Al Pacino: The Eyes Have It
A side note from the main article about Carlito’s Way and Brian De Palma’s work
Filmmaker Brian De Palma is well known for the way he repurposes or gives homage to techniques created by the filmmakers before him.
One place where he does it is from the famous pool room scene from Carlito’s Way from 1993.
In the scene, Charlie (played by Al Pacino) is contemplating his options and planning a route of the mess he and his cousin has wandered into. De Palma slowly narrows of the framing of Al Pacino and his face in keeps a tight focus on Charlie’s eyes.
From the scene, you are invariably taken back to the diner scene from Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather from 1972.
The similarities between the clips are striking, but it’s a nice touch and clearly shows De Palma’s knowledge of and willingness to repurpose famous scenes and techniques from the past.
