Carlitos Way was good because it showed a gangster with a conciouss. It delved into the mind of a seasoned thug who knew it was going to be the end of him if he couldnt escape the stranglehold that the streets had on him. It was a story of inner conflict, his life on the streets VS his idealized paradise. An OG trying to escape the game that defines him as a human being...there's some deep shit there. In the end there was no escape, and I think Carlito even knew that the whole time he was trying to get out the game which gives the character a kind of dismal overtone throughout while exercising his status as a veteran of the streets at the same time.
Scarface ws just balls out, Fuck You gangsterism. The story of rags to riches, greed and power, bullets and blood. It was the romanticised American Dream achieved through the dope game... and anybody who ever made chips from selling illegal substances can understand the story of Tony Montana's uprising and eventual demise.
BOTH MOVIES ARE FUCKIN CLASSICS!!!!!