Review: Carlito's Way

Opening a film with narration from the lead is often a bad sign (cf the original release of Bladerunner).  Usually, unless it's a documentary, it feels incongruous - even forced or it's an admission that something went wrong in the creative process and we're back to tell rather than show.

In Carlito's Way though, the narration is like the rest of the film. It's not terrible, but there's a sense of tiredness about the project.  That's kind of fitting given the topic.

Pacino puts in a good performance as a 1970s New York gangster given a second chance and who wants to take it. His dream is to run a car rental firm with a friend on a Caribbean Island.

His girlfriend's (Miller) take on the situation is that he'll never escape while he feels obliged to old friends, is following the rules of the street etc. A variation of what got you here won't get you there.

The question is: Can he shake off his old ways to pursue his dream?

Verdict: Good unexceptional experiment