Carlito's Way (Collector's Edition)

Academy Award winner Al Pacino stars as an ex-druglord fighting to escape his violent, treacherous past in this action-filled tour de force from acclaimed director Brian De Palma. Sprung from prison on a legal technicality by his cocaine-addled attorney (Sean Penn), former drug kingpin Carlito Brigante (Pacino) stuns the local underworld by vowing to go straight. Dedicated to making a change, he reunites with his former girlfriend (Penelope Ann Miller) and rekindles their romance. But his dream of a legitimate life is undermined at every turn by ruthless former associates and even deadlier young thugs like Benny Blanco (John Leguizamo), who are out to make a name for themselves. Despite good intentions, Carlito's misguided loyalties and outmoded code of "honor" plunge him into a savage life-or-death battle against the relentless forces that refuse to let him go in this powerful crime saga. Starring: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, Viggo Mortensen, John Leguizamo, James Rebhorn, Joseph Siravo, Ingrid Rogers, Adrian Pasdar Directed by: Brian De Palma

Al Pacino cuts a noble figure in this very enjoyable drama by director Brian De Palma (Scarface), based on a pair of books by Edwin Torres. Pacino plays a Puerto Rican ex-con trying hard to go straight, but his loyalty to his lowlife attorney (a virtually unrecognizable Sean Penn) and enemies on the street make that choice difficult. Penelope Ann Miller plays, somewhat unlikely, a stripper who has a romance with Pacino's character. The film finds De Palma tempering his more outlandish moves (think of Body Double or Snake Eyes) just as he did with the popular Untouchables and Mission: Impossible. But while Carlito's Way was not commercially successful and never rises to the level of greatness, it is a genuinely compelling movie graced with a fine performance by Pacino and a surprising one from Penn. --Tom Keogh