Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Tweekums Jack Carter is a tough London gangster who heads north to Newcastle for his brother's funeral. He is pretty certain that it wasn't an accident and he is sure it wasn't suicide so determines to find out who was behind it and why. As he starts to ask questions he comes up against some of the most dangerous men in the North East; they know what happened but have no intention of telling Carter and they want him gone but are happy to point him in the direction of their rivals first. When Carter eventually discovers the truth nobody involved will be safe.This film is almost the definition of 'gritty'; the '70s Newcastle setting has a cold feel with its rundown back-to-back housing and concrete tower blocks. None of the characters can really be considered nice; Jack Carter certainly isn't. He is one of cinema's less pleasant protagonists; brutal and amoral. Michael Caine is on top form; making Carter a believable character. As well as a fair amount of nasty violence there is quite a bit of nudity; this is more sleazy than sexy though… although it is once mildly comic as Carter threatens two heavies with a shotgun while completely naked; shocking the neighbour in the process! Overall I'd certainly recommend it; it is considered a classic with good reason, just don't expect any happy endings.

Fatman_Crothers I truly believe that 1971's Get Carter is one of the best British films ever made. It is a simple revenge flick, but it is much more than all the 'guns and geezers' trash that has tainted our national cinema. The film has massive amounts of charm and although Caine's character is performing lawless acts of violence, you Sympathise with his cause. The pain and the anger he feels inside makes you feel sorry for him and you understand that he is dealing with the situation in the only way he knows how. Michael Caine gives a stunning performance as one of his most famous characters, Jack Carter, and Mike Hodges direction is well paced and perfect for this film. The setting of Newcastle brings something fresh to the viewer after being soaked with east end cockney gangsters for so many years. I highly recommend that you watch this film (but for your sake, I would try to avoid the Sylvester Stallone remake). It is a brilliant piece of cinema and will be one of the defining moments in Michael Caine's long and extensive career.

zardoz-13 Michael Caine plays the most despicable character of his entire career in freshman director Mike Hodges' "Get Carter," a violent, cynical, sex-laden crime melodrama that wallows in the unsavory British underworld. As the eponymous character, the "Alfie" star is an armed and dangerous torpedo in the London crime world. Unfortunately, he has learned that his brother Frank has been killed up north in Jack Carter's hometown, and he plans to get to the bottom of the scummy barrel and learn who murdered his brother. Along the way, our fair-haired but savage hero discovers that his brother's daughter has been recruited for a short porno movie. If Carter had it in for the Newcastle mob when he arrived to unravel the mystery of his brother's demise, he goes totally ballistic after he watches the porno. Our stalwart protagonist holds off the Northern mob until they hire a long-range sniper who eliminates our hero with a bullet to the head. By the time that Jack Carter sprawls dead in the shore, he has shattered the Newcastle mob. Basically, "Get Carter" is a crime versus crime saga, with the standard-issue "crime doesn't pay" message. Caine is electrifying as London gangster on the rampage. Hodges directs this gritty thriller with verve and ingenuity. The way that Hodges and "Italian Job" editor John Trumper cross-cut a sex scene between Carter and a woman with the woman driving a gear-shifting car is nothing short of brilliant. The scene where Carter ushers two rival thugs off his premises with a double-barreled shotgun and nary a stitch on is fantastic. The scene where Carter stashes Glenda in the trunk of her Sunbeam sports car and cruises around town gets the most horrifying payoff when those rival thugs push the car into the river. Of course, Glenda is still inside the trunk. "Get Carter" qualifies as an unforgettable British gangster movie.

g-white723 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.