Is there a bigger
British movie star than Michael Caine? Nowadays he you can find him in major
Hollywood films playing distinguished gentlemen such as Bruce Wayne’s butler in
Batman, but over his long career he has played a variety of smooth criminals,
spies, soldiers, and hardened gangsters. The most hardened of these gangsters
is depicted in Get Carter (1971) a
film that was somewhat ahead of its time. Caine’s Jack Carter is a London
gangster who doesn’t care who he hurts on his path for revenge, which was seen
as too immoral back in the 1970s. Nowadays this character would get his own TV
show.
Like many of
Caine’s film it has been remade, and like many remakes the original is better.
Sylvester Stallone starred in the 2000 version, unseen by me since it looked
pretty grim and disposable. Back then I had no idea it was based on an original
1970s movie, but learned about it as my interest in older movies grew. I bought
the DVD with one of those cheap three-for-one deals at HMV while interning at
Montreal in 2009, allowing me to cross off yet another movie off Empire’s list.
Upon first viewing, Carter indeed is an unlikable character, but he looks
undeniably cool in a suit.
Having lived in
London for years, it is only for his brother’s funeral that Carter goes back to
his hometown of Newcastle. His brother Frank died in a drunk driving accident,
but not feeling happy with the official version Carter starts his own investigation.
In addition to meeting his niece Doreen (Petra Markham) and Frank’s mistress
Margaret (Dorothy White), Carter gets on a collision course with a wide
assortment of crime bosses, killers, and pornographers.
These are indeed
a sordid bunch, despite somewhat amusing British names, from businessman Cliff
Brumby (Bryan Mosley), to crime boss Cyril Kinnear (John Osborne), and henchmen
like Peter the Dutchman (Tony Beckley). What becomes clear as the bodies start
to pile up is that Carter is just as bad as the rest of them. As he stabs and
shoots his way to revenge in a surgically efficient manner, you see Carter is a
very dangerous man to be walking the streets.
His weapon of
choice is a double-barrelled shotgun, giving the impression he is a hunter on
the prowl. It is not conspicuous, but it certainly gets the point across even
when he is caught naked in bed. Women are not immune to his violence either, as
he nearly drowns one in a bathtub when he discovers her peripheral involvement
in the Frank’s murder.
The film’s ending
may seem a bit dour considering everything the character has been through, but
given the film’s realistic depiction of violence it fits very well while being
very plausible. Getting revenge is one thing, getting away with it is something
else.
Despite a rough
reception when it was first released and a bland remake decades later, Get Carter deserves its place among some
of the best British movies ever made. It would make for a great double feature
along with Caine’s more recent Harry
Brown, which is equally realistic in its violence and showcases one of
Caine’s best performances in years.
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