Carlito Brigante his way up to being the heroin kingpin of the neighborhood. Around 1970, Brigante (at the age of 40) is arrested during a drug bust and is sentenced to 30 years in prison. This marks the end of the novel, "Carlito's Way". "After Hours", which is the source for the film version of "Carlito's Way", begins with Brigante beating his prison sentence thanks to his lawyer David Kleinfeld. During "After Hours", Carlito tries to leave his life of crime behind and retire in the Bahamas with his girlfriend Gail. Circumstances conspire against him when Carlito innocuously accompanies his young cousin
Carlito Brigante Carlito's quick exit is halted by Pete Amadesso, Johnny Manzanero, and Joe Battaglia, a posse of Italian gangsters that were involved in the drug business before Carlito was arrested. Vinnie arrives at Carlito's club to join the other Italians and makes a comment about the lawyer. Carlito puts on a ruse, claiming he hasn't seen Kleinfeld lately. The mobsters recognize he's involved, and after Carlito gathers his money and escapes, they pursue him into a subway station. Carlito kills all of the mobsters except Vinnie, who is fatally injured and finished off by the police. As Carlito approaches Gail and