Carlito's Way

The 1993 cult crime drama is coarse but beautiful.

Carlito’s Way is Brian De Palma’s dirty masterpiece.

            De Palma’s direction is superb. In the opening scene, Carlito Brigante, played by Al Pacino, is shot in the chest at close range while boarding a train. The scene is shot in black and white, and slow motion draws it out, like a last breath being tightly held onto, as a dynamic shot shows Ca…