Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Admirable film.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

One of my favorite films: A career criminal gets a shot at redemption but the ghosts of his past come back to haunt him. A haunting portrayal of love and loss and heroism in the BG of a city of crime. Pacino does not of his best performances (disappears into the role) as Carlito. Sean Penn also does one of his best performances as an attorney who succumbs to the temptation of crime and destroys himself and the world around him. A beautiful story.

More than simply a gangster movie, a great drama. Good plot, superb acting by Al Pacino and Sean Penn. And Brian De Palma's direction was excellent, for once more than a B-grade version of Martin Scorsese. (Scarface was another exception).

This is my first review and I must say I really admire those who come to this site to write thorough and interesting reviews. While I would really like to write in that tradition, to be completely honest I just don't think have the energy right now to do that. Thought I would though just mention a couple things I notice in the film which I find interesting. I've watched this movie so many times I've lost track of the number. Something I'm sure many here have done with their favorites.As mentioned in my title, there are some really funny contradictions in the story which can be found in the story line of many movies.Of course the most obvious is the reality of Johnny Briganti's pledge as stated in the summary "A Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C."LOL..!!If you "pledge to stay away from drugs and violence", then I would recommend jumping out of that FlameMobil as soon as possible when Johnny "$30,000" Ortiz informs you he is making a delivery for the Senor.. lol..New Years weight loss pledges usually last longer than that one..And of course after the shootout at the pool hall Carlito turns the corner in the Bario and states as he throws his gun into the dumpster.. something to the effect.. "I'm not looking for this trouble.. it just finds me.."..lol.. Right..!!That's it for now... Don't know if I can update... We see.. Thanks

Just a quick summary really. I'm a big film fan and this is one of my top 5. Great story, brilliantly cast and filmed, you feel you're walking alongside Pacino as he narrates you through the plot and dynamic locations, you can almost feel the buzz and underlying menace of his neighborhood! You find yourself desperately routing for Carlito to succeed despite his vicious past, which he justifies by claiming to have had few options, and this you easily accept as Pacino shows a softer side to his characters nature with such artistry. Notable performances from Sean Penn and a young John Leguizamo amongst others add to the quality of this movie and the feeling of real characters being portrayed. This of course does the book (After Hours) justice as the author, Edwin Torres, was writing about the barrio in which he grew up and characters that he himself encountered there, the film preserving that feeling of intimacy with its subject. If your're a Pacino or gangster film fan then you need to watch this film. If you're both then you've already seen it!