CARLITO'S WAY - ULTIMATE EDITION

Lalin (played by Viggo Mortensen) used to be a stand up guy, but he took a few shots in the back and wound up in a wheelchair...

I can't say I settled in to watch Carlito's Way with any enthusiasm, but as soon as Al Pacino started talking, I was shaken out of my apathy. There is something so alive and soulful about him that he can save even the dreariest of films. Naturally he stars as Carlito, a man released from prison on a technicality who decides to turn his life around. To everyone's amusement, he invests in a night club, and plans to use the profits to open a rental car dealership. His hopeful attempt to make a new start is absolutely heart-breaking, as he is met with old baggage at every turn. Everyone wants Carlito to back them up or help them out because he's a legend in the hood. He does it because he's a loyal, stand-up guy.

Lalin (played by Viggo Mortensen) used to be a stand up guy, but he took a few shots in the back and wound up in a wheelchair, sentenced to prison. He pays Carlito a social visit, but for some odd reason keeps hunching in his chair and talking to his chest. Carlito isn't fooled for a second. He pulls a switchblade almost as fast as he pulls the wire from Lalin's chest. "Just f*ing kill me." Lalin pleads, "You have everything. What have I got?" (gestures at wheelchair) "I have a f*ing diaper!" (produces an actual diaper from a bag on the back of his chair) "I shit my pants every day! I can't walk! I can't hump!" He grovels and cries in a effort to weasel his way out of the situation by saying "It wasn't even on... I was going to give you a signal... I would never do that to you... It was something else!" Oh my God! It's the kind of five minute performance that leaves you sitting bolt upright in awe. Viggo adopts a Hispanic accent, and embodies this pathetic ruin of a man so well... I just wish he'd been in more of the movie.

I wish I could say the same for Sean Penn, who plays the sleazy coke-head lawyer who gets Carlito out of prison. He wears this scary wig that is part bald cap, part clown 'fro, and is so easy to despise. He too thinks Carlito owes him, and when his shady dealings leave him with no choice but to help a convict escape from prison, it is Carlito he calls upon for help. In a major case of guilt by association, Carlito soon has more enemies than you can count.

You can see where all of this is going, but there is one bright spot on this bleak horizon—Carlito's old girlfriend Gail, played by Penelope Ann Miller. I have always been stumped by the fact that at the height of her career, Penelope had the exact same hairdo in every movie. Isn't that weird? I personally think that's why she's not a bigger star today, but superficiality aside, she really is the only ray of goodness in Carlito's life. They rekindle their romance after he gets out of prison, and begin making plans for the future.

Gail can see where things are going too, but there is always that glimmer of hope. Their race to the finish line (and a train out of town) is a wild heart-pounding ride that leaves you on the edge of your seat, hoping right along with them that things can finally be different. The ending left me in tears, screaming "Noooooo!", but it was worth it to spend the evening with Carlito.

DVD Notes

I didn't think it was possible for Carlito's Way to get any better, but the DVD extras on the Ultimate Edition made me appreciate the film even more. There are deleted scenes, a nifty photo gallery, and the original trailer, but aside from a brief clip of Penelope Ann Miller, there are really no cast interviews to speak of. Luckily the other interviews make up for it. The author, Edwin Torres, and screenwriter David Koepp, shed light on the writing process—apparently the script went through many incarnations, and the hospital scene alone was written thirty times before it was pared down to eight perfect lines.

Brian DePalma and Martin Bregman—the boys who gave us Scarface—also share interesting stories about the making of the film. The highlight has to be when DePalma says that he feels there are no great critics left (sorry Ebert), but reviews written by movie freaks on the web can give great insights! We hear ya, Brian, and we love you too!