History Film / CarlitosWay

* TaughtByExperience: Carlito is an experienced criminal who has been navigating the criminal underworld since he was a boy. Between this and the fact that he's very perceptive, he can see when a situation is going south, and as a result he survives many plots from his fellow criminals to kill him or the law to put him back in jail. (For example, his immediate suspicion of the drug deal he accompanies his cousin to, and how he seems to anticipate that La Ling will be wearing a wire even before talking to him.) However, both his [[HonorBeforeReason code of honor]] and his determination to go legit sometimes override his good sense, forcing him to do what he thinks is the right thing, even though he knows it's not the smart thing.

--> ''''Kleinfeld:''' Would you fucking put that away? It's loaded! [[spoiler: ''(Not anymore.)'']]

* GambitPileup: Carlito once his mistakes catch up to him. [[spoiler: After Kleinfeld's death, Saso tries to steal his money and that costs him valuable time when he has to run for his life from Vinnie T. and company; after he narrowly escaped them, he's shot by Benny Blanco, whom Pachanga sold him out to.]]

* GenreSavvy: Carlito is experienced and perceptive enough to see when a situation is pointing south and survives many plots that would have put anyone else out of business. At the end, when betrayals pile up, it gets too much and even then he acknowledges he should have trusted his gut about a few things.

** In ''Film/Scarface1983'', Tony Montana is utterly incensed by someone dancing with his sister, his... [[BrotherSisterIncest ''love'' interest]]. Here, Carlito takes pleasure in watching his ''actual'' love interest dance with a man who's similarly skilled, and comments on appreciating the beauty of their movement. Of course, it's Kleinfeld who takes offence to this...

* TooDumbToLive: Kleinfeld makes many mistakes in his constant paranoia and feelings of inferiority, leading to [[spoiler:the majority of the trouble for Carlito after the breakout and his own KarmicDeath in the end.]]
** Most of his betrayals Carlito couldn't foresee, but not paying [[spoiler: Pachanga]] and ignoring the rumors he hears about him [[spoiler: spying for Benny Blanco]] is a case of this trope.
* TooKinkyToTorture: Gail teases Carlito that if he doesn't break down her door, chase her around, get her naked and force herself upon her she won't succumb to his charms. He promptly fulfils her fantasy.

** Alternatively, actually paying Pachanga could have kept him from selling Carlito out.

* SubwaySuck: The climax is centered on Carlito rushing to reach Gail at the Grand Central Terminal and get out of town together, all while avoiding the assassins chasing him through the crowded New York subway system.

* SlowMotionDrop: The bullets of Kleinfeld's gun when Carlito tosses them into a trash bin.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The opening scene in presented in black and white, with a SplashOfColor for the "Escape to Paradise" billboard Carlito stares at.

* BrooklynRage: Tony T., despite being Italian, is this flavor of threatening, being a stocky, brutish, meat-headed GutturalGrowler with a Noo Yawk accent who promises Kleinfeld to "snap [his] neck like a breadstick".

** The scenes at Grand Central Terminal show it's in its 1993 state when it had just recently been renovated and cleaned up. At the time the movie takes place it was in horrible disrepair and absolutely filthy.

* TheLoad: Averted with Tony T's people. You'd think a morbidly obese guy like Joe Battaglia would slow them down [[spoiler: when they chase Carlito at the railway station. Sure, Joe stops to catch his breath after climbing an escalator, but he looks down and notices Carlito lying down on he descending escalator. If he hadn't, they would have missed him.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Vinnie T., after [[spoiler:his father Tony T. is killed in the botched Rikers Island breakout. Unfortunately, Carlito gets mixed up in it.]]

** The original novel and the prequel show that Carlito was indeed better than Benny Blanco, but not for what he's accomplished as a gangster. Behind his tough exterior, Carlito was honorable and hated having to be a gangster, which is why he decided to get away from that after he got ot of jail. He would also never treat a woman the way Benny treated Stephie. Benny had all of young Carlito's ruthlessness but none of the honor and [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame Carlito didn't appreciate the superficial admiration of someone like that]], especially because [[OldShame he hated that side of himself.]]

* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler:Kleinfeld]] uses Carlito to murder a prominent criminal because of his own egotism and gets Carlito a mark on his back from [[spoiler:the Maffia]]. Carlito lets him have what is coming to him by arranging his death.

* BigRottenApple: The film is set in The Bronx, New York's most infamous crime-ridden district and during a time when crime in the city was among the worst in it's history.

* HyperAwareness: Carlito's ability to read the room and intuitively sense danger is what enables him to survive so far. It's demonstrated early on with the drug gang and then in the finale [[spoiler: when he sees Tony T disguised as a cop and thinks "that face and that uniform don't go together".]]

* DiscriminateAndSwitch: Tony T to Kleinfeld.
-->'''Tony T:''' I never liked you, Kleinfeld. Not because you're a Jew, huh. [[SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX I know plenty of Jews]]. No, cause you're a lying piece of shit.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Tony Taglilucci is quite rude and aggressive towards Dave Kleinfeld because he (correctly) suspects that Kleinfeld skimmed $1 million in bribery money.

* TheLoinsSleepTonight: Implied by Steffie when she tells Carlito Kleinfeld can't have sex with her due to all the coke he does, which is and can be a permanent side effect to drug abuse.

* Fanboy: Though he's a general thug and low-rent hood to others, Benny Blanco shows nothing but respect for Carlito (at least, the former version of Carlito).

* SpiritualAntithesis / SpiritualSuccessor: As noted above, it's practically a complete inversion of ''Film/Scarface1983'', including by way of a ShoutOut:

* NoHonorAmongThieves: Carlito discovers this the hard way, getting betrayed three times [[spoiler: by Lalìn, Kleinfeld and Pachanga]].

** The original novel and the prequel show that Carlito was indeed better than Benny Blanco, but not for what he's accomplished as a gangster. Behind his tough exterior, Carlito was honorable and hated having to be a gangster, which is why he decided to get away from that after he got ot of jail. He would also never treat a woman the way Benny treated Stephie. Benny had all of young Carlito's ruthlessness but none of the honor and [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame Carlito didn't appreciate the superficial admiration of someone like that]], especially because [[OldShame he hated that side of himself]].

* WhatAnIdiot: In-universe example. Carlito is ''pissed'' that Kleinfeld would be so stupid as to kill a mafia boss and his son. And this is the same boss who Kleinfeld had already ripped $1 million from. When he confirms the extent of Kleinfeld's villainous stupidity, Carlito delivers a very cutting remark as to just how in over his head he is.
-->'''Carlito:''' [[YouCantGoHomeAgain You ain't a lawyer no more, Dave.]] You a ''gangster'' now. On the other side. A whole new ball game. You can't learn about it in school, and you can't have a late start.

* ShoutOut: When he visits Gail at night, Carlito takes a peek into her apartment by [[Film/TheShining putting his face into the half-closed white door]].

* ReallyGetsAround: Stephie sleeps with both Benny Blaco and Kleinfeld, then later bluntly asks Carlito why he never tried to sleep with her. This is true of a number of her friends too, as they start turning a party of Kleinfeld's into a semi-public orgy, much to Kleinfeld's chagrin.

* TheLionsSleepTonight: Implied by Steffie when she tells Carlito Kleinfeld can't have sex with her due to all the coke he does, which is and can be a permanent side effect to drug abuse.

* TheLionSleepsTonight: Implied by Steffie when she tells Carlito Kleinfeld can't have sex with her due to all the coke he does, which is and can be a permanent side effect to drug abuse.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Kleinfeld could have killed Vinnie in the hospital and saved both himself and Carlito, but Carlito made sure that couldn't happen by removing all of his bullets. By indirectly killing Kleinfeld, Carlito unknowingly causes his own death.]]