Get Carter (1971): British filmmaker Mike Hodges styllish crime thriller starring Michael Caine

The trendsetter for the gangster films of '70s & '80s

A Potpourri of Vestiges Review

By Murtaza Ali

Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews 

Get Carter (1971) - By Mike Hodges

Our Rating: 8.5

IMDb Ratings: 7.5

Genre: Crime | Thriller

Cast: Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, Britt Ekland

Country: UK
Language: English

Runtime: 112

Color: Color (Metrocolor)

Summary: When his brother dies under mysterious circumstances in a car accident, London gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate.

Get Carter is a 1971 crime thriller film directed by British filmmaker Mike Hodges. The movie’s screenplay, written by Hodges himself, is based on a 1969 novel named Jack's Return Home by Ted Lewis. Hodges' directorial debut, Get Carter stars Michael Caine in the lead role of Jack Carter—a small-time gangster operating in London for the Fletcher brothers. The movie’s support cast includes Ian Hendry, Britt Ekland, John Osborne and Bryan Mosley. Get Carter revolves around Carter’s whirlwind pursuit to uncover the truth behind his brother’s mysterious death in the city of Newcastle. But, Get Carter is not a typical run-of-the-mill British gangster film of the ‘70s. On the contrary, it's a commendable work of cinematic art that has often been looked upon as a touchstone for filmmaking. The credit for which should go to Hodges and Caine who opted to walk a completely different path by choosing to portray violence and criminal behavior in a rather gritty and realistic manner. Needless to say, it was something that hadn’t been previously attempted in British cinema. In fact, Get Carter single-handedly set the tone for the gangster films of the '70s and the '80s. Before analyzing the other aspects of the movie, it’s essential to throw some light on the movie’s plot. 

Michael Caine (Right) as Jack Carter in Mike Hodges' Get Carter

When Jack Carter hears about his brother’s sudden demise, he travels to his hometown in order to perform the final funeral rites. Carter suspects foul play and refuses to give any credit to the police report that downplays the incident as an open-and-shut case of suicide. He starts his own investigation. Carter starts interrogating his brother's friends and acquaintances. In the meantime, Carter also seeks out his teenage niece and tries to console her by extending some monetary help. But things soon turn sour as the local mafia gets involved. And Carter suddenly finds himself stuck in a limbo. With his back against the wall, the only thing that he can rely upon is his own instincts. Will Carter succeed in unraveling the mystery or will he meet his brother’s fate?

A Still from Get Carter

Hodges doesn’t take the easy way out. Instead of restricting his narrative to the sole purpose of plainly finding answers to these simple questions, Hodges enriches his well-packaged narrative with a strong visual appeal, thereby succeeding in offering to his audience a cinematic product that is far more mature and intelligent. Get Carter essentially serves to be a visual delight that titillates the viewers with images that get permanently etched in their memory. While there are several unforgettable sequences in the movie, the one that stands out is the scintillating finale. The cogent yet subtle manner in which Hodges links the movie’s climactic sequence to an early scene wherein Michael Caine’s character looks up at a co-passenger (in the train) wearing a ring with a conspicuous "J" symbol is simply magnificent.

Ravishing Britt Ekland in Get Carter

Get Carter is quite easily one of the finest gangster flicks ever made. It's arguably the most formidable example of the superiority of British cinema over its much-hyped American adversary: be it in terms of style or substance. Even after four decades of its release, Get Carter appears strikingly fresh to the eyes. In fact, it has a lot to offer to the current and upcoming breed of filmmakers. Be it direction, screenplay, editing, cinematography or music, Get Carter scores heavily over most movies of its kind. The movie is refreshingly bold in the manner it presents its subject and exudes a sense of contempt for the pusillanimous style of filmmaking generally prevalent at the time.  

A Still from Get Carter

Hodges’ sublime direction is well backed up by Michael Caine’s power-packed performance (arguably his best performance ever) wherein he uses to great effect, his knowledge of the criminal behavior, based on his interactions with real-life criminal acquaintances in order to help develop the character of Carter. Caine’s Carter is like an unstoppable force that proceeds with the intensity of a madman possessed by the devil. The rest of the cast complements him really well. And the combined effect of Wolfgang Suschitzky’s cinematography (some of the crane shots are a real treat) and Roy Budd’s fusion music (innovative use of tablas along with the modern equipment) is mesmerizing to say the least. Over the years, Get Carter has inspired many films (and filmmakers), including a remake starring Sylvester Stallone, but none could match the brilliance of the original.

Get Carter: A Still from the movie's scintillating climax

Overall, Get Carter serves to be a stylish work of cinema that enthralls, excites and entertains. Get Carter offers gore, intrigue, eroticism galore. Hodges' claustrophobic world is replete with heinous mobsters and uber-sexy molls, and then there is the vicious yet alluring Jack Carter who neither forgives nor forgets. Hodges and his technical team offer great attention to detail resulting. There is an obvious undercurrent of dark humor that's almost a norm with British filmmaking. Get Carter has a strong sense of pathos and irony which elevates it to even higher levels of brilliance. Get Carter is timeless cinema that has enough to engage the masses and aficionados alike. Those on the lookout for intelligent cinema that's also high on entertainment quotient wouldn’t be disappointed. 

Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!  

References:

1). IMDb Review by Jugu Abraham (Author: Movies that make you think)

2). Wikipedia

3). IMDb 

Get Carter (1971) Trailer

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