卡利多(阿尔•帕西诺 Al Pacino 饰)因贩毒而被判入狱30年,在他入狱的第五年,律师大卫(西恩•潘 Sean Penn 饰)将他从监狱救了出来。卡利多出狱后的理想就是赚够7万5千美元离开这里和还清欠大卫的人情。决心洗心革面的卡利多却摆脱不了命运的捉弄,当他勉为其难地答应表弟作为旁观者参加一次毒品交易,他卷入了一场黑吃黑的勾当。当他保住了毒品后,他从毒贩那里获得了2万5千美元作为酬劳。 卡利多将这笔钱入股到一家名为天堂乐园的夜总会后,他开始寻找他的女人,凯尔。当卡利多找到凯尔后,两人的关系在微妙中回旋。这时,大卫收了一位黑手党首领的钱,答应帮助他的伙伴越狱。于是,大卫找来了卡利多帮忙。虽然凯尔苦苦哀求,为了报恩,卡利多还是答应了去执行这一危险任务……A Puerto Rican ex-con pledges to stay away from his former drug dealing ways but finds himself being dragged back by his past connections and the naive machinations of his lawyer and best friend. Hoping to raise enough money to get away from New York, Carlito Brigante takes on the job of running a nightclub, renews an affair with a dancer but old associates and old instincts suck him back into a world of violence and mistrust.