Carlito's Way

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld.

Lukewarm on release — critics found it competent but derivative, largely measuring it against De Palma's own Scarface — the film has since gained serious admirers, with a gap opening between those who saw a lesser retread and those who now regard it as one of the decade's best crime pictures. The central sticking point was Pacino: his performance divided reviewers, with Travers targeting his accent and De Palma himself predicting the backlash. Sean Penn, by contrast, landed as one of the film's few uncontested strengths.