Overview
A man struggles to escape his violent past while navigating the treacherous world of crime and betrayal.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- elegiac
- wistful
- tense
- crime movie night
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics generally praised the film's stylish set pieces, performances, and wistful emotional core while finding it somewhat derivative of Brian De Palma's earlier crime films.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Carlito Brigante pledges to abandon drug dealing and save money for a new life, but his old associates, instincts, and reputation make escape increasingly difficult.
The wounded opening frame and Carlito's reflective narration cast his attempt at reinvention in an elegiac, fatalistic light.
The nightclub, subway, and Grand Central sequences are staged as expansive set pieces with dramatic movement and escalating spatial tension.
Carlito's identity, relationships, and criminal milieu place Puerto Rican American experience at the center of a 1970s New York gangster story.
Films like Carlito's Way, and why
Scarface
stylish organized-crime drama centered on a charismatic gangster confronting ambition, loyalty, and violent consequences
The Untouchables
urban crime thriller with elaborate set pieces, betrayal, criminal networks, and morally compromised protagonists
The Yards
wistful gangster drama about an ex-con trying to escape his criminal past while old loyalties and violence close in
Movie Details
- Director
- Brian De Palma
- Release Date
- 1993-11-10
- Runtime
- 144 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (3603)
Cast
- Al Pacino
- Sean Penn
- Penelope Ann Miller
- John Leguizamo
- Ingrid Rogers
- Luis Guzmán
- James Rebhorn
- Joseph Siravo
- Viggo Mortensen
- Richard Foronjy
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Carlito's Way about?
- A reformed Puerto Rican gangster races to escape 1970s New York's criminal underworld, but loyalty, betrayal, and old instincts threaten his last chance at freedom.
- What is Carlito's Way like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Carlito's Way as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Carlito's Way violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Carlito's Way as brutal.
- What did critics think of Carlito's Way?
- Critics generally praised the film's stylish set pieces, performances, and wistful emotional core while finding it somewhat derivative of Brian De Palma's earlier crime films.
- Which films are like Carlito's Way?
- Films with a similar feel include Scarface, The Untouchables, and The Yards.
- How long is Carlito's Way?
- Carlito's Way runs 144 minutes.
- Where can I watch Carlito's Way?
- In United States, Carlito's Way streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel.
