D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die…
Get Carter, 1971.
Directed by Mike Hodges.
Starring Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, John Osborne, and Britt Ekland.
Get Carter is a classic British gangster film that sees Jack Carter (Caine) arrive in Northern England with questions about the recent and supposedly accidental death of his brother. Suspecting that foul play was involved in the accident, Carter investigates and interrogates with vengeance on his mind.
As Carter makes his way through the criminal underworld of Newcastle and the surrounding areas he rubs up the local crooks the wrong way and finds himself the subject of more violence. Carter must work out who is telling the truth and who is trying to throw him off the track as he pieces together the clues to find the person behind his brother’s death.
The film is based upon Ted Lewis’ novel Jack Returns Home and producer Michael Klinger bought the rights and enlisted the services of Mike Hodges in his first attempt at writing and directing a feature film. The film also saw veteran British character actor Alun Armstrong make his screen debut. Get Carter is a cult classic and has built a large following, so much so that in 2000 a Hollywood remake saw Sylvester Stallone take the central role as Carter, with the story relocated to Seattle.
Get Carter is a film you must see before you die because the remake was so poor that it didn’t even get a British cinema release and it would be tragic to think the 2000 version is what sticks in people’s minds when they think of Get Carter. Watch the original!
D.J. Haza
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Originally published April 9, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
