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GET CARTER
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars: Sylvester
Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Leigh Cook, Mickey Rourke, Michael Caine
Director: Stephen Kay
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic Transfer
Studio: Warner Bros.
Features: Commentary, Deleted Scenes, 2 Theatrical Trailers
Length: 103 Minutes
Release Date: February 13, 2001
Film **
Get Carter
does have several things going for it. It has a good sense of style, it is very
well directed, and features a nicely tuned performance from Sylvester Stallone,
who ever since his knockout work in Cop Land, has been much wiser in the
scripts he takes. Although Get Carter won’t rank as one of the
actor’s better movies, Stallone’s performance is one of its redeeming
qualities. What Get Carter suffers from is its plot, which is essentially
one-note even in attempts to provide numerous plot twists in noir-like form. The
film is a remake of a 1971 British cult classic, which I never saw, but from
what I’ve been told, the only major difference between the two versions is the
setting. Other than that, not a whole lot was changed. My instincts tell me that
the early version is easily better than the remake, which is the case with most
remakes. Even if this was not a remake, the release of the movie is pure bad
timing after such better revenge thrillers as Payback and The Limey.
Stallone plays Jack
Carter, a mob enforcer working in Las Vegas who is about to engage on a personal
vendetta. Jack’s brother, Ritchie has just died in a supposed drunk driving
accident, but Jack doesn’t buy it for a second. He sneaks off to Seattle to
attend the funeral, as well as gather some information of events leading to his
brother’s death. Jack’s sister in law (Miranda Richardson) isn’t pleased
to see him, since he never came around to visit much. Jack’s niece, Doreen
(Rachel Leigh Cook), strikes a chord with Jack, and the two become instantly
close. Of the people he comes across in Seattle, there are two in particular who
make Jack very suspicious: a slimy computer entrepreneur (Alan Cumming) and an
Internet porn distributor (Mickey Rourke). Carter immediately suspects the two
of serious foul play.
That’s the basic
premise of the movie, aside from some inane subplots involving Jack’s
employer’s hunting him down and advising him to return to Vegas immediately.
Michael Caine, who portrayed Carter in the original version, appears in a small
role that is completely inexplicable to the rest of the movie, even though his
character serves one of the film’s more uninspiring twists. The few action
scenes of the movie are very well staged and executed, and are backed up by a
nice techno soundtrack. The problem is these action scenes don’t add up to a
whole lot. There are a couple of car chases, and the other scenes involve Jack
punching another guy’s lights out. The director of the movie, Stephen Kay,
delivers a very intriguing visual style to the movie, and if it were not for
that element, the movie would end up a lot more flat than it already is. Kay
uses several editing gimmicks that do catch you by surprise and do help in
maintaining interest in an otherwise uninvolving movie.
To sum it up, Get
Carter is nothing more than a case of an unnecessary remake. I do give
Stallone credit for playing a character with much more depth than what he’s
used to playing, and director Stephen Kay strikes me as a filmmaker that is
likely to hit it big one day, as soon as he finds a movie where he can apply his
unique visual style to a much better script. Get Carter has all the
appropriate icing ready to put on the cake, but the cake is nowhere to be seen.
Video ***1/2
Another satisfying video job from Warner Bros. The movie is presented in an anamorphically enhanced widescreen presentation, and apart from a couple of scenes, which appeared a little too soft, the picture is fluently crisp and clear for its entire presentation. Given the movies nice visual look, the DVD format offers it to look even more appealing.
Audio ***1/2
The feedback is the
same for the audio presentation. Get Carter is given a boost of 5.1 Dolby
Digital, which provides a nice kick to the film’s booming soundtrack, and its
moments of loud action. The transfer excels especially in its last half, which
includes a scene in a dance club where the music is picked up perfectly, making
it sound as if your living room has turned into a nightclub.
Features **1/2
Not exactly the best use of extras, but certainly not the
worst either. Featured on the disc is a commentary by director Stephen Kay, a
deleted scenes compilation, and trailers for both this version and the 1971
version.
Summary:
Get Carter
features a good look to it, and some good performances, but suffers from a lack
of a gripping story that is necessary for a film that is about revenge. Your
best bet is to check out either The Limey or Payback, which were
both much better.