The road to redemption
Inseparable from the gangster genre, Al Pacino always delivers a great mobster. His performances in classic films such as the Godfathers, Scarface, and Righteous Kill prove his worth, as well as his predilection for characters with a criminal story.
In Carlito’s Way, Pacino plays the lead role of Carlito “Charlie” Brigante, an ex-convict recently released from prison, after escaping the remaining twenty-five years on his sentence due to a technicality. With the help of his ruthless lawyer Kleinfeld (Sean Penn), Carlito is back on the streets looking to turn in his guns and gangs for sun and sand.
However, “the life” keeps pulling him back in (reference intended), with friends from his former days as a gangster asking favours of him and generally getting him into trouble. Determined though, Carlito looks to be on the path to righteousness, setting his sights firmly on his former love Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), hoping to run off into the sunset with her. His main obstacle is Kleinfeld, whose drug addiction and growing sense of importance put Carlito is a dangerous situation.
It soon becomes clear that Carlito must choose between the streets that made him who he is, and the woman who makes him the man he wants to be.
A powerful and enjoyable film, Carlito’s Way avoids being thrown into the same category as your typical gangster flick. The central character is far more diverse than a petty criminal, broadening his appeal into genres such as romance and comedy, which make the film more universally applicable. This does detract from the power of the movie altogether, but makes it far more accessible.
Pacino’s performance is dynamite waiting to explode, we see the man tested and pushed to the limits, only loosing his cool in extreme circumstances. His screen time with Sean Penn is awesome, and the pair make a great criminal duo. Sideline gangsters are little more than stereotypical hoodlums, offering little in the way of depth.
The storyline is engaging, the violence is just on the right side of brutal in order to make the film stand up, and the plethora of great directorial choices by Brian De Palma put the movie onto a grand scale.
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