Carlito's Way: Rise to Power is a prequel to the film Carlito's Way. Without giving too much away though, the film's end doesn't fit to the beginning of the original, and thus is a bit of a disappointment. I have heard that there is another "missing piece" in between this film and the original, currently being worked on as a novel, if this is true, then time will tell how they all fit together, and many people criticising this film for not working with the original may have to eat their words. So, taking Carlito's Way: Rise to Power as a film in it's own right, it does quite well. Carlito meets two guys in jail and they push drugs when they get out. The usual gangster movie clichés are played out, but with some good comedy touches, clever plot and a focus on the morality of it all in dialogue. Any character played by Pacino is going to be a tough role to fill, but I felt Jay Hernandez did very well, and would love to see the "missing piece" get made if it is true. Sean Coombs was also surprisingly good, having the bulk of the best comedy lines. All in all, as long as you don't expect a movie that is as good, or directly links to the original, you should enjoy it.
