Get Carter’s certainly weathered well, remaining stylish and compelling viewing. This is largely thanks to Mike Hodges’ hell-for-leather pacing (albeit at the expense of the supporting cast’s characterisation), fantastic use of the gritty, Newcastle setting and, of course, Michael Caine’s iconic performance. Carter’s relentless, brutal nature – not forgetting that severe side-parting – may leave you cold, but makes for gripping drama.
DVD Extras:
Audio commentary (with Caine, Hodges and cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky), music-only soundtrack, three trailers (International Theatrical Trailer, An Introduction From Michael Caine, Roy Budd Plays The Get Carter Theme Tune).The music trailer offers the disc's only highlight, featuring scorer Roy Budd playing that funky theme, while amusingly looking like Sean Penn in Carlito's Way's slightly chubbier brother. Yet the inaccessibility of the music-only soundtrack proves irritating and represents a wasted opportunity, the soundtrack being dotted around the otherwise silent action rather than at the touch of your fingers, like the Out Of Sight disc. Likewise the commentary, which is over-earnest, humourless and offers very little beyond info on film-making technicalities. This is probably due to the three participants being unable to spark off each other, as they've obviously been interviewed separately and then edited together. No doubt Guy Ritchie'll be buying it and taking notes, though.
