Excellent, a Must See

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"Get Carter" is one of the seminal British gangster films, as fresh today as when Mike Hodges made it back in 1971 despite looking every inch the period piece that it is. Michael Caine, (it is one of his most iconic roles), is Carter who travels up from London to Newcastle to find out who killed his brother and, naturally, to take his revenge. The film's greatness lies in Hodges' stylish direction, the brilliant screenplay which Hodges adapted from Ted Lewis' novel, the superb supporting cast which included playwright John Osborne and most of all to Wolfgang Suschitzky's cinematography, (he photographs faces and places with the same attention to detail). In 2000 someone had the not-too-bright idea of remaking the film in America as a vehicle for Sylvester Stallone. That one is best avoided.

I watched this recently as it is a well-known British classic thriller. As with a lot of these older films (made in '71) the sound quality wasn't great. That slightly spoiled my enjoyment of the film.If I was to choose a soundtrack that complemented a film perfectly, I would choose the Get Carter theme. The tune opens the film with a solo played on a harpsichord (I think) which evokes a sense of disaffection, and then in the film we arrive by train at a industrial wasteland that is Newcastle in the 1970's. Also a bass guitar is playing a groovy riff in background, and that is after we have witnessed in the film gangsters enjoying a porn film. The music sets up the film perfectly.It has been a while since I watched this film. It certainly reminded me of classic 70s TV programmes like The Sweeney and Play for Today. Gritty, sleazy and with a aftertaste of poverty. Looking back at it though it's quite a straightforward revenge flick. There isn't much character development for Michael Caine as Carter, but he is still good in a quiet, reserved performance.One surprise for me was that the film starred the famous English playwright John Osborne as one of the northern gangsters (Cyril). He is famous for writing plays such as Look Back in Anger. There is northern twist to this film with the backdrop of austerity in Newcastle played against the rich London gangster. Hands full of pound notes and drinking beer out of a straight glass. This brings an added interest to the film. I really thought the setting of the film is one of the most enjoyable parts of it, and alongside the haunting music really captures your interest more than it would in another location.If you want to recapture life in Britain in the 1970's you will love this movie, and it has some of the best British actors in it like Caine and Ian Hendry. The film starts fairly positively for Carter and then descends gradually into hell as he seeks more and more revenge. In the end there is no good guys left including Carter. I gave it a 6/10 because I felt it could have developed the character's back story a bit more, but it is one of those films that stays in your head long after the film ends.

I first saw Get Carter when I was 15 when it was shown on ITV. The film was cut heavily- mainly by the broadcaster- and remember that it was the talk of the school the next morning. Admittedly a lot of the schoolboy discussion centred on the scenes in which Geraldine Moffat and, especially, Britt Ekland bare their breasts but there was enough realisation amongst my friends of nearly 40 years ago that Get Carter was rather a good picture.The film enjoys as high a reputation now as it ever has. Even in the late nineteen nineties when it and the original Ted Lewis novel on which it is based were re-released reviews were mixed. Part of the problem that people had , and I would imagine still have, with Get Carter is that people could not accept Caine as such a despicable figure as Carter proves to be. I had, in early 1976, only ever seen Caine in Zulu and a terrible film with Jane Fonda (Hurry Sundown I think) when I first saw Get Carter all those years ago so had less of a preconceived notion of what Caine should be like so he just seemed like a great 'baddie' who, eventually, gets his comeuppance (but only after the other baddies get what they deserve) but I can see now why at the time people who had loved Caine in the Harry Palmer films or in the Italian Job or as Alfie ( though I think that character is actually a swine)were aghast at this lovable rogue pouring whisky down Ian Hendry's throat prior to smashing his head in or throwing Bryan Mosley off a multi-story car park. And he treats women abominably. The film is criticised because it shows a lot of violence towards women - with other violence being implied- and I can see why people are uncomfortable with that but this is a gangster movie and gangsters are not nice people. I think it is a more legitimate criticism that the female characters are weak/submissive/untrustworthy but even so the most sympathetic character in the film is Carter's niece ( Doreen) and she is the one character who shows a kinder, even sensitive side of Carter.The film is now almost regarded as one of those dreaded 'national treasures' with some of its more famous lines like Ian Hendry's character Eric Paice having eyes like 'two pissholes in the snow' or the architects who remark after Carter throws Brumby off that car park ' I don't think we are going to get our fee' or a bystander in the post office who on being told about the man being thrown from that car park asks 'was he dead?' suggest a bit of jollity that is more in line with the Caine of The Italian Job but it is in truth a gritty, uncomfortable picture that even now seems pretty visceral. Although there is no hint of the supernatural in Get Carter the film made after it which is most like it in some ways is Eastwood's underrated High Plains' Drifter in which Eastwood's character wreaks similar havoc as an outsider arriving in a village that had some grisly secrets it wishes to be kept hiddenGet Carter is very much Caine's picture but John Osborne as the number one villain Kinnear as well as the aforementioned Hendry and Mosley provide great support and I have always liked Moffat as the flaky, lush, sports car driving girlfriend of Kinnear. Alan Armstrong - now a very highly respected actor- makes one of his earliest appearances and is pretty good and for a film set in Newcastle upon Tyne his is one of the few local accents heard. Ekland looks very nice in her black undies though I will admit that this particular scene serves little in the way of dramatic point.The film looks great with some great location shots of a Newcastle that does not seem to exist anymore and the Roy Budd score is superb- the title sequence in which the main theme is played as carter makes his train journey North is a magnificent scene setter in the class of Touch of Evil. I really like Get Carter and think it is one of the Holy Trinity of Brit Gangster films alongside the 1947 Brighton Rock and 1980's The Long Good Friday. It is brutal and the characters almost uniformly amoral but the story is neatly rounded out and the ending surprising but satisfactory. It is rather more than just seeing Britt Ekland in her pants as I and my old school chums once thought it mainly was.

London gangster Jack Carter (Michael Caine) goes to Newcastle for his brother's funeral and investigate his death. He suspects foul-play and dives into the Newcastle underworld. His brother leaves behind his daughter Doreen Carter and mistress Margaret. He tracks down crime boss Cyril Kinnear where he also meets Glenda. Meanwhile his boss Fletchers back in London sends henchmen to Newcastle to Get Carter back. He's having an affair with his other boss Gerald's girlfriend Anna. He is given businessman Brumby's name but Cliff Brumby points the finger at Kinnear. He finds a porno where Doreen is pushed into joining.There are just so many characters coming in and out of the story. It's a bit confusing and muddies up the tension. Many movies of that era don't always keep things clear. Michael Caine is terrific and super cool. The violence is sudden and brutal. A simpler plot would have allowed the audience to concentrate on the film's strength which is Caine and his vicious character. I can certainly see why this is a cult classic for many gangster movie enthusiasts.