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CARLITO’S WAY
Studio: Universal
Year: 1993
Length: 2 hrs 24 mins
Genre: Crime Drama
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
BD Resolution: 1080p
BD Video Codec: VC-1 (@ an average 30 mbps)
Color/B&W: Color
Audio:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (@ an average 3.0 mbps)
French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Film Rating: R (Strong Violence, Drug Content, Sexuality and Language)
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Starring: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman
Written by: David Koepp
Based on the novels by Edwin Torres
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Film Rating: 3 ½/5
Carlito’s Way occupies a curious place in the filmographies of Brian De Palma and Al Pacino. Made 10 years after their deliriously savage Scarface remake, this film takes a much quieter and more somber tone than the earlier epic. Tony Montana in Scarface ran so wild that a line like “Say hello to my little friend!” could become an instant soundbite. But here, Carlito Brigante’s cry of “Here comes the pain!” feels like the man is trying to convince himself more than the guys he’s trying to intimidate. Make no mistake, this is a tough movie, and it’s got its share of classic De Palma action set pieces, from a pool hall shootout to a dynamic showdown on an escalator. A couple of actors from Scarface even make cameos here early on, but in both cases they are treated with a level of wry familiarity and then released back into the crowd without any further discussion. But the tone of this film is not that of Scarface. The tone here is modulated to Brigante’s genuine exhaustion with the criminal life and his desire to get out and go straight. (Of course, in Scarface, Tony Montana could never get enough of the criminal life, and we all saw how well that worked out.) So the pace here is slower, and the overall feeling is more reflective, which is appropriate since the film is effectively a noir-styled flashback. The performances overall are quite good, especially Penelope Ann Miller as Brigante’s girlfriend and a wild appearance by Sean Penn as coke-fueled attorney Kleinfeld. Pacino’s performance is a study in understatement, for the most part. He has moments where he flies over the top here and there, but in most scenes, he keeps everything reined in and lets his eyes speak for him. As for De Palma, his direction swings from his trademark bravura camera moves to much more intimate and simple staging. And he tends a lot more toward the latter than the former here, so when he breaks out the big moves, he makes a firm statement about it. I should also note that all of this is well supported by Patrick Doyle’s score, which puts a heavy and appropriate emphasis on strings. From the opening frames of the film, the score announces that what we’re about to see is not another Scarface but something more meditative.
Carlito’s Way has been released on Blu-ray this past week, following past releases on standard definition DVD and HD-DVD. The Blu-ray edition holds a high definition picture and sound transfer, along with most of the special features available on the HD-DVD and the earlier special edition DVD. Further Blu-ray functionality is also part of the package, including the My Scenes bookmarking function.
VIDEO QUALITY 3 ½/5
Carlito’s Way is presented in a 1080p VC-1 2.35:1 transfer that I believe is a straight port from the HD-DVD. From what I can see, it’s a good, solid transfer that has not been marred by digital enhancement. Given the recent history with Universal Blu-ray catalogue releases, I think this is an example where the older HD master is in good enough shape that it can still stand up to scrutiny. I should note that I am watching the film on a 40” Sony XBR2 HDTV. If anyone is watching the film on a larger monitor and is having issues, please post them on this thread.
AUDIO QUALITY 3 ½/5
Carlito’s Way is presented in an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix in English, along with a standard DTS 5.1 mix in French. It’s a solid mix, mostly found in the front channels, but with a satisfying amount of music and atmospheric material in the surrounds. Given that this is a quieter kind of gangster film, there isn’t the heavy barrage of gunfire throughout that you might expect. But there is a lot of opportunity for engaging surround material, particularly in the many dance club scenes featuring 70s disco beats.
SPECIAL FEATURES 3/5
The Blu-Ray presentation of Carlito’s Way comes with the usual BD-Live connectivity and My Scenes functionality, along with D-Box functionality. Some standard definition extra features are carried over from the HD-DVD, including a “Making of” featurette and some deleted scenes and extensions. The featurette is actually loaded with some great material, and the interview material with De Palma is almost worth the price of the disc by itself.
I should note before getting into the specifics of the special features that THEY ARE LOADED WITH SPOILERS! If you have not seen the film before this disc, I strongly recommend watching the feature before going to the extras, or you will spoil the whole thing for yourself.
Introduction by Brian DePalma – (5:26, 480p, Full Frame) A few interview snippets with Brian De Palma, clearly intended for the longer featurette, are presented here. De Palma is wonderfully acerbic here, recounting some great stories about the difficulty of getting John Leguizamo to play the small role of Benny Blanco, as well as his dissatisfaction with the current state of film criticism.
Deleted Scenes – (8:15, 480p, Non-Anamorphic) These scenes are presented in a solid group with no chapters, and mostly consist of extensions to existing scenes. There’s nothing really crucial here, although a late scene of Penelope Ann Miller waiting in the back of a car is extended past the point of tension and into near absurdity.
The Making of Carlito’s Way – (34:36, 480p, Full Frame) This featurette manages to sum up a lot of information about the film, albeit without any input from the cast. More interview snippets with De Palma are mingled with film clips, on-set video and interviews with producer Martin Bregman, screenwriter David Koepp and novel author Judge Edwin Torres. Their recollections and feedback are both informative and a lot of fun, particularly Koepp’s descriptions of trying to tackle the structure and language of the novels, and his recollection of De Palma’s accurate predictions of the reviews the movie would get.
BD-Live - The more general BD-Live screen is accessible via the menu, which makes various online materials available, including tickers, trailers and special events.
My Scenes - The usual bookmarking feature is included here.
D-Box Motion Enabled – The Blu-ray comes with D-Box functionality for those viewers who have this capability in their home theaters..
The film and the special features are subtitled in English, French and Spanish. The usual pop-up menu is present, along with a complete chapter menu.
IN THE END...
Carlito’s Way is a film that I enjoyed more in this viewing than I did when I initially saw it back in the mid-90s. Time has given it a little more weight, and a distance from the expectations initially heaped on it. Seen today, the film is a quiet elegy for the good man trying to emerge from a bad one, and it packs a greater emotional punch than you might think at first. The Blu-ray release provides a good way to revisit this movie, or to experience it for the first time.
Kevin Koster
May 22, 2010.
