Review LXXXIV
Get Carter (1971)
To be honest, and rather embarrassingly, I wasn't fully aware of Michael Caine's roles until rather recently. I mean, I had heard that, when he was younger, he'd played gangster kind of characters, but I never looked into it. When my boyfriend started praising the hell out of Mike Hodges' Get Carter, I was opened to the world of Michael Caine, and British cinema in fact. Get Carter is considered to be high up there on British movie lists from what I read. Here I was left stupefied, feeling like quite a dolt for having cast aside this actor for so long... We watched Alfie together first (worth a watch - I wasn't super crazy about it, but the opening shot was brilliant, and the subject matter was comedic but quite dark. The breaking of the fourth wall was also really well done!), and, finally, I got around to watching Get Carter.
John Carter (Caine), a notorious gangster, finds out his brother has died in a car accident in his hometown. However, Carter is sure foul play is involved and decides to return to Newcastle to seek out his brother's killer.
I'll start with cinematography. It was nothing short of absolute brilliance at times. The opening shot is enough to capture anyone. The zoom in to a room where Carter stands, centered, smoking. It only gets better. The film was very good at close-ups, zoom-outs, using mirrors. It also made the viewer strain at times to view the characters with stuff getting in the way. This is not a bad thing - instead, it made you try to look past the unfocused objects and pay attention to the speaker. This is something a film should never be afraid to do - that is, put stuff close up! It also used unfocused objects to pinpoint characters... Guys, really, it was just great.
The characters were interesting. I mean, I'm not really into gangster films, but again, I consider this one another exception to the rule. Michael Caine chose this film because he wanted to realistically portray gangsters. Thus, we don't get this over-the-top, gore everywhere, crazy film. No, John Carter kills when he knows it to be right, being quick and efficient. Plus it's a justice film of sorts, so I'm not just watching Carter go around and be a gangster. No, it's Carter the gangster trying to piece together why his brother was murdered and getting justice. Thus we get a revenge flick involving a gangster who, frankly, doesn't give a damn about killing. And Michael Caine definitely delivers. He took that role and made it his own. I felt him as the gangster, as the womanizer. When he has phone sex with one of the women, I totally believed it. I wouldn't call Michael Caine the most attractive man if you just look at him, but in the film - and Alfie for that matter - he takes such an assertive position, you fall for him just because he is so manly. As a woman, I feel the right to freely admit this, but I'm sure my boyfriend would agree. I love that! So often we just see the ideal sex symbol of the time stuck into the role and you just accept women go with him because he's handsome. Here we witness the power of acting, guys. Here we see ourselves really believing that Michael Caine is the role he plays. I'll definitely be looking into his older films like The Italian Job and The Ipcress File. I'm sure they're worth all the praise they get.
Now, the plot itself. As I said, I'm not super into gangster films usually, and I think if this film wouldn't have had the superb acting and shots, I'd probably dismiss it. But because of that, I totally support it. Still, I liked the ending - it was nothing over-the-top, just simple and frank, which was this film overall. It was also more creative than just "kill 'em 'cause he's a bad guy". No, we really learn with Carter what happened, and, given the conclusion, we can see why Carter is so angry. However, I shan't speak of the end any longer with fear that I spoil it. The plot is well put together, enough to keep your interest, and not too complicated to follow. I watched it while I was knitting and I was able to follow along just fine. This is an added bonus if you're just looking for something simple to watch. You get something unique and full of emotion, yet it isn't too intense!
All I can say is that, given its more creative plot, its great characters (or even just protagonist) and accompanying acting, and, last but not least, superb shots, the film is a worthwhile flick. It's not the most action packed, but it is not slow. However, if you don't like gangster films at all, I can't say this one will change your mind. But with the wonderfully strong John Carter, can you really say no?
... What? You want to know about the remake? All you need to know is that you should never bring it up in good company. We'll just pretend it never happened...
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