Director Brian De Palma’s take on Edwin Torres’ novels Carlito’s Way and After Hours comes to Arrow Video like Carlito Brigante himself: reloaded and ready for action!
The 1993 gangster thriller has never looked better on home video, allowing the bravura performances of Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo, Luis Guzmán, and Viggo Mortensen to shine.
The set arrives on Ultra HD Blu-ray as a limited-edition two-disc offering (UHD and Blu-ray) that features restored video, lossless sound, a DTS:X immersive track, and most importantly for die-hard fans, tons of extras and collectibles.
The UHD version of the film was derived from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative with HDR10 HDR grading, which results in vibrant colors and consistent black levels (which are certainly important when you are watching a neo-noir film).
Overlooked on its initial release, Carlito’s Way has only gained more devotees over the years. Those fans will be impressed with the amount of archival and new featurettes included on the Arrow edition such as a two brand new audio commentary tracks by Matt Zoller Seitz, author of The Wes Anderson Collection and The Soprano Sessions and Dr. Douglas Keesey, author of Brian De Palma’s Split-Screen: A Life in Film. Both commentaries are sumptuous offerings for cinephiles who love De Palma and Carlito’s Way.
The second disc contains the Blu-ray version of the film and enough extras to satisfy even Pachanga’s greedy nature. Fans who have felt slighted over the years by new bare-bones releases will feel vindicated with the offerings on the Arrow Video edition. Both of the previously mentioned commentaries are also included on the Blu-ray disc along with new material such as “Carlito and the Judge” (an interview with Torres), “Cutting Carlito’s Way” ( an interview with editors Bill Pankow and Kristina Boden), “De Palma’s Way” ( an appreciation piece by film critic David Edelstein), and “All the Stitches in the World: The Locations of Carlito’s Way” (a comparison of the original New York locations filmed in Carlito’s Way and how they look today).
Previously released featurettes on the new Arrow set include “De Palma on Carlito’s Way“, “The Making of Carlito’s Way” documentary, and deleted scenes, teasers, and trailers.
Collectors seeking a prestigious looking edition will be happy with the limited edition packaging with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative, a double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly-commissioned artwork by Tom Ralston and Obviously Creative, seven double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions, and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw with original production notes.
The Arrow Video Carlito’s Way presentation is also available in an exclusive Arrow Store version, featuring the original poster art on the slip case.
Check out both versions below, but as far as we are concerned, you can’t go wrong with either one.
