Carlito’s Way
A Puerto-Rican ex-con, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of NYC.
- Director: Brian De Palma
- Genre:Crime / Drama / Thriller
- Runtime:144 minutes
Cast
Al Pacino : Carlito ‘Charlie’ Brigante
Sean Penn : David Kleinfeld
Penelope Ann Miller : Gail
John Leguizamo : Benny Blanco
Ingrid Rogers : Steffie
The story takes place in New York, 1975, when Carlito “Charlie” Brigante is released from prison with the help of his close friend and lawyer, Dave Kleinfeld. Carlito makes a surprising announcement: he intends to go straight. He visits his old neighborhood and is disturbed by how much has changed during his years in jail and how few people he now knows. He re-acquaints with Pachanga, a fellow gangster, who lists their friends who have either died or been sent to prison. Carlito then reluctantly accompanies his young cousin Guajiro to a big drug deal at a bar. However, the gang has already killed Guajiro’s boss and they kill him as well. Carlito ends up having to shoot his way out, killing or seriously wounding all of the gang members. Once the dust settles, he takes Guajiro’s $25,000 drug money from the deal and buys into a nightclub owned by a gambling addict named Saso, after a tip from Kleinfeld.
Now running the club, he begins to save every penny possible. He brings in his friend Pachanga as his right-hand security man. He also encounters Benny Blanco, an obnoxious young gangster from the Bronx who considers Carlito an inspiration and a possible business partner, but Carlito is disinterested. Carlito finds Gail, a former girlfriend whose dream was to be a Broadway dancer, and they meet with some awkwardness.
Meanwhile, Kleinfeld, now taking cocaine and drinking extensively, goes to a prison barge to meet with a mob-boss client, Anthony “Tony T” Taglialucci. Tony believes that Kleinfeld stole a million dollars from him that was supposed to be used for a payoff. Angry and in poor health, he tells Kleinfeld the phone number of his son Frankie and gives him an ultimatum: use his personal boat to break him out of prison, or have the mob put a contract on his head. Kleinfeld leaves the barge and throws up outside, unable to deal with his dilemma. Read more
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