Carlito's Way Review

Carlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma and based on the novels "Carlito's Way" and "After Hours" by Judge Edwin Torres. The film stars Al Pacino as gangster Carlito Brigante and Sean Penn as his sleazy lawyer and best friend, David Kleinfeld. It is a relatively strong gangster film that is sometimes under-looked because of how it received mixed responses from critics after its initial release. The story just catches you right off the bat and doesn't release you until the credits start to roll. It's an engaging flick that had a very underrated and magnificent script that was written by the talented screenwriter, David Koepp.

While it's true that Carlito's Way may not be the strongest gangster film out there, it is still a very solid one that deserves recognition for what its worth. It's an extremely honest and captivating film that gives moviegoers a chance to escape from their normal everyday lives for a couple of hours. De Palma did an incredible job at making a movie that is very easy to enjoy by everyone.

The film is carried by notably strong performances by Al Pacino and Sean Penn. Pacino is strong and charismatic as he is in just about every one of his movies, but it was Penn who won me over in this one. His performance is so superb and effective. His character comes across as repulsive and very dislikeable, but yet it's impossible to look away from him. It is truly great acting from Penn who provided a very Oscar worthy performance. Overall, Carlito's Way is a gangster flick that is enjoyable to watch and just seems to be getting better with age.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Dog Day Afternoon Review

Dog Day Afternoon is a powerful 1975 crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the leading role as Sonny Wortzik. The film is inspired by P.F. Kluge's Life article "The Boys in the Bank", which tells the story of the robbery of a Brooklyn bank by John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile on August 22, 1972. It went on to receive much critical acclaim and garnered six Academy Academy Award nominations as well as seven Golden Globe nominations.

One of the most amazing aspects of this film is the mesmerizing performance by Al Pacino. In my opinion it is one of the greatest acting performances in film history. It's just incredible how great and memorable it really is. You can tell that director Sidney Lumet let Pacino run wild with the character and had no boundaries for him at all. Another very excellent performance in the film is John Cazale as Salvatore  Naturile, Sonny's partner in the robbery. He has almost a childlike innocence throughout and provides much comic relief in what is one of the many memorable roles in the film.

 A lot of credit needs to go to Sidney Lumet for making this exceptional film. You could easily go on and on about how wonderful it is in so many ways. Whether you want to talk about the superb acting by the entire cast, the masterful cinematography and directing, or the transcendent script that is very viewer engaging. Dog Day Afternoon is a classic movie that every film lover needs to see at least once in their life.

Overall Rating: 4/5