Framed to Perfection XXIX

CARLITO’S WAY (1993)

Director: Brian De Palma

Cinematographer: Stephen H Burum

Quite possibly the most tragic moment in cinema history, next to the immortal Connor having to say goodbye to his mortal wife in Highlander (1986), and robot David just wanting to spend one last day with his organic mother in Artificial Intelligence (2001).

A monument to stubbornness and holding to one’s principals, Carlito’s Way is one of those rare films that I feel totally immersed in. I so want to turn back its fictional timeline and make everything right. But I can’t. Sean Penn is almost unrecognisable as a coke-fuelled scumbag, winning over even me, one of his most reluctant supporters. Damn, is that hairstyle ever ugly! 

Patrick Doyle’s score is one of my favourites of all time, with the elevator sequence in particular being stuck in my head for thirty-two years. Buy it. Listen to it. Then listen to it again.

I’ve never been into blondes, but Penelope Ann Miller has always been an exception to that silly rule. I have nothing but time for her. While she can be a little monotone at times, she just has that special something, a fragility, that will forever break my queer heart. But, it’s okay, because Gail’s gonna be a good mom. New improved Carlito Brigante. Hope she uses the money to get out. No room in this city for big hearts like us. Sorry, baby, I tried the best I could. Honest.

Operatic, balletic, lyrical, poetic. I hope Carlito’s Way gets the attention it justly deserves, although I sadly suspect it does not.

And how great is Al Pacino?! I mean seriously. That man puts so much effort into everything he does, even the “paying jobs”. Good for him. Truly America’s answer to Anthony Hopkins and Peter Cushing. Pacino knows that it’s better to be the best thing in an underwhelming movie, rather than scrambling constantly for meaningless awards. He’s a worker!

I’m trying not to be disrespectful of anybody’s oeuvre, can you tell?

30 Years of Mission: Impossible (1996) is still coming. I’ve warned you before. I’m warning you again.

Do stay in touch, darlings.

Toodles!