 The movie is based on one of Edwin Torres book series on the  criminal life of Carlito Brigante. This is based after the first  book in the series "Carlitos Way". Brian De Palma (qv)s  _Carlitos Way (1993)_ (qv) took the first books title because at  the time it was decided that they would not take the title of the  second book "After Hours" to avoid confusion with the  Martin Scorsese (qv) 