Carlito's Way: Rise To Power Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
In the 60´s, the Puerto Rican Carlito Brigante, the Afro-American Earl and the Italian Rocco become best friends while in prison. When they are released, Rocco intermediates a heroin business with a family of the Italian Mafia leaded by Artie Bottolota Sr. Carlito negotiates with the lord Leroy "Hollywood Nicky" Barnes the area where the trio could operate in his neighborhood and sooner the three friends become powerful. Later, Carlito dates and has an affair with the beautiful Leticia. When Earl decides to move to Barbados with his girlfriend and leave the heroin business, his stupid younger brother causes a situation with the Italian mobsters, and Carlito and Rocco have to resolve the mess to save their lives.
| Jay Hernandez | Carlito Brigante |
| Mario Van Peebles | Earl |
| Luis Guzmán | Nacho Reyes |
| Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs | Hollywood Nicky |
| Michael Kelly | Rocco |
| Giancarlo Esposito | Little Jeff |
| Jaclyn DeSantis | Leticia |
| Burt Young | Artie Bottolota Sr. |
| Mtume Gant | Reggie |
| Domenick Lombardozzi | Artie Jr. |
| Juan Carlos Hernández | Sigfredo |
| Eric Nieves | Chucho |
| Jaime Tirelli | Leticia's Father |
| Nelson Vasquez | Manny Sanchez |
| Casper Martinez | Colorado |
| Michael Scott Bregman |
4.90 out of 10 (1142 votes)
Visitor Reviews
What have you done with Carlito?
posted on 19 Jul 2009Well to the fans of the original movie this offers pretty much nothing. To be quite honest, this movie would have been much better without the tag of Carlito's Way but it's a money making scheme and there's nothing wrong with that.The movie is just lighthearted mob-like fun and I thought it was nice to see Mario van Peebles in a different role for a change (not as a b-movie hero that kicks butt). The movie just tells about Carlito and his drug dealings and networking around the time he was young. Basically I just liked the movie and there's even a small twist in the end which I won't spoil. But if you're looking for a serious movie about the mob or a serious prequel to Carlito's Way, then don't pick this title up. As I said, this basically has nothing to do with the original masterpiece but as a mob "fan" I'd give this a 6/10. Lighthearted but kind of fun.
Liked it...
posted on 29 Jun 2009I saw this prequel a couple of days after watching the 1983 version with Al Pacino. While this was not quite as good as the first one, I really think that Jay Hernandez did a great job of portraying Carlito in the early years. He was able to come off as a "good guy" even though he was a gangster. His loyalty to his friends was indeed his eventual downfall, but this is what made him a likable character. The plot twists were good and your basic "happy ending" was achieved. I do wish though that they would have continued with the same girlfriend in the original, Gail. Maybe there was a reason and I just missed it. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend to those who have tired of watching reruns of Godfather and Goodfellas.
Disappointed
posted on 25 Mar 2009I'm a big fan of Pacino movies. He's one of, if not the best, actors of this genre. However, this movie could've been a whole lot better even though it had a poor cast. All they had to do was tell the story of Carlito Brigante up until he went to jail. Instead it seemed like this was just one of many stories that could be told of Carlito. All or even some of the questions about his past that we wondered about in the original could've been answered. As far as I'm concerned, thats the only way you can make this movie. Instead we get this prequel that has almost NONE of the original characters in it, a character that plays a different part from the original (horrible move), and a totally different love interest for Carlito. Don't even get me started with Puffy. No way can I take that cat seriously as a gangsta after watching him dance in all his artists videos. Evertytime that dude opened his mouth I was waiting for him to start dancing. He made me laugh if anything. Mario Van Peeples surprised me with his role. I thought he was gonna give a lackluster performance due to his recent history. He did rather well. He was probably the most "believable" out of the entire cast in my opinion. Jay Hernandez did his best but doesn't have the skills right now in his career to take on this role. I appreciated his energy and his efforts though. Hard to follow up Pacino. The only way you could even have a clue about what kind of person Carlito was, is to watch the original. Otherwise, Carlito looks like a cold blooded killer in one scene then a spineless wimp in another. He was one of the baddest gangstas of his time but you would only see flashes of that in this movie. Maybe this is a pitiful way for Hollywood to try and make a 2nd prequel to cash in on this failure. Wouldn't surprise me.Overall, in my opinion, this movie fell well short or what it could've been. The only reason I gave it a 3 was because I laughed a lot and Mario Van Peeples earned some respect back with me. A serious director should've taken this movie and actually put time into the story and turned it into an actual prequel. I'm extremely disappointed that this movie wasn't taken seriously. They would've been better off making this into a mini-series on HBO and actually telling the story like the original suggests. At the end of the movie, they had the nerve to suggest that Carlito would have to come back to the city. HEEELLLLO....thats the part everyone wants to see!!! Then again, this is all just my opinion. I can't tell you how to waste your money.
Hey, it could have been worse
posted on 29 Dec 2008I haven't read the book nor watched the original Carlito's Way... all I know about the latter is who stars and who directs that one, and I know even less than that about the novels. Perhaps that's why this didn't come off as being as awful as people seem to feel it was... no basis for comparison. The story isn't poor, and it's decently enough told. The plot develops throughout, with some surprises. The acting varies. The lead could be better. Combs, eh, I don't know. Young isn't bad, but hey, is he ever? The pacing is fine. The music is fair. Editing could be better, but it's not terrible. Effects and such do reveal a budget, one that wasn't the biggest, but it's not as obvious as it could be. There is hardly any action, and it's certainly not worth watching this for. There could be more tension, where such is attempted built. Language is... loose, and there's violence, sexuality and drug use as well... this is hardly a film for children. The voice-overs leave a lot to be desired. All in all, you could find movies that deliver considerably less. Be aware that this is more of a gangster feature than an action flick. I recommend this to people who enjoy cinema(or, in this case, direct-to-video releases) regarding the environment. 5/10
I liked it.
posted on 11 Dec 2008I agree with another user comment.. This film on its own would have been considered pretty good. But the fact that its a prequel to Carlito's Way means it will always be compared. Hernandez is a decent actor but he is not even in the same league as Pacino.That being said, I felt that the acting was very good. There weren't any moments that made you cringe. I kind of worry when I see Mario Van Peebles in a movie because it means that the film is low budget. :) But even he was very solid as a 70s business man.I even thought Sean Combs was very believable as Hollywood Nicky. Kudos to him for not sucking in a movie. It is kind of unfortunate that this movie went straight to DVD. Definitely worth a watch.
Good.......... but somethings missing.
posted on 07 Nov 2008It's not a bad film there are many worse......... but for some reason it falls short like Cinderella man......The cast was great.......... very believable and with a good story but the main action scene was over quite fast......I would say this is one of those films where you got to be patient like 'Taxi Driver'.......This being a prequel it was a good effort sticking to the story... but there needs to be a exciting action scene like the chase in the train station in carlito's way.........Anyway bottom line is that the film is worth watching when there;s nothing good on......... which happens a lot nowadays......
A million times better than some people would have you believe
posted on 03 Nov 2008I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the appalling average rating here on IMDb for this movie, someone somewhere must have given this movie a real low rating based on the trailer or on someone else's word rather than watching the whole thing themselves.Anyone with an I.Q. over 50 would have seen this film what it is, an intelligent well acted prequel to a modern day classic, yes it doesn't have a blockbuster cast or a huge budget BUT it is still very well done and had me hooked for the full duration. All I want now is a follow-up which covers Carlito's years running drugs through the Caribbean and into Florida and I can die a happy man. For those that have seen Carlito's Way but are unsure about watching the prequel all I can say is that you will be losing out if you give this movie a miss based on a lack-lustre trailer. Watch and enjoy!
Anyone ever read the book?
posted on 14 Oct 2008All of you guys trashing the movie... well everyone is entitled to their opinion,but I have question for you guys whether you liked the movie or not. Did any of you actually read the books that the Carlito's Way movies was based on. There is so much that could've been put into either movie that it could've made a mini-series. If I'm not mistaken, this new film focuses on one chapter of the whole story. when I say one chapter, its not one chapter of one book. Its one major part of the character's life. this is the part of Carlito's first major battle in his Rise to Power. I think that the movie was pretty good. It could've been much better, but it wasn't too bad for what it was. You really cant expect the young Carlito to be so much like the older Carlito from the first movie. People change with time, experience, and age. Just look at the Godfather saga and all of the changes that Michael Corleone went thru. I do think that there need to be more movies to fill in the blanks between this prequel and the original though.
Who decided this film was worth making?
posted on 23 Aug 2008Carlito Way, the original is a brilliant story about an ex-drug dealer who hopes to leave his criminal past and so he invests in a club and the deals with the trouble that comes with it.This film was....I saw the trailer and knew instantly it was going to be bad..But after dismissing films in the past and finding out they were great( Lucky Number Slevin, Tokyo Drift)...I gave this a shot and it failed within the first five minutes...The script is something a teenager would come up with if given five minutes to prepare...It was weak, with weaker dialogue. It seems there is an instant need for romance in a gangster movie. So Brigante decides to beat a guy up for the girl....and she say's 'Yes!' And if you need to act bad just throw racism around...As we learn from the 'Italian mobsters'...The acting was terrible to say the least...I found 'Hollywood Nicky', hilarious.I absolutely hate all these musicians turning to movies. Lets face it the only reason P Diddy did this movie was so he could play a gangsters...The actress who plays Leticia was weak but beautiful. The sex scene was weak but we got to see her..which was okay...But overall I expected it shed light on how Carito ended up in prison and the love of his life...And the assassin towards the end completely added to the horrendous movie that is...Carlito's Way: Rise to Power..
Horrible...
posted on 25 May 2008Wow...what can I say...First off IMDb says this is in the late 60s...which means Carlito would be very close to going to prison, He got out in 75 and said he was in for 5 years. They used a bunch of nobody actors, and a story that didn't even make sense. They bring back only one actor, Guzman, and hes playing a totally different guy. Why did it end with him and this Puerto Rican chick? Wheres Gale? He said he was in love with her before. Wheres Kleinfeld? He said he knew him forever...You'd think he'd have been in this one. And if this made sense, where are Rocco and the black dude in the first one? It was all just stupid...This is an insult to Pacino and the first film.
Don't believe the Hype... because thats all this movie is.
posted on 13 Apr 2008Deceptive Advertising... I saw a commercial for Carlitos Way: Rise to Power that states "From the Producer of Scarface and Carlito's Way" LETS GET IT STRAIGHT... Michael Bergman did not produce Scarface, in fact he was 'editing room assistant' for Scarface. Not to take away from Bergman's talent... but in my opinion he should of had a little more class. I think I can speak for the masses when I say... We hate being blatantly lied to. As far as the movie goes, It was poor at best. I did think Puff Daddy did a good job. Although, Luis Guzman should be ashamed for working on this film. Overall this film did not do a good job filling in the blanks for Carlito's Way. It's obvious this project was an attempt to make a quick buck rather a good film.
A disgrace
posted on 26 Mar 2008Where can I begin. I heard this movie was coming out and I was very mad. I am a huge fan of the original Carlito's Way and when I heard about this, I thought it would be just like almost all the other sequels that come out in Hollywood. I thought it would be bad. Boy was I wrong, this movie was much worse than I expected. Not saying all sequels are bad, but thats the problem with Hollywood these days, they make too many sequels and remakes and rush them. This was not a theater release, it is a DVD release. Still, in my opinion, there was no reason at all for this to be made. After I heard about this film was in progress, I then later heard Pacino was not in it. That right away killed any chance this movie had of being good. Why did I check this movie out then some of you may ask? Well I had the opportunity to see it so I did. I don't only watch movies that I have high expectations of, I had low expectations on this one obviously. I just wanted to see if it would have anything relevant in it. Now, if any of you reading this are a Carlito's Way fan, you know a lot of the story in the first one has to do with him going to jail.*VERY MINOR SPOILER* I wont ruin anything, because this may actually make you not want to waste 2 hours watching this trash. All I will say is- in the end of Carlito's Way 2, we don't see Carlito go to jail. Now, I don't know about any of you, but I would have thought a prequel to Carlitos Way would show how he ended up in jail. I even had some interest in actually seeing what happened.Now, thats not my only problem with the film. The actor who played Carlito did not do too bad a job, but he could not have saved this film if he tried. There's not even all those little things that should be thrown in there that Carlito's Way fans would like. You don't see any appearance of Kleinfeld or other key characters in the first one, I would have liked to see something like that. What is even worse, is Luis Guzman is in this film, yet he doesn't play the same character he plays in the first film. Big mistake on their part, why cast the same actor for a different character, it made the movie worse than it already was.Bottom line, I am a Carlito's Way fan, this new straight to DVD release is a disgrace. If you are a fan, don't watch this movie coming in with high expectations. This movie did basically nothing for me, and it is definitely one movie I wont be picking up on DVD, or watching ever again.
complete muck
posted on 24 Mar 2008really awful... lead actor did OK... the film, plot etc was completely crap and inaccurate it may as well have been a sequel to well... anything it had little or no relevance to Carlitos Way... and should be avoided like the plague by any Carlito's ways fans... no mention of Gail in fact he ends up with some other bird, no mention of Klienfelt, no mention of how he got caught, no mention of how he ended up in jail... they attempted to make it like the original with flash backs at the beginning... but to be honest when rating it I was looking for a zero mark... unfortunately I had to rate it higher...Its a terrible attempt to cash in on what was one of the best films of the 90's... overall it was approximately £6 and 2 hours of my life wasted... for all the "action" in it, it was truly boring slow and predictable... again to any Carltio's Way fans avoid this fiasco...
Surprisingly Good
posted on 22 Mar 2008I didn't expect much from this and even less after I saw the IMDb rating, but was pleasantly surprised. Of course, you can't compare it to the original and if you keep that in mind, this is a good film. I thought the cast was great, including Jay Hernandez who really did a good job in the role that everyone will of course be comparing to the original Carlito, Al Pacino.In fact, that may be the only thing that hurts this film, anyone who watches is comparing it to the original. If it had just been another film without being a prequel, I think people would have loved it. In fact, and believe me when I say this because I hate everything, I think if this film had been released theatrically, it would have done well.The only thing I thought was poorly done was the editing, but other than that, the direction and the cast are really good. This is one of those films that in 15 years you'll look back on and see all these actors before they became big names.Don't let any of the people here who say this movie wasn't good persuade you. Take it from me, someone who is really hard to please, this movie was entertaining.
Saw This One First..
posted on 11 Dec 2007Seeing it before Carlito's Way was why I thought it was a good movie. The acting was good and the setting was perfect. Jay H did a terrific job as Carlito.Seeing it before Carlito's Way was why I thought it was a good movie. The acting was good and the setting was perfect. Jay H did a terrific job as Carlito.Seeing it before Carlito's Way was why I thought it was a good movie. The acting was good and the setting was perfect. Jay H did a terrific job as Carlito.Seeing it before Carlito's Way was why I thought it was a good movie. The acting was good and the setting was perfect. Jay H did a terrific job as Carlito.Seeing it before Carlito's Way was why I thought it was a good movie. The acting was good and the setting was perfect. Jay H did a terrific job as Carlito.Seeing it before Carlito's Way was why I thought it was a good movie. The acting was good and the setting was perfect. Jay H did a terrific job as Carlito.
Sad.
posted on 07 Dec 2007This movie is a bad attempt to make original fans feel complete. The one thing people have forgotten is the fact that the reason the original won such acclaim, was strictly do to the fact that it was supposed to make you feel incomplete.This movie makes me want to go to the washroom. I am not a negative type of guy, but man the acting in this flick is.... no comment. The plot was a bad reflection of the life of Carlito Brigante and I am sorry to have had two hours of my time and my money wasted on this flick. I still love the original and will do my best not to let this movie ruin my opinion about it.
"Carlito's Way: Rise to Power" and straight to DVD
posted on 05 Dec 2007Actually Calito's Way: Rise to Power could have made it in the theaters instead of straight to DVD. I mean "Soul Plane" and "Pootie Tang" made it to the theaters. There were a lot of good things in this film that just didn't come together very well. The feel of the film was nostalgic. Viewing the Harlem streets in throwback, lined with retro vehicles and people dressed of the period was a nice touch. The territorial boundaries between race lines are historical and interesting to know about although it would have gone further if they demonstrated the seriousness of the boundaries on screen. Jay Hernandez who played Carlito did a decent job, but if you are looking for the intensity of Al Pacino, it won't be there. Sean "Diddy" Combs who played Hollywood Nicky was comical, so much so that it seemed as if he, coupled with his limousine driver (Stu Riley), was supposed to be the comic relief. Actually, Combs wasn't horrible. He could have done without too many (over the top) lines in one scene but overall he gave a moderate performance. The most entertaining performances were given by an unknown and a vet. Luis Guzman (also in the original Carlito's Way) who played Nacho was entertaining as the nutty hit-man hired to off Carlito, Earl, and Rocco. Then there was, Reggie, Earl's crazy brother who no one could control played by newcomer Mtume Gant. He did a great job of portraying this out-of-control Panther pivotal to the entire film and right off you almost wish someone would do away with him. This movie followed the same gansta formula with the exception of the ending; however, since it is a prequel, Carlito's demise is inevitable. The problem with this film is that it is lacking depth. It just seems as if they are running through the motions without any real passion. The scenes themselves could have been pulled together more clearly so the film itself would gel. Whether it went to the theaters or straight to DVD it get's a C+. + for the Gant and Guzman. Bottom Line C+ www.parlezentertainment.com
Not Worth Watching...Just watch Carlito's Way again instead.
posted on 19 Nov 2007This was just a terrible movie. It hurt me to watch it. Almost every action was unmotivated within the context of the movie, the acting was really poor (P.Diddy was the best actor which really says something about the movie) and the plot was generally predictable. Some links to Carlito's Way were okay, for example his dream of one day moving to the Carribien, but on the whole they were weak. The love interest in my opinion was flat out wrong but hey that's debatable. Anyways I really wasn't expecting much before watching the movie and I guess you could say even those expectations weren't met. I feel bad for Jay Hernandez because he actually is a decent actor (Friday Night Lights). He's lucky though because I'm sure there won't be too many people watching this movie. I generally give movies a decent rating if they spark my interest at all so I'm gonna go ahead and give this one two stars. Better luck next time. And yes I did enjoy Carlito's Way.
Carlito lost his way
posted on 28 Oct 2007The movie and acting are not bad and Jay Hernandez does a good job playing Calito Brigante but the movie forgets it's suppose to be a prequel to a hit movie. The makers of this prequel clearly did not watch the original Carlito's Way or at least did not care about continuity. This movie is a prequel which means the original movie has already laid out some history for us and this movie should end where the original begins or at least lead up to it. Not one of Carlito's close old friends from the original make an appearance in this movie, they're not even mentioned. Luis Guzman, Pachanga in the original, is in the movie but he plays a completely different character. The original takes place in 1975 and the prequel takes place in 1969-70. Considering this movie takes place less than 5 years earlier, wouldn't you think one of Carlito's long time friends would make an appearance? In the original, Carlito start's out being released from jail after spending 5 years in jail. That's only a few month's between the end of the prequel and the start of the original! ***Semi Spoiler*** We know from the beginning of the original, Carlito has spent 5 years in prison so when the prequel gives us this Hollywood happy ending it's an insult to the intelligence of fans of the original. What happen to Gail? It's the lack of continuity that made this film go direct to video release.
An insult to the original Carlito's Way
posted on 21 Jul 2009Soon after watching this film you will realize why it didn't even make it to the theaters! This movie does not deserve the "prequel" tag. Instead this is a common theme in Hollywood, rip off previously good movies with disastrous prequels, sequels, etc.This film's plot was bouncing all over the place like a ping pong ball, and the character development was non-existent. I seriously felt like I was watching a comedy at some points in the movie because the acting was so bad. P Diddy needs to stop tainting movies with his horrible acting, he actually made me laugh every time.The only good thing that comes out of this movie is Jaclyn DeSantis, who looks excellent in this movie and actually brought some enjoyment from watching this film.If you are a big Carlito's Way fan, I recommend you not watch this. If you decide to watch it anyway then treat this movie as if it ripped off the original, because that is exactly what it did.