Search - Carlito's Way on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Questionable for Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1993 DVD Release: 05/27/1998 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 25 mins Studio: Universal Studios Total Copies: 4 Genres: Crime, Crime Drama, Gangster Film See Also: Carlito's Way [Collector's Edition], 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

Utilizing grandiose settings and superb performances from the likes of Al Pacino and Sean Penn, this story of a former drug lord trying to go straight is acknowledged as one of Brian De Palma's strongest directorial efforts. Warner's DVD edition is solid but leaves a lot of room for improvement. The sound quality is excellent thanks to a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, which comes into its own as both the violence and the emotional impact of the movie increase. Less satisfactory is the fact that the film has merely been letterboxed rather than anamorphically transferred, a deficiency most noticeable during the film's unforgettably explosive Grand Central Station finale.
The quality and quantity of special features are also somewhat disappointing. The production notes simply leave viewers wanting more, and the biographies of De Palma and his leading actors are competent but hardly groundbreaking. At least the arresting original theatrical trailer is included, but viewers are still left wishing for more background on the film's conception and production and more input from the heavyweight talent involved. Given that De Palma is so admired for the baroque quality of his work, it's odd that DVD technology has not been fully exploited for one of his most dazzling films. Carlito's Way is undoubtedly a classic, but this disc is certainly not the equal of the film. ~ Patrick Lee, All Movie Guide