Prior Viewings: 1
Y'know what kind of movies I tend to like? Slightly elevated trash.
Okay, maybe "trash" is a bit harsh, but Carlito's Way is absolutely pulpy, what with its cliched characters, corny narration, on-the-nose soundtrack, and flashy settings. But, to me, that's the whole appeal of Brian De Palma (at his best, anyway): wall-to-wall style, an ever-moving camera, and a heavy emphasis on excess and melodrama, yet selling it all with such confidence and sincerity that the emotions remains convincing.
Watching this movie for the first time in probably fifteen years, and not really having remembered much of it, I was impressed by the mature and relatively low-key approach it took. There's a lot more restraint going on here than there is in, say, Scarface (though maybe that's not fair; no one watches Scarface for its subtlety). But even with the bulk of it being a quiet character study, it still manages to reach the operatic heights we've come to expect from this director, from the growing sense of tension and paranoia to the genuinely heart-pounding third act payoff. Exactly my kind of stylistic balance.
It's too early to say this with any certainty, but there's a good chance I've found my new favourite De Palma movie.
Grade: A+
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