Carlito’s Way is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito’s Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film follows the life of Carlito Brigante after he is released from prison and vows to go straight and retire. However, unable to escape his past, he ends up being dragged into the same criminal activities that got him imprisoned in the first place. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino and Sean Penn, with Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzmán, John Leguizamo, and Viggo Mortensen in supporting roles. The film’s featured song, “You Are So Beautiful”, was performed by Joe Cocker. It received a mixed to positive response from critics, with a similar lukewarm result at the box office (despite earning twice its budget at the box office), but it subsequently gained a cult following. Both Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller received Golden Globe nominations for their performances. A prequel entitled Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power, based on Torres’s first novel, was filmed and released in 2005.
