Carlito's Way is a 1993
crime filmCrime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
directed by
Brian De PalmaBrian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
, based on the novels
Carlito's Way and
After Hours by
Judge Edwin Torres-Early years:Both of Torres' parents emigrated from Jayuya, Puerto Rico and settled in the barrio in Manhattan's Spanish Harlem where Torres was born. Growing up in poverty, Torres graduated from Stuyvesant High School. From there he attended City College of the City University of New York,...
. The
film adaptationFilm adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
was scripted by
David Koepp-Career:As a writer, Koepp has worked on such blockbuster Hollywood films as Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, and Spider-Man. Koepp had a cameo as the "Unlucky Bastard" in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in which he was serving as Writer and Second Unit Director.His work as a director has not had...
. It stars
Al PacinoAlfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
,
Sean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
,
Penelope Ann MillerPenelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
,
Luis GuzmanLuis Guzmán is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, he has played roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen....
,
John LeguizamoJonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
,
Jorge PorcelJorge Raúl Porcel de Peralta was a comedy actor and television host from Argentina. He was nicknamed El Gordo de América...
,
Joseph SiravoJoseph Siravo is an Italian american actor and graduate of both Stanford and NYU. Among his most notable roles is that of "Johnny Boy" Soprano, father of Tony Soprano, on The Sopranos. He is credited as the voice of Carmine in the Disney film The Wild...
, and
Viggo MortensenViggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
. The film's featured song, "
You Are So Beautiful"You Are So Beautiful" is a song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. It was first recorded by Preston and made popular in a version by Joe Cocker....
", was performed by
Joe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
.
The film is based mainly on
After Hours, but used the title of the first novel to avoid it being confused with
Martin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's 1985 film of the
same nameAfter Hours is a 1985 American black comedy film, written by Joseph Minion and directed by Martin Scorsese. Paul Hackett , a New Yorker, experiences a series of adventures and perils in trying to make his way home from SoHo.-Plot:...
, and focuses on Carlito's activities once he is released from prison.
Carlito BriganteCarlito Brigante is the eponymous character from Carlito's Way and After Hours, novels by Edwin Torres. Torres has stated that Brigante was a combination of several men he knew in his street days, as well as a compilation of several of his own personal characteristics.Born in 1930 in Spanish...
, a fictional
Puerto RicanA Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
criminal vows to go straight and to retire in paradise. However, his past will not let him, and he unwittingly ends up being dragged into the same criminal activities that got him imprisoned in the first place.
Carlito's Way received a mixed response from critics, with a similar lukewarm result at the box office, but has subsequently gained a
cult followingA cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
. Both
Sean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
and
Penelope Ann MillerPenelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
received Golden Globe nominations for their performances.This was when Pacino and Miller experienced their first offscreen romance as well. A
prequelA prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
titled
Carlito's Way: Rise to PowerCarlito's Way: Rise to Power is a 2005 direct-to-video prequel to Brian De Palma's 1993 film Carlito's Way, based on the novel Carlito's Way by Judge Edwin Torres...
, based on the first novel, was filmed and released
direct-to-videoDirect-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
in 2005.
Plot
In 1975, after serving 5 years of a 30 year prison sentence,
Carlito BriganteCarlito Brigante is the eponymous character from Carlito's Way and After Hours, novels by Edwin Torres. Torres has stated that Brigante was a combination of several men he knew in his street days, as well as a compilation of several of his own personal characteristics.Born in 1930 in Spanish...
(
Al PacinoAlfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
) is freed on a legal technicality exploited by his close friend and lawyer, Dave Kleinfeld (
Sean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
). Carlito vows to be through with his criminal activities but is persuaded to accompany his young cousin Guajiro (
John OrtizJohn Ortiz is an American actor and Artistic Director/Co-Founder of LAByrinth Theater Company.-Career:In 1993, John made his film debut as Al Pacino’s young cousin ‘Guajiro’ in Carlito’s Way. He went on to appear in over 30 films including El Cantante, Take the Lead, Before Night Falls, Amistad,...
) to a drug deal held at a bar. Guajiro is betrayed and killed by his suppliers and Carlito is forced to shoot his way out. Afterwards, Carlito takes Guajiro's
$The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
30,000 from the botched deal and uses it to buy into a nightclub owned by a gambling addict named Saso (
Jorge PorcelJorge Raúl Porcel de Peralta was a comedy actor and television host from Argentina. He was nicknamed El Gordo de América...
) with the intent on saving $75,000 to retire to the Caribbean.
As nightclub co-owner, Carlito declines several offers for a business partnership with an ambitious, albeit obnoxious, young gangster from the Bronx named Benny Blanco (
John LeguizamoJonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
). Carlito also rekindles his romance with his former girlfriend Gail (
Penelope Ann MillerPenelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
), a ballet dancer who moonlights as a stripper. Kleinfeld develops a love interest with Benny's girlfriend, Steffie, a waitress at Carlito's nightclub. Benny's frustration with Carlito's constant rejections boils over and he confronts Carlito one night at his table. Carlito publicly humiliates Benny, who reacts by manhandling Steffie. Fueled by his now extensive use of alcohol and cocaine, Kleinfeld brazenly pulls out a gun and threatens to kill Benny, but Carlito intervenes. Despite being personally threatened by Benny himself, Carlito lets Benny go unharmed; a decision which alienates Carlito's gangster friend and personal bodyguard Pachanga (
Luis GuzmánLuis Guzmán is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, he has played roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen....
).
Kleinfeld, who stole one million dollars in payoff money from his Italian mob-boss client, Anthony "Tony T" Taglialucci, is coerced into providing his yacht to help Tony T break out of the
Rikers Island prison bargethumb|Entrance in [[Hunts Point, Bronx]]The Vernon C. Bain Center is an 800-bed jail barge used to hold inmates for New York City as part of the New York City Department of Corrections as part of the vast Rikers Island jail complex...
. Kleinfeld begs for Carlito's assistance in the prison break, and Carlito reluctantly agrees. Under cover of night, Carlito, Kleinfeld, and Tony T's son, Frankie, sail to a floating buoy outside of the prison barge where Tony T is waiting. As they pull Tony T aboard, Kleinfeld unexpectedly bludgeons him to death then slits Frankie's throat and dumps both of their bodies in the
East RiverThe East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
. Carlito immediately severs his ties with Kleinfeld and decides to leave town with Gail. The next day, Kleinfeld barely survives a retaliatory assassination attempt when he's stabbed in the chest at his office by two mobsters.
Carlito is apprehended by police and taken to District Attorney Norwalk's (
James RebhornJames Robert Rebhorn is an American character actor who has appeared in over 100 television shows, feature films and plays.-Personal life:...
) office where he is played a tape of Kleinfeld making and offering to testify to false criminal allegations against Carlito. Norwalk advises that he is aware of Carlito as an
accompliceAt law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery...
to the Taglialucci murders in an attempt to leverage him into betraying Kleinfeld to save himself, but Carlito refuses. Carlito visits Kleinfeld under police protection in the hospital, where Kleinfeld confesses to selling him out. Having noticed a suspicious man dressed in a police uniform waiting in the lobby, Carlito deftly unloads Kleinfeld's
revolverA revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
and parts ways with him. The man turns out to be Tony T's other son, Vinnie (
Joseph SiravoJoseph Siravo is an Italian american actor and graduate of both Stanford and NYU. Among his most notable roles is that of "Johnny Boy" Soprano, father of Tony Soprano, on The Sopranos. He is credited as the voice of Carmine in the Disney film The Wild...
), seeking vengeance for his brother and father. Vinnie sneaks into Kleinfeld's room and executes him without incident because of Kleinfeld's empty gun.
Carlito then buys train tickets to Miami for himself and Gail, now pregnant. When he stops by his club to get the stashed money, Carlito is met by a group of Italian mobsters led by Vinnie. The Italians plan on killing Carlito, but he manages to slip out through a secret exit. The Italians pursue him throughout the city's subway system and into
Grand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
where they engage in a gunfight. Carlito kills all of his pursuers except Vinnie, who is shot and killed by police attracted by the gunfire.
As Carlito runs to catch the train where Gail and Pachanga are waiting for him, he is ambushed by a disguised Benny, who shoots Carlito several times in the abdomen with a
silenced gunA suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
. Pachanga admits to the dying Carlito that he is now working for Benny, only to be shot as well. Carlito hands a tearful Gail the money and tells her to escape with their unborn child and start a new life elsewhere. As he is wheeled away on a gurney, Carlito stares at a billboard with a Caribbean beach and a picture of a woman. The billboard then comes to life in his mind, and the woman, who is clearly Gail, starts dancing as Carlito slowly passes away.
Cast
- Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
as Carlito BriganteCarlito Brigante is the eponymous character from Carlito's Way and After Hours, novels by Edwin Torres. Torres has stated that Brigante was a combination of several men he knew in his street days, as well as a compilation of several of his own personal characteristics.Born in 1930 in Spanish...
. Pacino came to Carlito's Way directly from his Oscar-winning role in Scent of a WomanThis article is about the American film. For the Korean drama, see Scent of a Woman .Scent of a Woman is a 1992 drama film directed by Martin Brest that tells the story of a preparatory school student who takes a job as an assistant to an irascible, blind, medically retired Army officer...
. To get into the character, he accompanied Torres through East HarlemHarlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. There he could absorb the sights and atmosphere. Pacino first envisioned Carlito with a ponytailA ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
. But after his visits to Harlem he quickly realized the guys there were not into wearing their hair that way. The beard was Pacino's idea. The black leather coat just fit into the period setting.
- Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
as David Kleinfeld. For the pivotal role of Carlito's sleazy lawyer and best friend, Penn was lured back from early retirement by the challenge of playing the corrupt lawyer. Taking the role meant that he could finance his movie The Crossing GuardThe Crossing Guard is a 1995 independent film directed and written by American actor Sean Penn. It stars Jack Nicholson, David Morse, Anjelica Huston and Robin Wright Penn.- Plot :...
and work with Pacino. De Palma and Penn sat down and discussed what '70s mob lawyers looked like. Often, men in the entertainment business can look more bizarre than the talent they represent. Penn shaved the hair on the front of his forehead to give the appearance of a receding hairline. He permed the rest. Alan DershowitzAlan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He has spent most of his career at Harvard Law School where in 1967, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history...
, believing that Penn was attempting to look like him, threatened the filmmakers with a defamation lawsuit.
- Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
as Gail. Carlito's girlfriend and one of the few people he truly trusts, she is the only person who has ever seen Carlito's goodness. She is a dancer dreaming of the big time, but is reduced to working in a strip club to make ends meet. Although the story is a suspenseful crime thriller, their doomed romance is at the heart of the film. At the time, Miller was 29 years old to Pacino's 53. Casting for Gail proved difficult because of the character's striptease scenes. The character needed someone who was both a talented dancer and actor.
- John Leguizamo
Jonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
as Benny Blanco. Leguizamo completed the main cast as "Benny Blanco from the Bronx", an up-and-coming gangster who is determined to exceed Carlito's reputation but lacks any sense of ethics.
- Luis Guzmán
Luis Guzmán is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, he has played roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen....
as Pachanga. One of the few remaining old time friends of Carlito, he works as his right-hand man at the Club Paradise. He would eventually betray Carlito to work with Blanco. After Carlito escapes and kills the mobsters, Pachanga and Carlito run to Gail and the train, where Blanco shoots both Carlito and Pachanga. In Koepp's first draft of the screenplay, Pachanga spoke in a very heavy slang style. Following rumbles from the Latino cast and crew, Koepp toned this down.
- Jorge Porcel
Jorge Raúl Porcel de Peralta was a comedy actor and television host from Argentina. He was nicknamed El Gordo de América...
as Saso. Saso, or "Ron", is the owner of Club Paradise before Kleinfeld asks Carlito to take charge. He is a gambling addict with many dangerous debts to settle.
- Ingrid Rogers as Steffie. Rogers makes her feature debut as Steffie who works in the Club Paradise. She was initially Benny Blanco's girlfriend before she set her sights on David Kleinfeld and his riches.
- James Rebhorn
James Robert Rebhorn is an American character actor who has appeared in over 100 television shows, feature films and plays.-Personal life:...
as Norwalk. Norwalk is the District Attorney involved with Carlito's conviction case. He shadows Carlito throughout the film trying to convict him, but eventually turns his attention away from Carlito and towards the corrupt Kleinfeld.
- Joseph Siravo
Joseph Siravo is an Italian american actor and graduate of both Stanford and NYU. Among his most notable roles is that of "Johnny Boy" Soprano, father of Tony Soprano, on The Sopranos. He is credited as the voice of Carmine in the Disney film The Wild...
as Vincent "Vinnie" Taglialucci. The elder son of Tony T and older brother of Frankie, he is out to avenge his father's and brother's deaths. Vinnie disguises himself as a police officer and kills Kleinfled. He and other Italian gangsters chase Carlito on the subway and into the train station. Carlito kills all except for Vinnie on the escalator. A wounded Vinnie staggers after Carlito but the police finish Vinnie off.
- Frank Minucci as Anthony "Tony T." Taglialucci. An Italian mob boss known as Tony T., he is the father of Vinnie and Frankie and a client of Kleinfeld. He lent him a million dollars for a payoff while in prison, but Kleinfeld laundered the money. He is sprung from the prison barge but is murdered by Kleinfeld before he can get out of the water.
- Adrian Pasdar
Adrian Kayvan Pasdar is an American actor, voice artist, and film director. He is known for playing Jim Profit on the TV series Profit, for his roles in Near Dark, Carlito's Way, Mysterious Ways and as Nathan Petrelli on Heroes. Additionally, he directed the feature film Cement...
as Frank "Frankie" Taglialucci. The youngest son of Tony T. and younger brother of Vinnie. He accompanies Kleinfeld and Carlito on the boat to rescue Tony. Kleinfeld kills him with a crowbar while he steers the boat, then dumps his and his father's bodies into the sea.
- Richard Foronjy as Pete Amadesso. An old acquaintance of Carlito and a business associate of Tony T and Vincent. He is among those who chase Carlito to Grand Central. Pete is shot by Carlito on the escalator.
- Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
as Lalin. Once a handsome, suave gangster friend of Carlito's, he is now a paraplegic in a wheelchair. He arrives at the nightclub wearing a hidden microphone to gain evidence against Carlito for DA Norwalk, as it is the only way he could stay out of prison.
- John Augstin Ortiz
John Ortiz is an American actor and Artistic Director/Co-Founder of LAByrinth Theater Company.-Career:In 1993, John made his film debut as Al Pacino’s young cousin ‘Guajiro’ in Carlito’s Way. He went on to appear in over 30 films including El Cantante, Take the Lead, Before Night Falls, Amistad,...
as Guajiro. Carlito's young, naive cousin, he convinces Carlito to make a stop at a pool hall as his backup during a drug deal. The deal goes wrong and he is killed by the drug dealers.
- Al Israel
Al Israel was an American film and TV actor who is best known for his role as the Colombian drug dealer "Hector the Toad" in the 1983 cult film Scarface. He also appeared alongside Al Pacino in Carlito's Way a decade later.He was one of three original cast members to lend their voice talent to...
as Rolando. A former partner of Carlito's, whom he meets with, and announces his retirement to. Rolando is grateful to Carlito for not snitching on him while in prison, but doesn't believe Carlito would truly retire.
- Orlando Urdaneta
Orlando Urdaneta is a well-known Venezuelan actor and television personality. He is one of the most outspoken critics of President Hugo Chávez and his fear of retaliation from the Bolivarian Circles made him decide to live in a self-imposed exile in Miami...
as a bartender.
Production
Pacino first heard about Carlito Brigante in a
YMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
gym in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1973. Pacino was working out for his movie
SerpicoSerpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
when he met New York state supreme court Judge
Edwin Torres-Early years:Both of Torres' parents emigrated from Jayuya, Puerto Rico and settled in the barrio in Manhattan's Spanish Harlem where Torres was born. Growing up in poverty, Torres graduated from Stuyvesant High School. From there he attended City College of the City University of New York,...
(the author who was writing the novels
Carlito's Way and
After Hours). When the novels were completed Al read them and liked them, especially the character of Carlito. Inspiration for the novels came from Torres' background, things that were most familiar to him: the East Harlem barrio where he was born and raised in an atmosphere of racial gangs, drugs and
povertyPoverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. In 1989, Pacino faced a $6 million
lawsuitA lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
from
producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Elliott Kastner-Early life and education:Kastner was born in New York City. He got his education at the University of Miami and Columbia University. During the fifties he was stationed with U.S...
. Kastner claimed Pacino had gone back on an agreement to star in his version of a Carlito movie with
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
as criminal lawyer David Kleinfeld. The suit was dropped and the project was abandoned.
Pacino went to producer
Martin BregmanMartin Bregman is a film producer and former personal manager. Bregman produced many films including Scarface, Sea of Love, Venom, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, The Four Seasons, Betsy's Wedding, Carlito's Way, and The Bone Collector.-Life and career:Bregman was born in New York City, to Leon and Ida...
with the intention of getting a Carlito film made. First thing on the list was to get a
scriptA screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
written that would portray Carlito Brigante's world and provide a suitable showcase for Pacino's talents. David Koepp had just finished writing the script for Bregman's forthcoming
The ShadowThe Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
when producer Michael S. Bregman suggested him to write the script for
Carlito's Way. The decision came that the screenplay would be based on the second novel
After Hours. Carlito at this stage would match closer with Pacino's age. Although based primarily on the second novel, the title
Carlito's Way remained, mainly because of the existence of Martin Scorsese's movie
After Hours- Television and film :* After Hours , a 1985 movie directed by Martin Scorsese* After Hours , a 1953 Canadian television series* After Hours , a 2007 television drama broadcasted in Singapore...
. Bregman would work closely with Koepp for two years to develop the
shooting scriptA shooting script is the version of a screenplay used during the production of a motion picture. Shooting scripts are distinct from spec scripts in that they make use of scene numbers , and they follow a well defined set of procedures specifying how script revisions should be implemented and...
for
Carlito's Way.
Koepp wrestled with the
voice-overVoice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
throughout the writing process. Initially the voice-over was to take place in the hospital, but De Palma suggested the train station platform. The hospital scenes were written 25 to 30 times because the actors had trouble with the sequence, with Pacino even thinking that Carlito would not go to the hospital. With one final re-write Koepp managed to make the scene work to Pacino's satisfaction. In the novels Kleinfeld does not die, but De Palma has a huge sense of justice and retribution. He could not have Carlito killed off and have Kleinfeld live.
At one point,
The Long Good FridayThe Long Good Friday is a British gangster film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979 but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film...
director, John Mackenzie, was linked with the film. When
Carlito's Way and its sequel
After Hours were optioned, Martin Bregman had
Abel FerraraAbel Ferrara is an American film screenwriter and director. He is best known as an independent filmmaker of such films as The Driller Killer , Ms. 45 , King of New York , Bad Lieutenant and The Funeral .-Early life:Ferrara was born in the Bronx of Italian and Irish descent...
in mind. However, when Bregman and Ferrara parted ways, De Palma was brought in. Bregman explained that this decision was not about "getting the old team back together", rather than making use of the best talent available. De Palma, reluctantly, read the script and as soon as Spanish-speaking characters cropped up he feared it would be
Scarface all over again. He said that he did not want to make another Spanish-speaking gangster movie. When De Palma finally did read it all the way through, he realized it was not what he thought it was. De Palma liked the script and envisioned it as a
noirFilm noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
movie. Bregman supervised casting throughout the various stages of
pre-productionPre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
, and carefully selected the creative team who would make the film a reality. This included
production designerIn film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
Richard Sylbert, editor
Bill PankowBill Pankow is an American film editor with more than 32 film credits dating from 1982. He won the Seattle Film Critics Award for Best Editing in 2002 for his work on Femme Fatale. Femme Fatale was one of the nine films that Pankow has edited with director Brian De Palma commencing with Body...
,
costume designerA costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person whose responsibility is to design costumes for a film or stage production. He or she is considered an important part of the "production team", working alongside the director, scenic and lighting designers as well as the sound designer. The...
Aude Bronson-Howard and director of photography Stephen Burum.
Initially, filming began on March 22, 1993, though the first scheduled shoot, the Grand Central Station
climaxThe Climax is the point in the story where the main character's point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main turning point in the story...
, had to be changed when Pacino showed up on crutches. Instead, the tension-building pool hall sequence, where Pacino accompanies his young cousin Guajiro on an ill-fated drug deal, started the production. Because the film was heavily character based and featured little action, the early pool sequence had to be elaborate and set up right. A huge amount of time was spent setting it up and filming it. After the film studio had viewed a cut of the pool hall sequence, a note was passed onto the crew stating that they felt the scene was too long. De Palma spent more time adding to the sequence and with the help of editor Bill Pankow made it work. The producers came back saying "much better shorter."
Apart from the poster sequence, which was shot in Florida, the entire movie was filmed on
locationA filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
in New York. De Palma roamed
ManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
searching for suitable visual locations. A tenement on 115th Street became the site of Carlito's homecoming: the barrio scene. The courtroom, in which Carlito thanks the prosecutor, was shot in Judge Torres's workplace, the State Supreme Court Building at 60 Centre Street. The Club Paradise was initially in a West Side brownstone as the model for the book's postprandial premises. But this was considered too cramped for filming. A multi-level bistro club designed by De Palma took shape at the Kaufman-Astoria Studios in Long Island City, in a style of 1970's art deco disco.
Tony Taglialucci's escape from
Rikers IslandRikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
, a night shoot mid-river, was considered impossible. Instead, the production used a
BrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
shipyard where Kleinfeld's boat was lowered into an empty "lock" into which river water was pumped. Smoke machines and towers of space lights were installed.
For a climactic finale, De Palma staged a chase from the platform of the Harlem-125th Street (Metro-North) Station to the escalators of
Grand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
. For the shoot, trains were re-routed and timed so that Pacino and his pursuers could dart from car to hurtling car. The length of the escalator scene during the climactic shoot out at Grand Central Station caused a headache for editor Pankow. He had to piece together the sequences so that the audience would be so tied up in the action that they would not be thinking about how long the escalator was running.
Reception
Carlito's Way wrapped on July 20, 1993, and was released on 3 November 1993. Critical response to the theatrical release was somewhat lukewarm. The film was criticized for re-treading old ground, mainly De Palma's own
Scarface and
The Untouchables.
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
stated in his review that the film is one of De Palma's finest with some of the best set-pieces he has done. Patrick Doyle was praised on his scoring of the film soundtrack, which was described as "elegiac" and "hauntingly beautiful," which "displays Doyle as one of the major talents of modern film scoring." Peter Travers (of
Rolling Stone) criticised the film for Pacino's "Rican" accent slipping into his "Southern drawl from
Scent of a Woman", "De Palma's erratic pacing and derivative shootouts" and "what might have been if
Carlito's Way had forged new ground and not gone down smokin' in the shadow of
Scarface."
On the Siskel & Ebert show, Ebert gave the film a thumbs up while Siskel gave it a thumbs down. Owen Gleiberman (from
Entertainment Weekly) described the film as "a competent and solidly unsurprising urban-underworld thriller" and is "okay entertainment," but went on to say that the plot would have worked better "as a lean and mean
Miami Vice episode." The film has a fresh rating of 82% on the
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
review site.
Bregman was surprised about some of the negative reviews, but stated that some of the same reviewers have since "retracted" their views upon further discussions of the film. A few weeks before the film's premiere, De Palma told the crew not to get their hopes up about the film's reception. He correctly predicted that Pacino, having just won an Oscar, would be criticized; Koepp, having just done
Jurassic ParkJurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
, would "suck"; Penn would be "brilliant" because he had not done anything for a while; and he himself, having not been forgiven for
The Bonfire of the VanitiesThe Bonfire of the Vanities is a 1990 American film adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe. The film was directed by Brian De Palma and stars Tom Hanks as Sherman McCoy, Bruce Willis as Peter Fallow, Melanie Griffith as Maria Ruskin, and Kim Cattrall as Judy McCoy,...
, would not quite be embraced.
Carlito's Way premiered with an opening weekend
box officeA box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
taking of over $9 million. At the end of its theatrical run, the film had grossed over $36 million in the United States and $63 million worldwide. Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller both received Golden Globe nominations for their respective roles as Kleinfeld and Gail. The post cinematic appreciation of the film was later highlighted when the French publication
Cahiers du cinémaCahiers du Cinéma is an influential French film magazine founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca. It developed from the earlier magazine Revue du Cinéma involving members of two Paris film clubs — Objectif 49 and...
named it as Best film of the 1990s along with
The Bridges of Madison County and
Goodbye South Goodbye.
Cultural influence
Although the film was not considered a success with its initial theatrical run the film was popular on
home videoHome video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
and gained a growing fan base.
Carlito's Ways influence can be seen in many subsequent forms of media, be it music, television shows or video games. Ken Rosenberg of
Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
and San Andreas video games was based on Sean Penn's portrayal of Kleinfeld. They look similar, talk in the same manner, have a similar build, have the same clothing style and display similar traits of drug use and increasing paranoia. The character Benny Blanco is parodied in the
MMORPGMassively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
with the Defias thug "Benny Blanco" in Westfall. Benny Blanco is also used as one of names that Adam Hussain from the band
Goldie Lookin ChainGoldie Lookin Chain is a comedic rap music group based in Newport, South Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the ‘chav’ culture and life in Newport and south Wales in general.-Background:Many of the songs...
uses in some of their songs.
A clip of Carlito shouting "Here comes the pain!" is used in the song "(sic)" by
SlipknotSlipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
. Rapper
Jay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
has used samples of Carlito's dialogue in some of his songs including "Intro/A Million And One Questions/Rhyme No More", "Brooklyn's Finest", and
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. Jay-Z also references himself playing a lead role in a fictional movie "Hovito's Way" in the song "Allure". Carlito's ending monologue is sampled on Ghostface Killa's album
Ironman. In the 2009 album
Loso's Way by American hip hop artist Fabolous the track listings included a song titled "Pachanga" which references to Carlito's friend, Pachanga betraying him. Evident in the hook's lyrics
"A Love changes,
a thug changes
and best friends become strangers,
Pachangas"
An additional sample of dialogue from the film can be found in
Living LegendsLiving Legends is a rap group composed of eight hip hop artists from California. Beginning in the early 1990s, the crew garnered a following by recording, promoting, and performing their music independently...
' song "Gotta Question For Ya" from their album
Almost FamousAlmost Famous is an album released by Living Legends.-Track listing:...
, beginning with the line "Can you come with me?".
The ProdigyThe Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
sampled the line "Hey, remember me? Benny Blanco From The Bronx?" during their live shows in 1997, however the tune it was used in was not released. The line "When you can’t see the angles no more, you're in trouble" was sampled by jungle/drum'n'bass producer DJ Krust in "Angles" (1996).
Music
Patrick DoylePatrick Doyle is a Scottish musician and film score composer. A longtime collaborator of actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work scoring such critically acclaimed films as Henry V , Sense and Sensibility , Hamlet , and Gosford Park , as well as noteworthy blockbusters as Harry...
composed the original score, while Musical supervisor Jellybean Benitez supplemented the soundtrack with elements of salsa, merengue and other authentic styles.
Score
Soundtrack
Other songs heard in the film, but not included on the soundtrack, are
You Should Be Dancing"You Should Be Dancing" is a single by the Bee Gees, from the album, Children of the World, in 1976. The single hit number one for one week on the American Billboard Hot 100, number one for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in July the same year, reached number five on the UK...
by The Bee Gees,
Fly, Robin, Fly"Fly, Robin, Fly" is a 1975 record by the German group Silver Convention. The song was released as a single from their 1975 album Save Me. In the United States, it rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1975, staying there for three weeks. The single also was #1 on the soul singles chart...
by
Silver ConventionSilver Convention was a German euro disco recording act of the 1970s. The group was originally named Silver Bird Convention, or Silver Bird.-Career:...
and
Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)"Do It " is the name of a popular song by funk group B.T. Express, written by group member Billy Nichols. Released from the debut album of the same title, the song became a great "crossover" success. The single was rated #1 of the R&B singles chart for a week during the autumn of 1974 and was...
by
B.T. ExpressB.T. Express was an American funk/disco group, that had a number of successful songs during the 1970s.-Career:...
.
Releases
The film has been released on
VHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and
LaserDiscLaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
standard and widescreen versions. It was later released on
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2004, with an Ultimate Edition following in 2005. The Ultimate Edition DVD includes deleted scenes, an interview with De Palma, a making-of documentary and more. In 2007 an
HD DVDHD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
version was released, which features the same bonus material as the Ultimate Edition. The film was released on Blu-ray on May 18, 2010.
Prequel
Edwin Torres-Early years:Both of Torres' parents emigrated from Jayuya, Puerto Rico and settled in the barrio in Manhattan's Spanish Harlem where Torres was born. Growing up in poverty, Torres graduated from Stuyvesant High School. From there he attended City College of the City University of New York,...
' first novel
Carlito's Way was filmed and released
direct-to-videoDirect-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
in 2005, under the title
Carlito's Way: Rise to Power. Although critically panned, Torres did give the film his blessing and considers it to be quite an accurate adaptation of the first half of his novel, with a planned sequel for the second half in the works. It stars
Jay HernandezJavier Manuel "Jay" Hernandez, Jr. is an American actor.-Early life and career:Hernandez was born in Montebello, California, the son of Isis , a secretary and accountant, and Javier Hernandez, Sr., a mechanic. He has a younger sister, Amelia, and two older brothers, Michael and Gabriel. Hernandez...
as Carlito, with
Mario Van PeeblesMario "Chip" Cain Van Peebles is an American director and actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films. He is son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.-Life and career:...
,
Michael Joseph KellyMichael Joseph Kelly is an American actor.-Early life:Kelly was born in Philadelphia and raised in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the son of Maureen and Michael Kelly. He has one brother and two sisters . He graduated from Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia...
,
Luis GuzmánLuis Guzmán is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, he has played roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen....
,
Jaclyn DeSantisJaclyn DeSantis is an American actress. She is best known for playing Maggie on the NBC television series Windfall. She played the character Heather in the movie Road Trip...
,
Sean CombsSean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
,
Burt YoungBurt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
, and
Domenick LombardozziDomenico "Domenick" Lombardozzi is an American actor best known for his role as Thomas "Herc" Hauk on The Wire. Lombardozzi was inspired to act by the film State of Grace.-Filmography:...
also appearing. The story is set in 1969, as three prisoners, Earl (Van Peebles), Rocco (Kelly) and Carlito (Hernandez), control their criminal empire within their cell. Upon their release, they soon take control of the drug trade in
Spanish HarlemEast Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is a section of Harlem in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. It includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which...
.
External links