Forget Tony Montana's little life lesson on how to get women - all you have to do is offer them cheesecake and then break their door down. Whether you actually have cheesecake or not is irrelevant.

Archetypal Brian De Palma film in that it looks very cinematical and has several big set pieces and intricately orchestrated scenes set in big, flashy locations. But also like many of his films, the plot is fairly formulaic and predictable, and the characters not quite as deep as one might like. Pacino looks the part but the romance is not very credible. Solid film but never threatens to cover any new ground. Also, the voiceover here is one of the worst uses of the technique I can recall.

Interesting aspect that this movie addresses. I was reminded of movies like Scarface and The Godfather that have the topic of "retiring" as well, but this one shows really well how difficult and almost out of reach this goal is.

to paraphrase kael, it's easy to envision spielberg, scorsese, and coppola throwing their arms up in the air and retiring on the spot.

de Palma's least obtrusive directing and Pacino's most reserved acting result in one of the best crime films of the '90's. The story is cliche, sure, but honest. It also helps that the ending - from the chase to the inevitable - is truly gorgeous.

one upon a time there was a honourable mafiaman...

"As with so many De Palma films, Carlito's Way soon manifests as an essay on its own forms." - Zach Campbell

Sean Penn's hair

#90s#, story, A Pacino