Get Carter (2000)

The original Get Carter (1971), directed by Croupier's Mike Hodges, starred Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a mob enforcer who returns to his hometown after the suspicious death of his brother. The plot had a breezy, improvised feel and Caine was fantastic, an amoral man who would sleep with any girl or torture any guy to get what he wants. In this American remake, Sylvester Stallone plays a sanitized version of Jack Carter, a guy who is violent but ultimately moral. It doesn't work nearly as well. The whole movie seems like it's been crafted around the Stallone persona, which gives it a manufactured rather than spontaneous feel. Admittedly, that is not helped by the film-school pyrotechnics of director Stephen Kay, who fills the frame with so much unnecessary camera movement that it really feels like he spent more time setting up the camera shots than he did on the script. Moving the story from a small town north of London to Seattle works better because of the subplot concerning Internet porn, of which Seattle is a virtual hotbed. The downside is that it allows for Alan Cumming's portrayal of a Bill Gates-like billionaire as a near-retarded boy-child. Other actors fare better with their roles, particularly Rachel Leigh Cook and Mickey Rourke, though Michael Caine's presence only serves to draw unfair comparisons to the original. That said, if you watch both versions you will learn more about the state of Hollywood at the turn of the millennium than with a year's subscription to Variety. --Andy Spletzer Amazon.com

who doesn't love a good revenge story?!

I mean seriously, who doesn't love a good revenge story?! I admit, I'm a sucker for Stallone, but I love this movie, and I'm not even a big action movie fan. You can't help but root for Stallones' character in this one. I think it's a highly underappreciated movie. April 12, 2008

Underrated

This is a good action flick, despite the director's heavy hand. (The antsy camera jumps ahead, scene after scene, sparing, or perhaps cheating the viewer, out of cathartic moments.) That aside, the acting is good (one of Stallone's better efforts). O'Roark and John McGinley are excellent. The rainy, grainy photography works well. The music gives the film a beat. All told, a very good movie. April 3, 2008

What would you do if...?

Get Carter DVD

Get Carter starring Sylvester Stallone at his most menacing is a remake of the 1971 Get Carter [Region 2]title starring Michael Caine who co-stars in this movie. It is based on the novel Jack's Return Home. It is all about Jack Carter (Sylvester Stallone) returning home after he hears about his Brother's death under suspicious circumstances.

This might be one of Stallone's best movies from an acting point of view. That Goatee and beard does not suit him. Makes his nose stand out too much.

Highly recommended for fans of British crime drama, Sylvester Stallone, and action movies.

Gunner March, 2008


March 31, 2008

But where has he put his brain?

Nothing to brag about. Once Stallone, always Stallone. Or if your prefer once Rambo, always Rambo. Or even better once Rocky, always Rocky. So here the Rambo from the subtropical jungle has landed in some suburban asphalt jungle, the Rocky of the boxing ring has fallen down to the crime ring of some underrated but self-overrating gang of gangsters, what else could they be anyway. You have the fights your are looking for. You have the car chases you are expecting. You have the fake eroticism you are seeking. But you have little less. One gangster gets killed by some others because he gets too nosy or greedy. His brother cleans up the plate out of pure spite and vengeance. Is it a film defending the family? Maybe, maybe not, because if the family were that kind of hectic, rootless and unethical life then I would convert myself to pure animal mating, it might even be nicer and go smoother. But as a bloody entertainment on a late Saturday night if you have nothing more interesting to do, that's fine, that will do. Go ahead and enjoy the punches.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
December 17, 2007

One of Sylvester Stallone's Two Best Roles

Unfortunately, many actors are unfairly type-cast and Sylvester Stallone, due to the enormous popularity of the Rocky and Rambo franchises, is such a victim. Supposed erudite critics salivate at the opportunity to bash him and any movie he plays a role in. Get Carter is one such case.

The [...] editor trashes this remake, pointing out that when compared with the 1971 version starring the brilliant Michael Caine, the movie is a waste of your time and money.

Having seen both versions, I could not disagree more. The Stalloneversio production has a complex and dark Jack Carter seeking to right an injustice and save his estranged family. The Caine version has a more campy hit man type Jack Carter that is dated in the same way that certain 60s British Spy characters appear today.

If you are looking for a "mob enforcer seeking to right a wrong" type movie you will love this version of Get Carter.

BTW - I think that Sly's other great role was as the New Jersey Sheriff in Cop Land... September 8, 2007

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