I think few people would disagree with me that Mike Hodges' first feature film, both written and directed by him, is also his best film so far - he is certainly less remembered for the 1980s Flash Gordon (sing: Flash, ahaaaa) or the sadly overlooked A Prayer for the Dying (1987). His latest fictional feature film was I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, released in 2004 and starring Clive Owen, which 33 years after his debut seemed like a faint memory of what once was, plotting a similar story line as the 1971 classic did, but without having the same impact or, frankly, even playing in the same class.
Get Carter is a classic in its own right. The brilliant Michael Caine starrs as Jack Carter, a killer working for the East London mob, who travels to his home town to revenge his brother's dead. The film is mostly filmed on location in Newcastle, which in the early 70s provided an extremely bleak and rather depressing backdrop for Carter's search for revenge (some would say that Newcastle hasn't improved much since - I will stay well away from that one!!). There is nothing charming about any of the gangsters in this film - Carter lives in a world of filth, corruption, hate and violence, which was quite a tall order for the early 70s: until then, few gangster films, if any, have been so rough-edged and gritty. The film includes some very memorable lines and images (I don't want to give them away so see for yourself) and has aged very well. The DVD looks reasonably well (only a few shots, including the opening shot, look a bit dodgy) but the sound could do with a bit of a clean-up job. Perhaps MGM or someone will sponsor a 40th Anniversary Edition...?
8/10 - Highly recommended if you like the Gangster film genre and don't mind the violence (which is not very graphic)
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