Get Carter (1971): The Flawed Gangster Classic Comes to 4K (4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

A little over 50 years ago, a little gangster thriller called "Get Carter," starring the great Sir Michael Caine, was released in theaters. Over the decades, opinions of the film have varied quite a bit, with many having a mixed reaction to it, and many others considering it to be one of the finest films of its genre ever made. Wherever one may fall on the spectrum, there's no doubt that the film has quite a few fans, so for them, Warner Bros. recently unleashed a new 4K/Blu-ray edition of the classic, complete with a hefty dose of bonus material, making it the perfect time to delve into it and see who's closer to the mark regarding this gritty crime drama.

The film centers on London gangster Jack Carter (Michael Caine), who has to leave town to attend the funeral of his brother Frank, who supposedly died in a drunk-driving accident. Knowing his brother all-too-well, Jack is not satisfied with the explanation of his death, leading him to start his own investigation into the matter. This leads him to track down associates and other known businessmen, including Albert Swift (Glynn Edwards), Eric Paice (Ian Hendry), Cyril Kinnear (John Osborne), and Cliff Brumby (Bryan Mosley) to learn more about what happened. As he digs deeper into the mystery, his investigation stirs up trouble among the local mob, eventually putting a big target on his back. Will Jack be able to survive long enough to get at the truth of his brother's death?

"Get Carter" is one of those films that has a mildly-intriguing premise at its core, which in this case involves a gangster trying to find out the real circumstances of his brother's death, but sadly ends up being just a little lacking in the execution of the idea. The film basically consists of Jack going from person to person as he tries to find out more details of what happened, with him occasionally engaging in promiscuous activities along the way, eventually causing him to kind of just stumble into the answer and proceed as he sees fit to rectify the situation. There isn't really anything wrong with the main premise, but going about it in this fashion doesn't really do much in the way of drawing the audience into his investigation or making it particularly thrilling.

That's not to say that the film doesn't have any thrills at all, as there are some incorporated into his daring escapes and a few tussles with the local mob, but just like with the basic execution of its primary storyline, you expect there to be a little more than what we're given, especially for a film that runs about two hours. However, even with its noted slight deficiencies in substance and excitement, you still get the remarkable pleasure of watching the incredible Sir Michael Caine delving into the mystery in a very cool & collected manner throughout, making for what turns out to be the film's greatest strength by far.

Overall, this gangster classic ends up being something of a mixed bag. There are elements that work strongly in its favor, like the initial set-up of its intriguing mystery and Caine's marvelous performance, and others that unfortunately end up holding it back a little too much, like its somewhat flawed execution and the need for a few more thrills to help it get through its two-hour runtime. Ultimately, while this may leave it as something of a middling film of its genre, it's not one that deserves to be dismissed entirely either, for even among its flaws, there are qualities to be found that explain why some people still talk about it over 50 years later.

Video/Audio:

This edition of "Get Carter" comes with the film on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 1.85:1 transfers of outstanding quality. The film may be getting on in years, but the upgrade has cleaned it up beautifully, perfectly preserving its dark grittiness. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos-TrueHD & 2.0 DTS-HD MA audio tracks are fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue & music in excellent quality. Overall, Warner Bros. has done a marvelous job in both areas for the film's new release.

Special Features:

2000 Commentary with Michael Caine, Mike Hodges, and Cinematographer Wolfgang Suschinsky

2022 Commentary with Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw

2022 Introduction by Michael Caine (3 Minutes)

1971 Michael Caine Newcastle Premier Intro (1 Minute)

Mike Hodges in Conversation (60 Minutes): An hour-long conversation with the filmmaker in which he discusses his career.

The Sound of Roy Budd (17 Minutes): A featurette that explores the film's composer.

Don't Trust Boys (22 Minutes): A featurette that has Petra Markham discussing her career.

Klinger on Klinger (24 Minutes): A featurette that has Michael Klinger's son reminiscing about his father.

Conclusion:

"Get Carter" has the start of an intriguing premise involving a gangster investigating the death of his brother, as well as a remarkably cool & collected performance by the great Sir Michael Caine, but ends up being held back a little too much by its flawed execution and its need for a few more thrills to help it through its lengthy two-hour runtime, ultimately making this gangster classic something of a mixed bag.

Score: 3/5

Now available on 4K/Blu-ray.

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