Get Carter

Continuing on my theme of catching up on older films, last night I watched GetCarter (1971). There is a remake starring Sylvester Stallone from 2000, but I know nothing about it.

So we have Michael Caine as the titular Jack Carter, a violent gangster who returns to Newcastle (where he was born) from London (where he works) to find out why his brother died. Things quickly gets really sticky for everyone. That is the plot in a nutshell.

What makes this movie so good is the incredible atmosphere. The grimy gloom of an industrial city in the early seventies is fascinating. The sense of Doom is palpable from the first scene and it doesn't get any better for anyone.

What struck me as particularly interesting is the way it not only is filmed, but how the story is told. The movie wastes no time on explanations what so ever, it just jumps straight in. These days films are more likely to start at the beginning, and then go step by step, but not Get Carter. Straight into things and on with the show. It was a bit confusing at first, but before long I was fully invested in the story.

What concerns the cinematography, it is really weird at times. There is a poker game at one point in the film, and during that scene there are three conversations going on at once. To make things worse, more than half the screen is covered by the back of someones head. This “half screening“ goes on for a while and then it's back to normal, and it really left me scratching my head. Apparently it was due to sound issues, but it's still a remarkably odd scene. Nothing else get's quite that weird, but there are many odd angles.

Quentin Tarantino has said that this was the movie that inspired him to become a director, and apart form this, it is also lauded as the “godfather” of British crime cinema. I can certainly see why.

This is a bleak, cruel and violent movie, though there is hardly any blood in it. It's worth keeping in mind that the main protagonist, Carter, is a villain. He does bad things all the time, every time, and it doesn't shy away from this. It should be said that it contains an unusual amount of sex, particularly for it's time, and back then it was heavily censored. Be warned there, if that's not your thing. Or if you want to watch a movie with your granny.

Ultimately, this is a movie I should have watched ages ago, and I'm likely to have to watch it again. It's unflinching attitude on all fronts makes it easy to miss things, like why his brother died. It's not quite a “blink and you miss it” situation, but it's not far from …

If you haven't seen it, do so. Really, go watch it. It truly is worth it, and until we see each other again, have a great week!