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 lead actress and the exposition scene by the psychiatrist at the end. Film critics have often noted De Palma's penchant for unusual camera angles and compositions throughout his career. He often frames characters against the background using a canted angle shot. Split-screen techniques have been used to show two separate events happening simultaneously. To emphasize the dramatic impact of a certain scene De Palma has employed a 360-degree camera pan. Slow sweeping, panning and tracking shots are often used throughout his films, often through precisely-choreographed long takes lasting for minutes without cutting. Split focus shots, often referred to as "di-opt",