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Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 10/08

Carlito2
10/08: Although I was impressed with the original, I didn't think Carlito's Way: Rise to Power had to be made.

Well, my assessment turns out to be correct. The sequel, which pretends to be a prequel, is okay, just slightly below average. It's not boring, but I didn't care about what's going on. Just because the characters wear 70's clothes and drive 70's cars doesn't change the fact how obvious the whole thing takes place in the 21st century. The dialogue isn't up to the standard, either.

The performances range from corny to all right. Sean "Puffy" (Piffy, Diffy, Diddy, whatever the hell his nickname is these days) Combs should never be permitted to act again. He flat-out stinks. I remember Luis Guzmán was in the original, but I had been trying to figure out how he was connected until I learned later he played a totally different character. Way to go, fellas, for confusing the hell out of me.

The first film starts out with Carlito giving a big speech in court, but Carlito's Way: Rise to Power doesn't end there. Rather, it shows paradise for him; so, what happened in between? Is paradise not enough? Even worse, all characters from the original don't appear in this.

All in all, Carlito's Way: Rise to Power is a disappointment and should be disqualified for being labeled a prequel.