Get Carter a Violent Late Noir

 

GET CARTER (1971)

Directed by Mike Hodges

MGM-EMI, 112 minutes, R (violence, sex, language)

★★★

 

 

 

I recently opened my morning paper and saw that British director/writer Mike Hodges had died. Most of his films and TV productions were forgettable. Many critics, though, consider his directorial debut and script writing for Get Carter to have been his signature piece. It was the last film made by MGM’s U.K. Borehamwood division.

 

Michael Caine stars as Jack Carter. Caine later gained a reputation as a guy who doesn’t need to read a script before accepting a part, but back in 1971 he was considered a first-rate actor. His Jack Carter is a chilling portrait of a mobster with zero sense of remorse or humanity. He is a key figure in the Fletcher family London syndicate, but the death of his brother Frank sends him back to Newcastle, where he got his start in all things tawdry.

 

Jack isn’t buying the tale that Frank died in a drunk driving accident and, though the Fletchers warn Jack not to cause trouble with Newcastle boss Cyril Kinnear (John Osborne) and even send two toughs to dissuade him, Jack is intent upon avenging Frank’s murder. Jack didn’t even particularly like his brother but it’s a family thing, ‘ya know. He does have some fondness for Frank’s daughter, Doreen (Petra Markham), whom he initially sees as an innocent.

 

It would be safe to say there are no innocents in this film. It was made in 1971, when the censorship and code cuffs had come off of moviemaking. Like numerous films in the early 1970s, Get Carter is violent, titillating nudity was still shocking, and few directors felt the need to inject redeeming social value into a film. That’s why most of the characters are as amoral as Jack.

 

Jack got his start in Newcastle, but he’s been away for a while and local thugs have moved on. It’s thus uncertain which (if any) of Jack’s former associates is feeding him information about his brother and which are setting him up. Jack has a way of dealing with double-crossers, though. Jack doubles down on his quest for revenge when he views a porno film with Doreen having it off with one of those former associates. It hardly matters that he’s having sex with Glenda (Geraldine Moffat) at the time–she a rescuer or maybe another double-crosser. Jack takes no chances and stuffs her in the boot of his car before heading out to check new leads.

 

He will chase clues that take him to Cliff Brumby (Bryan Mosley), another connected guy whose front is an amusement park business. Every move confirms Jack’s intuition that everyone is out to get Carter. He’s used to it; after all, he was sleeping with Anna (Britt Ekland), the girlfriend on one of his London bosses. All roads lead back to Kinnear, or is Kinnear and the Fletchers? It doesn’t matter. Like I said, Jack has a way of dealing with double-crossers that does not involve sending them advance happy birthday wishes.

Caine is convincing in his role, so much so that if he had rung the front doorbell after it came out, you’d probably run to the backdoor. This is a collateral damage film that drew parallels to Blaxploitation films, the likes of which were seldom over until most of the characters were bumped off. Happy ending? Ummm… no!

 

Aside from Caine’s performance, why watch such a movie? Another reason is that it’s often seen as a late film noir film. That’s true if we mean that it’s gritty and dark. It might be what some noir films would have been had there been no censorship during their heyday. Get Carter’s visual style is also classic 1970s in that it favored odd camera angles and a narrative structure that was more episodic than linear. The latter could also be a reason not to see it if that’s not you cup of bourbon. The pacing does make Get Carter seem dated, as does a script that requires viewers to figure out who’s who on their own.

 

In my estimation, though it’s a period piece, it’s worth trying. You won’t like the characters, but you’re not supposed to. I wouldn’t call Get Carter a masterpiece, Mr. Hodges’ death notwithstanding, but it’s often thrilling and drives home the point that crime seldom pays. Mostly it’s nice to see Michael Caine act instead of going through the motions.

 

 

Rob Weir