Michael Caine was undeniably at the top of his game by the time he took on the role of gangster Jack Carter in Mike Hodge's seminal 1971 film Get Carter. Having charmed the nation in Alfie (1966), The Italian Job (1969), and historical epic Zulu (1964), Caine was an established star. He was living embodiment of the machismo sixties cliché 'women want him, men want to be him'.
Jack Carter – A Modern Philip Marlowe
Get Carter took Caine in a new direction. His role as a vicious London gangster displayed many characteristics of film noir icons such as 'Philip Marlowe', walking a fine line between good and evil. On the one hand Carter appeared commendable for setting out to avenge the murder of his brother. On the other, his methods were brutal and amoral. Audience identification with Jack Carter hung on a delicate thread that the film only delighted in picking up and shaking about like a rottweiler with a ragdoll.
Get Carter Synopsis
The film begins with London gangster Jack Carter heading up to Newcastle to investigate the mysterious circumstances of his brother's death. Refusing to be fobbed off by the police's apparent verdict of suicide, Carter tracks down his brother's associates and questions them, uncovering a network of lies and deceit. He begins an illicit relationship with gangster's moll Glenda (Geraldine Moffatt), happening upon a sleazy home-made porn video at the place she shares with criminal bigwig Kinnear (John Osbourne). Recognising his niece (or, as is hinted at in the film, possible daughter) Doreen as one of the participants in the film, pieces start to fall into place for Carter, and he sets out to avenge his brother's death in brutal, bloody fashion.
Michael Caine's Masterful Performance
Michael Caine delivers a towering performance as the unsympathetic anti-hero of Get Carter. Jack Carter is a shallow, violent, hypocritical man, who turns his brother's death into a vendetta for no particular reason other than he wants to. The film suggests he had little or no prior contact with his family, so the motivation is not as simple as revenge but more an excuse to release his nihilistic, cold blooded killer personality on the criminal underworld. As Carter himself is part of this world, and his actions easily parallel those of his enemies, it soon becomes apparent he has a death wish.
The Use of Urban Locations Heightens Realism
The amount of violence and sleaze in Get Carter puts it a world away from the cockney charm of The Italian Job, and places it in a realm of brutal realism. But despite its veneer of cool, thanks to the undeniably hip suited and booted Michael Caine, Get Carter never descends into flashy gangster stereotypes. It is unrelenting in its bleakness and misogynism, emphasizing the utter futility of aggression and violence through its banal depiction of both. The depressingly drab backdrop of an ugly, mundane Newcastle only helps to achieve this, most famously utilizing the concrete jungle of the Trinity Centre multi-storey car park for several scenes.
The Tarantino Seal of Approval
Get Carter scores consistently high on lists of best ever British films. In the British Film Institute's top 100 it ranks at number 16, in Channel 4's list it comes in at 22 and in the publication Total Film it came in at number 1. It's also Quentin Tarantino's favourite British film, as he was quick to point out when asked at Nottingham's 'Shots in the Dark' crime film festival. Why does everyone love such a harrowing film? The story is gripping, the drama is eye opening and the film has been executed with flair, intelligence and a nod towards social realism that elevates it heads and shoulders above any other gangster film ever made.
Further reading which may be of interest: Social Realism in British film.
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