Carlito’s Way Ultimate Edition
Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review
By: Erik Swift
October 2007
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“Carlito’s Way” begins with the death of title character Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino), a move that smells of integrity – no sequels, right? Sort of…a prequel, “Carlito’s Way: Rise To Power” arrived on DVD September 27 (insert shrug here). Already released on DVD twice, the timing of the original film’s Ultimate Edition DVD makes basic financial sense. Capitalizing on the prequel, Universal Pictures spotlights Brian DePalma’s 1993 work, remembering and reexamining it well while smartly including new bonus material unseen in previous editions. The film itself is schizophrenic; its first two hours are so slow it makes the Hurricane Katrina cleanup look rapid. The final 20 minutes, an explosive manhunt, reward viewers for sticking with it.
Set in 1975, Brigante’s attorney David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) scores his childhood buddy an early release from prison. Ecstatic to be free, Carlito proclaims his retirement. He believes he can temporarily coexist with his former cohorts long enough to fund an escape to Florida. Carlito, a legend in New York City’s underworld, has had enough after having it all…but many think he’ll come to his senses and return to his roots. Old associates are skeptical, laughing at his legitimate aspiration to open a rental car agency. Most dismiss the enterprising goal, and instead try to seduce Carlito with cash or power and offer high-paying jobs that would put him back behind bars. As the drug-addicted Kleinfeld screws with the Italian mob, new talent (a crackling John Leguizamo) jockeys for his old turf and cops try to return him to the joint, only former flame Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) constructively assists the conflicted ex-con in his struggle to go straight.
DePalma must get a boner when Pacino spouts Spanish, and he’s the only filmmaker to believably make it work…twice. After teaming up on the bloated 1983 remake of “Scarface,” he has a ball directing the actor again as the Puerto Rican Brigante (note the name of Carlito’s club, the El Paraiso, is the same as Tony Montana’s taco stand). The director begs for his name to sit next to Hitchcock’s in every sentence, and his build of tension is very similar to the Master’s. This makes his work easy to mine for references but in “Carlito’s Way” it goes south. So much time is spent en route to the climax that once it literally moves, viewers wonder how they got there. In an era when dealers, pimps, junkies, hookers and the original “Saturday Night Live” cast were roaming New York City’s urban jungle, we’re watching Gail fuel Carlito’s desires. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Page a Land Shark, please.
The director’s grasp of a film frame remains his forte. The pool table scene early in “Carlito’s Way” is a perfect example; DePalma’s voyeuristic modus operandi clamps down over the eight minutes that entail Carlito’s stay in a dimly lit room with red walls. Brigante has followed his second cousin into the long caboose of a space where they encounter a pair of hoods shooting a game of eight ball as two girls shake it to the Santana on the juke. Brigante’s eighteen-year-old relative is a courier, carrying thousands for his contact at the bar against the left wall. The five males briefly congregate next to the pool table when Carlito’s eye catches a slightly moving door in the opposite corner of the narrow room. As the kid goes to the bar and the cash is counted, instinct tells Brigante to investigate. He asks to use the bathroom but one of the pool hustlers discourages him with a claim of a busted toilet. Both the audience and Brigante realize it’s a setup, and neither is as green as his second cousin. Carlito’s quick reaction becomes an unexpected Seventies tribute when a reflection in a pair of mirrored sunglasses puts all in motion. DePalma’s framing builds suspense and adds dramatic effect. Whether it’s the ensuing blood-soaked shootout or the climactic scramble from Harlem to Times Square, he squeezes every room, subway car or back alley inside his shots to its maximum potential. Enhanced by a nice film transfer, these are the moments that shine in 16×9 over 4×3.
Adapted from books by Edwin Torres, David Koepp’s screenplay gives the actors plenty to work with. Pacino, fresh from his award-winning turn in “Scent Of A Woman,” is on cruise control. He can do this stuff in his sleep, but he manages to make Carlito a towering but sympathetic figure. As Brigante tries to retreat from crime, it’s an unrecognizable Penn with a receding hairline and a frizzy ‘do that provides the film’s night fever. Returning from a self-imposed respite from Hollywood, Penn’s Kleinfeld is a true victim of the Me decade, a coke-sniffing freak that drags Brigante into an abyss his client can only hope to avoid. Penn and Pacino had to elevate their game – Leguizamo nearly steals the movie from them. His few scenes as Billy Blanco from the Bronx will forever tie “Carlito’s Way” to him, and he’s never acted better. The trio refuses to let eyes wander from them when they’re onscreen, commanding attention in the most silent of moments. Having Luis Guzman and a crappy-looking Viggo Mortenson around doesn’t hurt. Only Miller seems miscast; she looks great, but how Gail got mixed up with Brigante is never clear.
On the flip side of this Ultimate Edition, the near hour of extras includes some debuts: the original trailer, a 1993 five-minute ‘making-of’ vignette and several deleted/extended scenes. Unfortunately, none break new ground. If hearing DePalma wax philosophic on the emptiness of today’s films is your thing, check out the 2002 documentary written, produced and directed by Laurent Bouzereau. “The Making Of Carlito’s Way” returns from the Collector’s Edition but don’t miss it. This guy makes such watchable docs that he’ll never be unemployed, and a resume that lists 135 films starts with his 1995 “The Making Of Jaws.” That was a 2-hour epic finally restored to its full length in Universal’s 30th anniversary edition of the 1975 classic; nothing as ambitious is here, but Bouzereau still knows “Carlito’s Way” well enough to make his 35-minute trip breezy.
There is a sense of déjà vu watching “Carlito’s Way,” and if it were set a century earlier in Texas it would be a nasty Western. A morality tale that veers from poetic to puzzling, its November release wasn’t a wise move and explains a meager $37 million box-office take. Somehow the Academy missed Penn’s performance, but in their defense it was a notoriously cramped year in the Best Supporting Actor category (John Malkovich’s “In The Line Of Fire” assassin grappled with Ralph Fiennes’ “Schindler’s List” Nazi and winner Tommy Lee Jones’ U.S. Marshal in “The Fugitive,” but fellow non-nominee Val Kilmer was also edged out despite his stellar “Tombstone” turn as Doc Holliday). “Carlito’s Way” remains an underrated but engaging and well-acted effort. It’s a coin toss to upgrade for the non-essential new material on Universal Pictures’ Ultimate Edition. Add this version to film collections if you’ve never encountered it. Best choice: watch before you decide but do it wide screen, where it looks and sounds badass.
Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!
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