A lot better than expected.

Get Carter is a stylish update of the classic 1971 Michael Caine British gangster thriller, and is a lot better than some people have given it credit to be. The film met with a lukewarm reception from critics and audiences; including many reviews that simply shot flaming arrows at it. I strongly disagree with the hate, but even after saying that the film isn't particularly good either.

Jack Carter (Stallone) is a loan shark in Las Vegas who has spent many years dedicated to a job away from his family. While a job is going down, Jack is informed that his brother Ritchie - someone he hasn't spoken to in years - was killed in a car accident due to driving under the influence. Jack returns to his home town where he finds a family that he has neglected for so many years. While he has his stab at redemption, Jack also begins his own investigation into the killing of his brother.

As he begins interviewing friends and acquaintances, Jack's shot at redemption soon transforms into a shot at revenge when he realises that the death of his brother was no accident.

The film follows an identical plot to that of the 1971 film while updating the time period and setting to suit the typical contemporary American audience. I found it a positive when I realised that the filmmakers never tried to duplicate the original; instead only loosely based on the plot of the original movie.

There were a few scenes that were obviously inspired by the original, but in a completely different setting.

Sylvester Stallone plays a very different Jack Carter to the portrayal the world saw from Michael Caine in the 70s. Instead of charismatic and hard-hitting Stallone is brutal, relentless and quite intimidating at times. To respect the original many will say that they preferred Michael Caine's performance. In all honesty I find them to be almost even. Both Caine and Stallone are so different, but I liked both interpretations.

Many would dismiss this film as just another vehicle for a Stallone action movie. This is incorrect as Stallone's performance was his best in years. He appears to speak clearly and he's in great shape. Above all it was also a heart-felt performance. Something I've never seen from Van Damme or Steven Seagal in recent years.

Along with Stallone there are a lot of highly memorable performances from many members of the cast. Mickey Rourke in particular was very menacing. Rachael Leigh Cook was also extremely good as Jack's niece who gives him a cold reception upon arrival.

Get Carter is a film told with great style. There's some fantastic cinematography that showcase some very atmospheric locations that give the sense of dismay. And the picture looks great; using a very dark colour scheme that makes it seem overcast and hence quite depressing.

Some of the cinematography got very irritating towards the end as the editor decided to use some very flashy, show offy visual gimmicks that get very monotonous. One thing I found interesting was that both the original and this remake still can't get a good screenplay together. The conversations are cryptic and make the film hard to follow. Very little was conclusively revealed by the end.

Get Carter is a good remake that is almost up to the standard of the original. The film was widely hated but I found it good entertainment. If you like your action movies with some intelligence (dare I say it?) then there will be little to complain about.