Get Carter

Directed by Mike Hodges, Get Carter follows Michael Caine’s Jack Carter as he returns to his hometown to look into (and, eventually, avenge) the mysterious death of his brother. Filmmaker Hodges, working from his own screenplay, delivers a slow-moving drama that’s rarely as engrossing or captivating as one might’ve anticipated (and hoped), although it’s equally clear that the movie’s faults are generally rendered moot by Caine’s perpetually (and impressively) electrifying turn as the vicious protagonist – with the actor’s top-notch efforts here going a long way towards holding the proceedings together amid a sluggish midsection and almost disastrously overlong running time. There’s little doubt, ultimately, that the often impossibly convoluted narrative prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly embracing the story or characters, which, in turn, ensures that the bulk of Get Carter suffers from a distressingly palpable arms-length feel that’s only alleviated by Caine’s aforementioned performance and certain spellbinding sequences (eg Jack makes a shocking discovery concerning his niece). The violent finale is, as a result, unable to make the visceral impact for which Hodges is obvious striving, with the final result a generally watchable yet somewhat disappointing endeavor that seems, for the most part, like it should be so much better.

**1/2 out of ****