Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)

Sorry, this movie sucks

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I 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 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.

I really loved this movie and it was way better then the last one.I really liked how they had Chuck Zito in this one, he was in the last one as well but was not really shown where with this one they showed him a lot.I like how this one played out way better then the first one and Carlito was way hotter then the last guy.I do not really like how they put Sean Combs in it because to me he has no talent and not to mention I do not even remember any blacks being in the first one so it made no sense to put them in this one.I would have to say if this movie did not have Sean Combs in it I would give it a 10 instead of an 8.

this film was totally not what i expected. if this film was called something else no one would even notice the difference between the two. its really strange because i cannot see the point . the prequel and sequel lets just say don't make sense, the don't even match . maybe i am naive but ain't a vol 1 & vol 2 meant to match up. carlito was in jail in the 1st one and dies in the original, and in the prequel he lives and don't go jail. the plot was OK , but they should have changed round some actors and some of the story line and the name of the film and it would have been a good film .i really expected it to end like the other one started. if some one has a opinion on this post it please.