From the director of Scarface comes the critically acclaimed crime thriller Carlito's Way. Al Pacino gives an electrifying performance as former drug kingpin Carlito Brigante, who is sprung from prison by his high-powered attorney (Sean Penn). He stuns the New York underworld by vowing to go straight from a history of violence, but his plans are undermined by misguided loyalties and an outmoded code of honor. In a life-or-death battle, Carlito takes on the relentless forces that refuse to let him go. Co-starring John Leguizamo and Luis Guzmán, Carlito's Way is a powerful, action-packed ride all the way to its explosive conclusion.

CRITIQUE

Carlito’s Way is one of the most memorable classic gangster movie of the 1990s. Directed by Brian De Palma, my favorite director, the movie has all the ingredients of a classic. The story is compelling, Al Pacino is convincing and quite memorable in a great performance, the building of suspense is tight and very well executed both visually and in narrative from a great script by David Koepp, the romance between Carlito and his love interest (played by Penelope Ann Miller) is strong, the action sequences (the pool bar scene, train, central station) are excellent and signature De Palma, Patrick Doyle’s music score is beautiful, and Sean Penn gives an interesting and very good performance. If you’ve seen the movie you already know all this, but anyone who hasn’t yet seen Carlito’s Way should seek it out very soon!

THE VIDEO

Universal presents Carlito’s Way in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are vibrant and crisp, the print quality is pretty good except for grain in some scenes and bits of dirt here and there. Black levels are mostly consistent. I can’t say if the video has been improved over the previous DVD. Optional subtitles include English, French and Spanish.

THE AUDIO

Universal presents Carlito’s in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. Dialogue is easy to understand and nicely spread across the front speakers. Sound effects as well as Patrick Doyle’s beautiful score come across clearly, and the rear speakers are active occasionally. Additional audio options include English DTS 5.1, French Dolby 5.1, and Spanish 2.0 Mono.

THE EXTRAS

Billed as “all-new,” the deleted scenes (8:16) are presented in one reel in letterboxed fullscreen. These 9 scenes haven’t been processed fully as there is grain present, the video is scratchy and some scenes look quite dark. There’s also no mention of where these scenes take place in the movie. By themselves, the scenes are okay, some better than others.

Brian De Palma on Carlito’s Way (5:27) is presented in fullscreen and features the director in an interview where he (briefly) discusses visualizing a scene, John Leguizamo, “the real thing”, the movie’s reception by critics, and a few other topics. Oddly, De Palma often looks off to the right when he speaks. His interview segment is taken from the larger making-of which follows below.

The Making of Carlito’s Way (34:34) is a pretty good doc written, produced and directed by Laurent Bouzereau. It features interviews with author Judge Edwin Torres, producer Martin Bregman, writer David Koepp, Brian De Palma, and editor Bill Pankow. The back of the DVD suggests the cast also participates here, but nobody appears. Topics discusses and tidbits revealing include: the movie is actually based on the second Carlito book “After Hours,” we learn how the movie got made from genesis to production, the ideas behind the book and composite characters, the pool sequence is discussed (setting up the suspense), filming the train chase in a hot summer, the escalator gunfight, a brief mention of the score, stories from the production, response to critics’ reviews, etc. The documentary, also available on the Collector’s Edition DVD released two years ago, is subtitled in English, French and Spanish. Overall, a satisfying look at the movie.

There’s also the theatrical trailer (2:40), 17 poster portraits, 35 photos of DePalma on set, and an original featurette (5:13).

Let’s hope this is the last time Universal issues a DVD for this movie (there are 3 in total); the new additions to this Ultimate Edition are the deleted scenes and De Palma’s interview segment, and perhaps the original featurette and photo galleries as well.

FINAL THOUGHT

Carlito’s Way is a great gangster movie. De Palma’s direction is splendid, the cinematography is excellent, and the script quite clever and engaging. Those who own the previous DVD may want to rent this DVD, while anyone who doesn’t yet own it should definitely consider the Ultimate Edition for purchase.