Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- fatalistic
- gritty
- crime movie night
- double feature with a gangster classic
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a weak and derivative crime prequel with limited impact.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Carlito, Earl, and Rocco build power by negotiating heroin territory with rival criminal organizations.
Carlito, Earl, and Rocco begin as close friends but face pressure from their divergent plans and mob conflicts.
The plot links Puerto Rican, African American, and Italian criminal networks through heroin distribution and territorial negotiations.
The story follows Carlito and his associates in the 1960s as they emerge from prison into a changing urban underworld.
Films like Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, and why
Carlito's Way
shared organized-crime drama, morally compromised protagonists, and violent rise through a criminal underworld
American Gangster
shared prison-film origins, gangland ambition, betrayal, and tragic crime melodrama
The French Connection
shared 1960s urban gangster setting, narcotics trafficking, and escalating criminal power struggles
Mean Streets
shared Italian-American mob politics, criminal loyalty, and fatalistic underworld tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Bregman
- Release Date
- 2005-09-27
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 4.8 / 10 (82)
Cast
- Jay Hernandez
- Mario Van Peebles
- Luis Guzmán
- Sean Combs
- Michael Kelly
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Burt Young
- Casper Martinez
- Domenick Lombardozzi
- Jaclyn DeSantis
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- 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: Rise to Power about?
- A Puerto Rican ex-con and his closest friends pursue power in the 1960s heroin trade, only to find loyalty and survival pulling in opposite directions.
- What is Carlito's Way: Rise to Power like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Carlito's Way: Rise to Power as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Carlito's Way: Rise to Power violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Carlito's Way: Rise to Power as brutal.
- What did critics think of Carlito's Way: Rise to Power?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a weak and derivative crime prequel with limited impact.
- Which films are like Carlito's Way: Rise to Power?
- Films with a similar feel include Carlito's Way, American Gangster, The French Connection, and Mean Streets.
- How long is Carlito's Way: Rise to Power?
- Carlito's Way: Rise to Power runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Carlito's Way: Rise to Power?
- In United States, Carlito's Way: Rise to Power streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
