Get Carter

A low-level London gangster (Michael Caine) travels to Newcastle to investigate the death of his brother.

Get Carter is a lean, raw, gritty, super-cool, English gangster film that quite simply kicks ass.

Michael Caine quietly rampages through the entire movie. He’s simultaneously a simmering cauldron of rage, and a blank mask of emotion, a deadly sociopath driven, as if by necessity, to find his brother’s killer. Caine’s performance makes the film and he’s absolutely captivating to watch.

Set in the dirty, damp streets of Newcastle, Get Carter is miles removed from anything resembling glamorous. This, combined with director Mike Hodges’ visually stylish shot composition gives the film a very raw, visceral feel that’s evident from the opening frames.

As a writer, Hodges does a fantastic job adapting Ted Lewis’ novel. There’s an apt reference to Raymond Chandler’s “The Long Goodbye” early on, and much like that novel, Get Carter’s plot twists and turns as Cain’s character navigates Newcastle’s underworld. Hodges doesn’t hold our hand, as his characters talk in a shared slang and shorthand, but this only adds to Get Carter’s intensity.

This film gets under your skin. It runs 112 minutes, yet feels like half that. Scenes and shots stick in your head long after the credits finish rolling, especially the film’s final quarter.