(2000)
2
Karl Williams
A remake of a classic hard-boiled crime thriller from the U.K., this dour action thriller casts musclebound actor Sylvester Stallone in a role totally unsuited for his stature and persona. What gave the original film from director Mike Hodges such impact was that lead character Jack Carter, originally played by Michael Caine, was a man with a diminished physicality and average, workaday demeanor; it's a surprise when the audience discovers that Carter is a cold-blooded killer of lethal cunning. But the mountainous Stallone is all testosterone-fueled menace from the get-go, robbing the core story (based on a novel by Ted Lewis) of its force. Get Carter is stylishly directed by Stephen Kay, whose showy camera movements and compositions are sometimes over the top but always well executed, and the deep blues and black-toned hues of cinematographer Mauro Fiore are striking and appropriate to the material. The material, however, requires a completely different approach in casting the star, and the presence of a bulky action hero simply diminishes its power. Several excellent performances are on hand, from such top-notch supporting players as Caine (trying on a different role than his lead in the original), Alan Cumming, Miranda Richardson, and Rachael Leigh Cook. Mickey Rourke, displaying the effects of so much cosmetic surgery that it seems he's trying to transform himself into an alien, gives a sly performance as the film's lithe, dangerous villain.
Get Carter on AllMovie
Get Carter (2000)
