Brian De Palma film it retains De Palma's considerable visual flair, but points more toward his work in mainstream entertainments such as "", the thematic complex thriller for which he is now better known. For many film-goers, De Palma's gangster films, most notably "Scarface" and "Carlito's Way", pushed the envelope of on-screen violence and depravity, and yet greatly vary from one another in both style and content and also illustrate De Palma's evolution as a film-maker. In essence, the excesses of "Scarface" contrast with the more emotional tragedy of "Carlito's Way". Both films feature Al Pacino in what has become a fruitful working
Brian De Palma rather than through dialogue. The financial and critical success of "Carrie" allowed De Palma to pursue more personal material. "The Demolished Man" was a novel that had fascinated De Palma since the late 1950s and appealed to his background in mathematics and avant-garde storytelling. Its unconventional unfolding of plot (exemplified in its mathematical layout of dialogue) and its stress on perception have analogs in De Palma's filmmaking. He sought to adapt it on numerous occasions, though the project would carry a substantial price tag, and has yet to appear onscreen (Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's "Minority Report" bears