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Get Carter (1971 – Mike Hodges, dir.) stars Michael Caine as gangster cum vigil ante in an action thriller, keyword: revenge. I’m going to say right up front that this kind of story is done better in a recent indie called Dead Man’s Shoes. If you like Get Carter, I’d highly recommend checking out the newer film, which features a more sympathetic protagonist, less extraneous trappings and more English scenery.
So, bad news first: this is the story of a gangster, peripheral to the porn industry and seemingly indifferent to it at the start, but upon learning his own family are involved, and his brother killed in relation to this, becomes a homicidal maniac. Guess what, Carter? Everybody in porn was someone’s baby, once. It’s hard not to see him as hypocritical, given the extremity of his reaction. Toss in gratuitous drug use and a bevy of universally shallow (but pretty!) female stereotypes, and it gets kind of hard to sort out whom we’re supposed to care about.
Those complaints aside though, this is a fast-paced story with some fun moments. There’s an awesome sequence comparing a woman with a racecar that almost makes the film seeing all on its own. Michael Caine did a great job with the emotional life of the character, ranging from vengeance-driven violence to one very quiet moment when he learns that a loved one has been victimized. Overall, Get Carter is not going in my favorites list, but I’m glad I finally sat down and watched this one. For its time, it was no doubt very slick.
3/5
Get Carter (1971 – Mike Hodges, dir.) stars Michael Caine as gangster cum vigil ante in an action thriller, keyword: revenge. I’m going to say right up front that this kind of story is done better in a recent indie called Dead Man’s Shoes. If you like Get Carter, I’d highly recommend checking out the newer film, which features a more sympathetic protagonist, less extraneous trappings and more English scenery.
So, bad news first: this is the story of a gangster, peripheral to the porn industry and seemingly indifferent to it at the start, but upon learning his own family are involved, and his brother killed in relation to this, becomes a homicidal maniac. Guess what, Carter? Everybody in porn was someone’s baby, once. It’s hard not to see him as hypocritical, given the extremity of his reaction. Toss in gratuitous drug use and a bevy of universally shallow (but pretty!) female stereotypes, and it gets kind of hard to sort out whom we’re supposed to care about.
Those complaints aside though, this is a fast-paced story with some fun moments. There’s an awesome sequence comparing a woman with a racecar that almost makes the film seeing all on its own. Michael Caine did a great job with the emotional life of the character, ranging from vengeance-driven violence to one very quiet moment when he learns that a loved one has been victimized. Overall, Get Carter is not going in my favorites list, but I’m glad I finally sat down and watched this one. For its time, it was no doubt very slick.
3/5