Get Carter

Am I missing something with Get Carter? Widely acclaimed as one of the preeminent British gangster films, if not films in general, but I just couldn’t embrace it. For all its grit, grime, and fetishistic sexuality, there’s a sleaziness and pronounced periods of lag.

Granted, having Michael Caine in the lead role goes a long way towards papering over these issues as he remains dynamic when playing brutes and unlikable men. It makes his modern-day transition to kindly grandfatherly/wise mentor roles something of a surprise when taken in the context of his larger body of work. His vicious gangster indulges in a perverted sense of honor while going on a bloody revenge quest over the murder of his brother.

That’s the basic outline of the story. Wayward son returns home to uncover the mystery of his sibling’s death with underworld mysteries blown open along the way. The shock ending twist still stings and make a perfect mordant cap to Get Carter.

If the pacing often slags, and it does, at least there’s a commendable sense of style to the proceedings, even when that style tips into salaciousness. You can’t fault Get Carter from shying away from its commitment to blood, sex, and dirty streets. Awash in grays and smoke, inky blacks and shocking splashes of red, Get Carter at least follows its hard-boiled vision to a logical conclusion.