Carlito's Way : Carlito’s Way DVD Review




Title: Carlito’s Way
Starring: Al Pacino, Sean Penn
Director: Brian De Palma
Duration: 144 minutes
Released: 18 October 2010
Certificate: 18

Carlito Brigante wants to begin a new life. He’s out of prison and he doesn’t intend to go back inside. His drug-dealing days are over and he wants to run a nightclub instead. But when his passions for an old flame, a sexy dancer, reignite and he meets up with old buddies he gets sucked back into a life of crime, violence and deception.

Carlito’s Way is the sort of film that we were used to in the 80s and 90s, admittedly I was probably too young to watch them at the time, but I’m seen them since and films like this and Casino are the sort of no nonsense films that we miss these days. Violence, sex and profanity were all part of the mix, when films used to be for adults. Now films are fox kids, if it’s not a 15 certificate it can’t make a profit, do adults not go to the cinema anymore? Would something like this have to go straight to DVD these days? If it wanted to turn a profit it probably would have to. The cinema is no longer the place for violence or sex. Swearing seems to be OK in a 15 so long as it’s a comedy, like saying ‘fuck’ in a comedy is OK, or even funny. I long for more films directed by the likes of Brian De Palma, Paul Verhoeven (Robocop) and David Lynch (Wild at Heart), the type of director not afraid of making a film for adults with adult themes and language.

Now released on Blu-ray Carlito’s Way looks better than ever. Sure it won’t match up to Avatar or any of the newly released Blu-rays in terms of picture quality but it’s an improvement on the DVD.

Author : Kevin Stanley