Search - Carlito's Way [Collector's Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Questionable for Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1993 DVD Release: 09/02/2003 Format: DVD Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 25 mins Studio: Universal Studios Total Copies: 1 Genres: Crime, Crime Drama, Gangster Film See Also: Carlito's Way, Carlito's Way [Ultimate Edition], Carlito's Way [HD DVD], Carlito's Way, Carlito's Way [Collector's Edition], Carlito's Way

Carlito's Way is a tale of a former hood trying to escape his former life. Al Pacino is Carlito Brigante, a high-level Puerto Rican drug dealer sprung from a three-decade jail sentence after only five years, thanks to a technicality and his sleazy, cocaine-addled lawyer, Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn). Carlito renounces his previous ways and takes a job as the manager of a club that Kleinfeld has invested in, planning to save enough money so that he can eventually move to the Caribbean. But no sooner is Carlito back on the streets of New York than his old life claws at him in the form of both old partners (Luis Guzman) and vicious up-and-comers (John Leguizamo). Nevertheless, Carlito stays clean and even restarts his relationship with a dancer named Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), until he is finally led astray by Kleinfeld, who manipulates Carlito into participating in the murder of a Mafia don from whom Kleinfeld has stolen a million dollars. At that point, the race is on to see whether Carlito and Gail can escape his world for good. The film is based on two novels about Carlito written by New York State judge Edwin Torres. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Al Pacino - Carlito Brigante
Sean Penn - David Kleinfeld
Penelope Ann Miller - Gail
Luis Guzman - Pachanga
John Leguizamo - Benny Blanco

Brian De Palma's underrated masterpiece Carlito's Way finally gets a Collector's Edition DVD treatment by Universal, although fans who've been awaiting an extras-packed disc might find themselves being sorely disappointed with what's been released. Technically, the disc looks and sounds exactly like the previous 1998 release, with the exceptions of a sorely needed anamorphic transfer of the 2.35:1 widescreen picture and the addition of a French 5.1 and a Spanish 2.0 Mono tracks, which go alongside the original 5.1 English mix. The main bonus feature of the disc is "The Making of Carlito's Way," a meaty documentary that includes chats with director De Palma, book scribe Edwin Torres, writer David Koepp, and producer Martin Bregman. Clocking in at 30 minutes, the various interviews provide great insight to the making of the film as discussions range from the origins of the character to the hardships needed to bring the stylish tale to the big screen. Given the initial bad reaction to the film and Universal's first slim DVD treatment, it's refreshing to finally hear some of the heavy-hitters talk about Carlito in hindsight. Rounding out the disc is the only other extra listed on the back of the box: the Photo Gallery. Made up of three different sections, it includes a throwaway Portraits Gallery, a cool Brian De Palma section dedicated to shots of the director on the set, and a packed, although suspicious, Posters Gallery, whose unlabeled designs don't quite represent any international one-sheet or are listed as being early mock-ups. With the inclusion of the original theatrical trailer and a few throwaway recommendations, that's pretty much it for the disc. For a "collector's edition" in this day and age, it's sad to see Universal put so little time into this release. Previous owners of Carlito's Way will undoubtedly be enticed by the new featurette, but there's little to nothing else worthy of notice in this re-release for which to jump for joy. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide