I once said to a friend of mine that, once I was done with film (though like the famous saying goes, it keeps pulling me back lol) I would write. I wanted to write about all the things I had seen and all those people I had met. Writer and former New York City Judge Edwin Torres did just that with his CARLITOS WAY and AFTER HOURS books. The books observed his own fraught interactions with places of petty crime, vindictive drugs and extreme murder. On their translation to the big screen, the latter providing the flesh for Brian De Palma’s film CARLITOS WAY. Al Pacino returns to work with his SCARFACE director De Palma again both returning to the city they love and to create a film that serves as a reminder of the hectic spirit of America in the hey day of late 70s corruption.

Pacino is Carlito Brigante who gets released early from prison thanks to the work of his dubious lawyer, Kleinfeld (Sean Penn). Vowing to go straight, for doesn’t every felon, Carlito finds the outside world memory is long. Kleinfeld is deeply connected to the cocaine economy and this corruption defiles Carlito. When Kleinfeld crosses the mob, it is his name on the slip for payback alongside the lawyer. Leading to a confrontation and catastrophe that will be the settling of old scores.

CARLITOS WAY is different from what I remembered. Its baggy. Its sweaty. Its suffused with pain and loss. It feels like De Palma Hitchcockian homage over a gangster film. I forgot also the turns by John Leguizamo, Luis Guzmán, Penelope Ann Miller and Viggo Mortensen. Each indulgent. Each equally fitting into the De Palma universe. Now at this point I need to underline, if you are new to De Palma then you need to get a little into the meat of his work. Dr. Douglas Keesey is the best place to go to. He illustrates comparisons that are helpful and illuminating in his commentary. He also fills his time really well. You can feel that the films new UHD transfer impressed him (it is very good and proves the adage that newer films benefit more than older films to the process.) Matt Zoller Seitz is more playful in his commentary. Again, highlighting the work done in remaking CARLITOS WAY. But also being more interested in the nuts and bolts of places and faces. Which is more fun after you have seen the film twice.

Now the Blu Ray disc has all the extras and the film again. Watch this to see the difference in quality. With both commentaries available its fun to replicate the experience. However the frankly best feature on the disc is Judge Edwin Torres. Now the reason is that without a new De Palma interview surfacing, it is left to another maverick guy to deliver us a decent dose of energy. He is a wonderful man with vim and vigour. He is talks with gusto and so his 12 minutes or so, fly!

Product Features

4K DUAL FORMAT LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly-commissioned art by Obviously Creative
• Seven double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new art by Tom Ralston and writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and original production notes

DISC ONE: FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) presentation in High Dynamic Range
• Original stereo, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-X audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz, author of The Wes Anderson Collection and The Soprano Sessions
• Brand new audio commentary by Dr. Douglas Keesey, author of Brian De Palma’s Split-Screen: A Life in Film

DISC TWO: FEATURE AND EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz
• Brand new audio commentary by Dr Douglas Keesey
• Carlito and the Judge, a brand new interview with Judge Edwin Torres, author of the novels Carlito’s Way and After Hours on which the screenplay for Carlito’s Way is based
• Cutting Carlito’s Way, a brand new interview with editors Bill Pankow and Kristina Boden
• De Palma’s Way, a brand new appreciation by film critic David Edelstein
• All the Stitches in the World: The Locations of Carlito’s Way, a brand new look at the New York locations of Carlito’s Way and how they look today
• De Palma on Carlito’s Way, an archival interview with director Brian De Palma
• The Making of Carlito’s Way, an archival documentary on the making of the film, produced for the original DVD release
• Deleted Scenes
• Original promotional featurette
• Theatrical teaser and trailer
• Image gallery