Carlito's Way - Arrow 4K UHD Limited Edition

As my colleague Billy Russell thoroughly ran down in his review of the Universal Studios 4K UHD disc, Carlito's Way is one hell of a film. It's Al Pacino hot off his Oscar-winning turn for Scent of a Woman and De Palma rebounding after The Bonfire of the Vanities and the respectably solid Raising Cain. With a script by David Koepp and an amazing score by Patrick Doyle, the film is a visceral thriller about a career criminal aiming to go straight and legit. It's a tried and true story but it's an eloquently told one. We see a man who wants a simple life pulled in all directions into old deadly habits. 

Given their past efforts, it's very hard not to compare Carlito's Way to Scarface. While this may seem like blasphemy to some or a homily to others, I actually think Carlito's Way is the better of the two. It's certainly his best film of his 1990s and 2000s era career - and I say that as a huge fan of Mission: Impossible. Sure, Pacio can't consistently nail his 'Rican accent (he's somewhere between Dog Day Afternoon and Scent of a Woman) but you can see he's committed to delivering every scene. While Pacino owns the headline marquee, the supporting cast is no slouch. I'm not a huge Sean Penn fan, (I'm less of a fan of his Brooklyn accent for De Palma's Casualties of War), but he's on fire as the drugged-up in-over-his-head lawyer Kleinfeld. Penelope Anne Miller doesn't get a lot of time for the first half of the movie, but she plays a beautiful tether between Carlito's old life and his struggling new beginning. John Leguizamo, Viggo Mortensen, Luis Guzman, Ingrid Rogers, and James Rebhorn turn in memorable performances. 

A friend put it to me once that Carlito's Way is the movie The Godfather Part III wishes it could be. Considering the similar themes of Pacino as a career gangster/criminal aiming to go legit and live his life in peace, I certainly see his point. While I consider the two different animals entirely, especially after Copola's re-edit, I can't deny Pacino's turn in Carlito's Way has a spark missing from his final outing as Michael Corleone. I don't often revisit this one, I'm not sure why, but every time I come back to it, I love it just a little bit more. 

for more Carlito's Way love, we've got a couple of other reviews for you to read

Billy Russell's Universal 4K UHD Blu-ray Review

Joshua Zyber's Universal Blu-ray Review

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Carlito's Way does a second tour of duty on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray Limited Edition set. The 4K is pressed on a BD-100 with the 1080p presentation and the bulk of the extra features dropped on a Region A BD-50 disc. the discs are housed in a sturdy two-disc case with reversible artwork mirroring the new custom art and the film's original poster art on the flip side. Also included are reproduction lobby cards, a double-sided poster, and a 60-page perfect-bound booklet. The whole package is held together in a hardstock slipcase. 

Aside from the lack of HDR10+, this transfer from Arrow is virtually neck and neck identical to the Universal disc. Which isn't a bad thing at all. The film had a fairly respectable life on disc, even the VC-1 encoded Blu-ray was actually pretty good, but this is an incredible upgrade. Details are sharp, crisp, and beautiful. Facial features, costumes, set design, hell even the cracks in the leather of a taxi cab in the third act all come in with brilliant clarity. The resurrected '70s vibe feels authentic without screaming "This is the 1970s!" Film grain is finely rendered intact for a genuine cinematic appearance. The Universal Disc offered up HDR10+ in addition to HDR10, I was never really able to appreciate that grade because my office setup is the only compatible rig I've got and it's far from reference. However, the standard HDR10 grade I can speak to and this transfer looks and feels neck and neck. Colors are bright and vibrant, with healthy skin tones - no one looks peached out or too pink. Black levels are relatively strong, almost pitch-black perfect, but some of the darkest scenes don't quote pop but they're pretty damn close. Whites are bright and crisp without blowouts. All around an excellent presentation.

Carrying over from the Universal disc is the same slick DTS:X audio track. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this track, but surprisingly it's effective. Even in the quietest sequences, the track has some nice immersive imaging to keep the surrounds engaged. While the film is largely conversational, scenes in the club and the last act of the film is wall-to-wall action. Dialog is never lost in the flurry of climactic activity. The disc also rides high with legacy audio options DTS-HD MA 2.0 and DTS-HD MA 5.1. Both are great tracks on their own, but I have to say I give the edge to the DTS:X and then the 5.1 after that. The 2.0 sounds great, it feels authentic to the film, but after rolling those other two it just feels too small. If you're so equipped, go big!

On the bonus features side, we see the big heavy-hitting content lacking from the first Universal 4K set. On top of legacy extras, fans get to dive into some exciting new audio commentaries, interviews with the editors, critic David Edelstein, and the novelist Judge Edwin Torres among other great pieces. There's a lot to dig into so you won't be lost once the main feature has run through. 

4K Disc

• Audio Commentary featuring Matt Zoller Seitz
• Select Scene Commentary featuring Dr. Douglas Keesey

Blu-ray Disc 

• Audio Commentary featuring Matt Zoller Seitz
• Select Scene Commentary featuring Dr. Douglas Keesey 
• Interviews:
• Carlito & the Judge - Interview with Judge Edwin Torres (HD 12:32)
• Cutting Carlito's Way - Interview with Bill Pankow and Kristina Boden (HD 17:22)
• De Palma on Carlito's Way (SD 5:28)
• De Palma's Way - An Appreciation by David Edelstein (HD 17:33)
• All the Stitches in the World: The Locations of Carlito's Way (HD 2:59)
• The Making of Carlito's Way (SD 34:36)
• Deleted Scenes (SD 8:18)
• Original Promotional Featurette (SD 5:13)
• Trailers
• Image Gallery

Booklet

• Going Straight, Carlito's Way Essay - Barry Forshaw 

It's weird to be able to pinpoint the last true great work of a director but Carlito's Way is arguably Brian De Palma's last true great epic. While I enjoy the hell out of what he did with Mission: Impossible and Snake Eyes is a fun thriller, this is it. This is his last great film in a career full of memorable classics (and a few not-so-classics). Pacino may struggle with the accent, often dipping into loud Italian over a nuanced Puerto Rican lilt, but he delivers a truly fierce performance in this adaptation of Judge Edwin Torres' novels. Universal delivered a solid and respectable 4K upgrade, but Arrow Video took the ball and ran with it to the Bahamas. Featuring roughly the exact same A/V options, this Limited Edition is packed with excellent bonus features the Universal Disc was lacking. Both are great options for the collection, it all comes down to how much extra feature content you're willing to spend just a few extra bucks for. Highly Recommended