State of Grace vs Carlito's Way

Better movie?

I'd say State of Grace.

 

Damn, liked both..........never thought to compare them.

State Of Grace probably has better rewatchability.

 

Carlito's Way is an all time favourite of mine. So that for me.

But I have a man crush on Pacino and he's especially dashing in that, so Im biased.

 

Did it not annoy anyone else that you knew the ending to Carlito's Way in the first 30 seconds of the movie?

 

Nah, that dramatic irony is part of what makes it. Weights all his desperate attempts to 'escape' with a kinda poignancy and makes the ending more impactful, in my book. Really like that movie, especially the end scene. All shot in one take for about 20 minutes odd. Interestingly 12 Monkey's is structured the exact same way, in terms of seeing the ending at the start (even down to it happening in an airport which has obvious parallels)....interesting to me at least in that they're two of my absolute favourite movies.

 

carlito's way was better, but sog was also good.

 

For me it makes the movie so pointless. You know he is going to die and there really isn't anything that happens inbetween that is too shocking or amazing. 12 monkeys i thought was a bit different in that you knew willis gets shot, but it wasn't clear who/why/how it happened or how it all fit together. Carlito... you knew everything that happened in the movie was just leading to someone shooting him and that clearly it was going to be gang violence that caused it

 

Carlito's Way was better IMO.

State of Grace was solid, with terrific acting, but I just got more engrossed in Carlito's Way, even with knowing ahead of time what was going to happen. I thought CW was brilliantly directed by De Palma. My favorite De Palma movie, and also probably my favorite performance by Penn.

I also didn't care much for the ending of State of Grace. It's like it turns from a dark gang/police drama into the finale of Commando.

Gary Oldman is an awesome actor. Ed Harris is really good too.

 

I didn't feel that way. I thought it added to the whole overblown, melodramatic, greek tragedy type thing De Palma was going for. He's a big brush guy. I mean the theme of the film was the inexorable futility of his attempts to escape his past choices, that he'd passed the point where any amount of good intentions or deeds were gonna claw him back or redeem him. It was about tragic futility. 'Something's pulling me close to the ground, i can sense but I can't see'....the first scene sets up the whole thing, the image of paradise on the billboard out of reach that he works to try and make real and makes us want with him but also the spectre that makes all his heroism & the plot hints to the cause of the downfall poignant.

Plus you don't actually see him die at the opening, you just know he gets shot. So there's that slither that lets you get your hopes up with the character, too during the drama of the chase. It's so well directed you're running with him, you feel like you got away too on the platform.

It's actually the only movie that ever made me cry. Absolute top 5 movie for me, fucking love it.

 

I thought Robin Wright was really attractive in State of Grace.

 

carlito end scene really was special

never saw state of grace; will add to 'to watch' list

 

Yeah she was dreamy

 

Yeah but come on... you know he dies.

 

Hmm... tough choice. Loved Carlito's Way when I first saw it, but seemed to like it less in subsequent viewings. IMO, Penelope Ann Miller prevents it from being a truly great movie. Didn't care for her character at all, not to mention that she was way too young for the part she played.

State of Grace is, as Erratic described, solid. Never seem to like it any more or less whenever I watch it.

Sean Penn was far better in Carlito's Way than in State of Grace and dare I say had the best overall performance of anyone between the two movies (I can almost hear X cursing me out once he reads this ::).

I don't know... watching both back-to-back right now, I'd probably say State of Grace was a little bit better.

 

In a rollercoaster you know you aren't gonna die, but if it's well made your heart will still pump.