Netflixorama: Get Carter, Caine Edition

He's cold, amoral, calculating, cool under pressure and despicable. And he's the hero of this story. At least, after watching it again for the first time in many years, Jack Carter is the centerpiece of Mike Hodge's Get Carter. Michael Caine stars as Jack Carter, an English gangster whose brother has died and he wants to get to the bottom of things, so he drops everything in his cozy life in London and goes back 'home' to Newcastle to find out the truth.





Where to begin? Well, it should all begin with the whole British Gangster genre of film, a fun little genre that young people today only know because of Guy Ritchie's films, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RockNRolla. Also, to a lesser degree, Matthew Vaughn's fun romp Layer Cake. Don't get me wrong, I like all those films but it had to begin somewhere, and it was back in the late 60's/early 70's that the British Gangster film started to gain steam and become lucrative business. In 1971, Get Carter came out and was helping along Michael Caine's career as a leading man, especially after iconic roles in both Alfie and The Italian Job. (Is it just me, or do they always poorly remake Michael Caine films. Think about it, Alfie, The Italian Job, Get Carter and Sleuth are the four films that come to mind, all subpar remakes).

The film is a simple one. Jack Carter's brother supposedly drunk drives into a canal and drowns to death in the process. According to Jack, this isn't something his brother would do, so he takes the train back to Newcastle to see what the true story is. He arranges his brother's funeral (in the smallest coffin ever, but that's just my observation) and asks his brother's daughter why this would happen. She seems distant but says she doesn't know why.



I don't really want to ruin all the little twists and turns throughout the film. It's weird, it's not like I have to put a spoiler alert on a film that's almost 40 years old, but at the same time I battle with giving away too much of the plot away, becoming a Cliff Notes version for these films. So I should give you a bunch of positives as to why you should either own this film or rent it right away.



1) Michael Caine as Jack Carter is worth it alone for everyone to see this film. You see, he was on fire at this point of his career, just delivering very cool roles that are now looked upon very highly in the film aficionado's eyes. In this role, he's just so cool even though when you look at what he does throughout the film, he's a despicable man who is really in it for just himself. Yes, he does care about his dead brother and his niece, but ultimately it really is all about Jack Carter. He just kills everyone in his way or sleeps with them. And sometimes kills them too. Or leads them to death. He throws people over ledges, injects someone with drugs to make it look like an OD, stabs someone to death, beats up a guy and shoots someone dead. But you need to realize the people he's violent too are despicable people too. But when does it all end? Watch the movie and you'll find out. Just remember that Caine will slap the shit out of you.



2) The direction of Mike Hodges. A very stylized directorial effort by Mike Hodges, Get Carter is one film in a very varied career. Films like Flash Gordon and The Terminal Man are guilty pleasure films for me and two of his most recent films, Croupier and I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (both starring Clive Owen), are fine examples that he hasn't given up yet (well, maybe he has with the abysmal Murder by Numbers being his last directorial effort back in 2004). But we're here basking in his fine effort in Get Carter, where he showcases not only fine actors, but the town of Newcastle is a character of its own. People that look worn down, varied scenes throughout the film (such as a dance club, a mansion, a car park and the beach). He also wrote the script from Ted Lewis' novel, Jack's Return Home, and does a good job at reminding you throughout the film that Jack Carter isn't to be trusted but you can't help but like the bloke.



3) The editing of John Trumper, who has had some great genre flicks under his belt (such as The Freakmaker, Circus of Fear and The Face of Dr. Fu Manchu. The way he can juxtapose a love scene with a car ride and not have it look ridiculous is something most films could benefit from today but would probably think it'd confuse too many film goers. Sadly that's a truth I've noticed in speaking with people about film in any way besides them drooling while loving the same tripe they tend to go after.



4) The cinematography of Wolfgang Suschitzky. A name not many people would know or care about. Some of the shots in this film, where it's a distant shot and he'll slowly pan toward the center of attention, is phenomenal. If you want to know what I'm speaking of, check out the opening scene below. Gets me every time.



5) Roy Budd's theme for Get Carter. Don't believe me? Check out Mr. Budd playing the theme below.



A great film that deserves to be seen by more people today. Get Carter was also remade Blaxploitation style with Bernie Casey and Pam Grier the following year in Hit Man.

Want a good crime film instead of the likes of Pride and Glory or We Own the Night? Check this film out with another fine example of the crime film, Point Blank with Lee Marvin. It was also remade, but into a pretty good Mel Gibson starring role in Payback. That's a fine double feature right there.

Oh, Michael Caine would like to thank you all for reading this article as well.



Until next time, the 360 is shutdown.