--- title: "Carlito's Way: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/carlitos-way/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/carlitos-way" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Carlito's Way (1993): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Carlito’s Way, with praise clustering around De Palma’s suspenseful direction and Pacino’s restrained performance as a criminal trying to go straight. The reviews repeatedly single out the set pieces, fluid camera movement and vivid New York settings as the chief pleasures, while Penn’s corrupt lawyer draws particular admiration. Several also find emotional weight in Carlito’s efforts to escape his past, giving the familiar gangster story more feeling than its outline suggests. The main division concerns how much the storytelling offers beyond those performances and technical achievements. Reservations centre on length, predictability and thin characterisation, though most critics find enough elsewhere to recommend it. Slant Magazine stresses the film’s emotional depth, while the Los Angeles Times offers a cooler assessment, finding a shortage of energy and originality despite a well-paced final stretch; the disagreement is chiefly over whether the quieter passages sustain the set pieces’ force. ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic finds it a compelling gangster epic with De Palma at his virtuoso best in suspenseful set pieces like the poolroom scene and Grand Central chase. Pacino and especially Penn deliver strong performances in a story of a reformed hood pulled back into crime. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/carlito-way-review/) ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 4/5. Pacino and De Palma reunite for another crime-doesn't-pay tale with Carlito aiming to go straight after jail but pulled back in by his lawyer. The critic praises the smart script, De Palma's visual flair in New York settings, and thrilling set pieces alongside Pacino's restrained performance. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-8sk69w/carlitos-way/) ## Slant Magazine — Zach Campbell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2006. The critic views the film as a tragic, fatalistic crime story that stands out from De Palma's other work through its stylized genre treatment and emotional depth. He singles out the fluid tracking shots and dynamic movement that counterbalance the inevitable tragic arc. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/carlitos-way/) ## The Independent — Kevin Jackson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 January 1994. The critic highlights dazzling technical set pieces like the poolroom scene and Grand Central chase but finds the rest a fairly standard tale of a crook trying to go straight. Pacino is highly watchable and Penn's performance as the corrupt lawyer is a standout surprise. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-hearing-a-pin-drop-kevin-jackson-on-brian-de-palma-s-carlito-s-way-starring-al-pacino-and-the-week-s-other-releases-1398433.html) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 2011. A straightforward 1930s-style gangster tragedy about a man doomed by society and his code, with Carlito trying to escape the rackets but unable to reconcile his past. The critic notes the film comes alive in its set-pieces, especially the Grand Central climax, and praises Pacino as a movie star while critiquing its length and showpiece nature. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/carlitos-way) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 21 July 2008. The film is an enjoyable if formulaic gangster movie. Pacino plays the drug dealer who struggles to go straight. [Read the review](http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/35644/carlito.s.way) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 10 November 1993. The critic describes the film as a solid but unexciting mid-level thriller that stays safely in the middle of the road. It singles out the well-paced final half-hour for praise but faults the overall lack of energy and originality. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-10-ca-55076-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty 15 November 1993. The review calls the film a conventional gangster story elevated by De Palma's thrilling visual set pieces, especially the climactic chase sequence. It praises the director's imaginative style while noting the narrative is schematic and predictable. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/11/22/dying-breed) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin 10 November 1993. The critic finds the film strongest in its vivid evocation of Spanish Harlem's atmosphere and social clubs rather than in plot details or character depth. De Palma's bravura visual style and Pacino's charismatic performance are singled out as the main sources of entertainment. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/10/movies/review-film-carlito-s-way-triumph-atmosphere-over-detail-spanish-harlem.html) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2023. The critic considers Carlito's Way superior to Scarface, possibly De Palma's best film, praising its more reflective tone, Pacino's nuanced performance, and De Palma's suspenseful direction in key sequences like the shoot-out and chase. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/brian-de-palma/carlitos-way-30-years-later) ## Eye for Film — Gary Duncan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2003. The critic sees the film as driven by a sense of impending doom, with Carlito's attempts to go straight inevitably pulling him back into crime. Pacino's restrained, world-weary performance is singled out for praise, along with De Palma's direction and the touching scenes with Penelope Ann Miller. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/carlitos-way-film-review-by-gary-duncan) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/carlitos-way.md