Carlito's Way (1993) review

It still has that Scarface (1983) Miami club aesthetic. But Carlito feels like a completely different Al Pacino character. Tony Montana wanted to climb all the way to the top. Carlito feels like a man who already lived that life and just wants to get out. I noticed some great camera movement and direction too. The camera is constantly moving through rooms, following characters, changing perspectives, and making even simple conversations feel visually alive. The cat and mouse sequence by the end is the highlight for me. I love how the pursuit keeps changing locations and uses the environment itself to create tension. It has that feeling of someone constantly being just a few steps behind you. And the shootout that follows is memorable too. Once everything finally erupts, the buildup pays off with the kind of stylish action I was waiting for. Great actors. Al Pacino has that experienced, tired gangster energy, while Sean Penn feels almost unrecognizable and constantly unpredictable. Great action scenes. I just don’t connect with the story that much. I appreciate Carlito wanting a different life, but emotionally, his journey never fully pulled me in as much as the filmmaking and the third act did. Verdict: Interesting