Somebody’s Pullin’ Me Close To The Ground

...flipping channels yesterday at my Uncle's home after Christmas dinner, I was merely hoping to find anything palatable to watch for a few moments. He, being a patron of the full cable subscription, is rife with all of the premium channels. As I scroll through one Christmas movie and reality show marathon after the next, I start to wade through the HBO and Showtime channels. For a spell, it's "meh...meh...meh" and then it appears towards the bottom....Carlito's Way.

Recently, this film has been on my mind a lot because I listen to a lot of comedy on Spotify. And as a fan of Mr. Patton Oswalt, his jock rock bit mentions this Brian DePalma/Al Pacino classic. I click on it right as Carlito is being lured into a wired conversation with Lalin meant to trap Carlito en route to more criminal activity. I could refer to it as one of the best scenes in the film, but there are so many to choose from.

Amidst watching the movie, other family members entered and exited the room. Much to my dismay, an alarming number of them had never seen Carlito's Way. My sister, brother-in-law, cousin. One by one, each one asked "What movie is this?". Really? No one has seen this, dare I say, masterpiece? In 1993, Al Pacino was amidst a second wave of greatness that also included his masterful role in Donnie Brasco. But something about Carlito's Way not only defines what made Al Pacino a legend, but also what made the 1970's films and noir in general so enticing.

If you have seen Carlito's Way, chances are that you already have watched it multiple times. If you have not seen Carlito's Way, I recommend that you find the nearest copy of this unsung classic and lose yourself in a performance for the ages. If you have seen and subsequently worship at the altar of Scarface, allow me to go out on a potential limb and say that Carlito's Way is better in every sense of the word. It balances mood, tone, atmosphere and multiple standout performances. It is both elegant and gritty. It is a love story wrapped cozily inside of a throwback gangster epic. It is a classic.

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Watch: Carlito's Way