Carlito's Way (1993) ****

Carlito's Way (1993) is the yang to Scarface's (1983) (review) yin. Ten years later, Pacino's Carlito had the charisma, spirit, and love that his Tony Montana lacked. Unlike Tony, Carlito was attempting to get out of his business, not rise to power. The tragedy is that he could not escape his lifestyle, no matter how legitimately he tried. Carlito is filled with De Palma's expert staging, visual flair, and operatic storytelling, carried by terrific performances from Pacino, Sean Penn, and Penelope Ann Miller.

You can find my Brian De Palma Feature Films Ranked list here.

You can find my Top 20 Directors list here.