Review of Get Carter (1971) by James F — 29 Jul 2010

They certainly do not get much grittier than this. With the murky and depressing background of a post-industrial Newcastle as its backdrop, Get Carter is the type of gangster movie that does not come along often. Even in the Seventies, where gritty movies were very much a norm, it was rare to see a truly nasty piece of work in the lead. Stories that pit a criminal against other bad guys usually opt to make an anti-hero out of the protagonist. Jack Carter is not cut from that cloth. Jack Carter is just plain bad news.

The movie's treatment of its audience is almost as unforgiving as its main character. It doesn't explicitly say that Carter is a London gangster and it actually does remarkably little to establish Carter's reputation amongst his criminal peers. Subtle clues and hints are dropped, but apart from eventually learning why Cater travelled up north, the story is pretty coy about things.

What carries it is Michael Caine, in no doubt one of his best characters. Caine turns off nearly all the charisma he has: Carter does not seduce with a romantic confidence. Instead he is clearly little more than a gentleman thug. Women are seduced by his dangerous cool and men follow him because he is obviously a pack leader, not a follower. This is why the movie needs to do little to show us that Carter is a dangerous man: Caine makes sure you get that sense about him already. He is cool, calculating and will take what he wants, with little fear or care for consequences (as one phone call with his mistress illustrates). His language is usually either threatening or a subtle taunt, calling a person out. When a gambler calls him a clever sod, he responds: "Only comparatively.".

As Carter discovers more about what caused the death he is investigating, the tension slowly cranks up. Get Carter never reveals enough for the audience to work it out on their own. This is not a film about a murder mystery. It's about one man's quest for the truth and the lengths he will go to to get it. Everything in Carter's way is expendable, slowly making him the scariest person on the screen. And you'd look away, were it not for Caine's own talents. Carter might be a total bastard, but you're behind him all the way.

Films like Get Carter are rare - audiences rarely respond to such a dark and grim story, especially when there is no romantic underdog. This is one reason to watch it. The other is that this is one of the best gangster and revenge films ever made. Make sure you give it a look.