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's Way secret exit. The Italians pursue him throughout the city's subway system and into Grand Central Terminal, where they engage in a gunfight. Carlito kills all of his pursuers except Vinnie, who is shot and killed by police. As Carlito runs to catch the train where Gail and Pachanga are waiting for him, he is ambushed by Benny, who shoots Carlito several times with a silenced gun. Pachanga admits to Carlito that he is now working for Benny, only to be shot by Benny as well. Carlito hands a tearful Gail the money and tells her to escape with their unborn