Carlito's Way [Collector's Edition]

Brian De Palma's underrated masterpiece Carlito's Way finally gets a Collector's Edition DVD treatment by Universal, although fans who've been awaiting an extras-packed disc might find themselves being sorely disappointed with what's been released. Technically, the disc looks and sounds exactly like the previous 1998 release, with the exceptions of a sorely needed anamorphic transfer of the 2.35:1 widescreen picture and the addition of a French 5.1 and a Spanish 2.0 Mono tracks, which go alongside the original 5.1 English mix. The main bonus feature of the disc is "The Making of Carlito's Way," a meaty documentary that includes chats with director De Palma, book scribe Edwin Torres, writer David Koepp, and producer Martin Bregman. Clocking in at 30 minutes, the various interviews provide great insight to the making of the film as discussions range from the origins of the character to the hardships needed to bring the stylish tale to the big screen. Given the initial bad reaction to the film and Universal's first slim DVD treatment, it's refreshing to finally hear some of the heavy-hitters talk about Carlito in hindsight. Rounding out the disc is the only other extra listed on the back of the box: the Photo Gallery. Made up of three different sections, it includes a throwaway Portraits Gallery, a cool Brian De Palma section dedicated to shots of the director on the set, and a packed, although suspicious, Posters Gallery, whose unlabeled designs don't quite represent any international one-sheet or are listed as being early mock-ups. With the inclusion of the original theatrical trailer and a few throwaway recommendations, that's pretty much it for the disc. For a "collector's edition" in this day and age, it's sad to see Universal put so little time into this release. Previous owners of Carlito's Way will undoubtedly be enticed by the new featurette, but there's little to nothing else worthy of notice in this re-release for which to jump for joy.