Carlito's Way: Rise to Power

Carlito's Way: Rise to Power follows the early years of Carlito Brigante, the Puerto Rican gangster later portrayed by Al Pacino in Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way. Seduced by the power and violence of the New York underworld, Carlito is drawn into a cycle of greed and revenge. With two close allies at his side, he climbs toward control of Spanish Harlem's criminal trade, learning along the way that staying on top depends on loyalty to friends and respect for the unwritten rules of the street. The story traces his ascent across the middle decades of the twentieth century, from the 1930s through the 1970s, as Puerto Rican gangs carved out their own territory in Harlem alongside established black and white criminal organizations. Jay Hernandez plays the young Carlito, with Mario Van Peebles, Luis Guzmán, Sean Combs, Michael Kelly and Giancarlo Esposito among the supporting cast.

Michael Bregman directed and wrote the screenplay, and produced the film with Martin Bregman. It was his second feature as director, after Table One in 2000. Made for about 9 million dollars, the film was released in 2005.

Audience response has been modest: on IMDb it holds 5 out of 10 from roughly 5,100 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 4.8 out of 10 from a much smaller group of 82 voters. A critics' rating of 4.7 out of 10 from six reviews places it in similar territory.