score by Patrick Doyle, its excellent and its a very impressively orchestrated soundtrack, which perfectly suits the tone of the film and it also features its share of suspenseful sequences. In short this is one of Doyle's best scores out of his impressive career which also has seen him score films such as Donnie Brasco (another Pacino movie) Henry V, Hamlet and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)
As for flaws....yeah OK, Carlito's Way still has a few.
And I would have to say one of its main flaws is to with Carlito's almost naive trust in those around him, particularly with Kleinfed, who despite getting him released from prison, betrays him to the DA and nearly gets him killed by the mafia. Yet throughout we can see how blatantly devious he is, and Carlito must be putting on some serious blinders to it, either or that or just maybe he's not too bright when it comes to putting faith into his unreliable friends. Also as the film progresses we see that Carlito's attitude towards Kleinfeld does change from overawed respect to cynicism, and by the time he gets to the boat ride, he has almost gone off him entirely, which at that point makes you wonder why he even did it!
And further to this point when Carlito is taken to Norwalk's office, he is played the tape of Kleinfeld lying to Norwalk about Carlito dealing again, and at this stage he knows Kleinfeld is a devious, dirty guy yet he STILL insists on going to confront Kleinfeld at the hospital to confirm it! I mean at this stage does he really need to do that???! Carlito already knows that Kleinfeld betrayed him, so why bother go to the hospital as all it does is put his life in immediate danger as he is spotted by Vinnie, who later catches him out lying at the club about him not seeing Kleinfeld lately.
Carlito also has the same blind loyalty to his bodyguard Pachanga, who at the end of the film (SPOILER!!) is revealed to have betrayed him as well to Benny Blanco, in promise for getting rich off the young gangster, who instead just kills Pachanga and runs off. I guess Pachanga shouldn't have tried to kill Benny at the club that night Carlito ejected him from the club, eh?!
I would also have to say that the majority of Carlito's scenes where he tries to rekindle his relationship with Gail are also a bit tedious and slow the film down a bit although their big argument scene over Klenfield is still one of the best in the film. This probably boils down to the fact that Gail's character is somewhat underwritten and she acts basically as love interest to Carlito and is given little to do other than that.
The film also has some unintentionally funny moments in it such as the one where Vinnie and his mob associates chase down Carlito at Grand central station. And there is that cheesy moment where they lose sight of Carlito as he tries to evade them going down a flight of stairs. However, Vinnie with his eagle eyes suddenly spots him and shouts out "There he is!" as the man start to chase him again. Its certainly one of the silliest moments in the film.
I also have to say that I found the idea of Carlito deftly emptying Kleinfeld's gun of bullets a bit daft also as surely that is something that would be incredibly hard to conceal from someone and the film doesn't exactly do a good job of convincing you of it either. However of course Carlito earlier on in the film boasts how he is a great at pool trick shots, so I guess by that same rationale, he can stealthily unload a six shooter without Kleinfeld guessing! However it still doesn't sit right for me personally as surely Kleinfeld should have noticed something when Carlito would have unloaded the bullets.
And last of all, I have to say I found it incredibly naive and stupid of Kleinfeld that he could possibly have thought that killing Tony T and his son, wouldn't come back to him! I mean the Mafia know who this guy is and they know that he ripped them off, which already has put him in a bad spot but he then decides to commit a cardinal sin by murdering a mob boss and his son to get out of it and think there would be no direct repurcusions?!
And to top it all off, the following morning, all Kleinfeld does is go back to work and yeah OK, he does hire a bodyguard I will give him that but was it really a good idea for him to go back to his work??!! I mean surely to God, he should have fled the country and made for the hills (so to speak) to try and get as far away from the mob as he could but nope, he stupidly goes back to work where he is an open target! Kleinfeld might aswell have painted a bullseye on his forehead so the Mafia could figure out just where to place the bullet! So, for all his devious dealings in the end, Kleinfeld really isn't that bright!
Anyway that's it for the flaws.
SUM UP
So, in summing up "Carlito's Way" after 26 years is still an excellent crime thriller and its funny to think that it wasn't that well received on its initial release given how solid the film's cast, direction and script are.However over time, this film is finally now getting the recognition that it deserves and that of course can often be the case with certain films with The Shawshank Redemption being another, which was not well received on its release either but then came onto being realised as a classic.
And I would definitely say if you like your crime thrillers then Carlito's Way still remains a very solid one and one of the best of its time.
Right, so that's it for now
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