Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Sylvester Stallone | ... | Jack Carter | |
Miranda Richardson | ... | Gloria | |
Rachael Leigh Cook | ... | Doreen | |
Rhona Mitra | ... | Geraldine | |
Johnny Strong | ... | Eddie | |
John C. McGinley | ... | Con McCarty | |
Alan Cumming | ... | Jeremy Kinnear | |
Michael Caine | ... | Cliff Brumby | |
John Cassini | ... | Thorpey | |
Mickey Rourke | ... | Cyrus Paice | |
Mark Boone Junior | ... | Jim Davis (as Mark Boone Jr.) | |
Garwin Sanford | ... | Les Fletcher | |
Darryl Scheelar | ... | Security Guard | |
Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe | ... | Girl #1 (as Crystal Lowe) | |
Lauren Lee Smith | ... | Girl #2 (as Lauren Smith) |
Years ago, Jack Carter left his Seattle home to become a Las Vegas mob casino financial enforcer. He returns for the funeral of his brother Richard "Richie" after a car crash during a storm, atypical of the careful house-father. Talking to the widow, daughter Doreen, and enigmatic Geraldine, Jack suspects it was murder. Cliff Brumby, whose club Richie ran, is financially linked to porn and prostitution baron Cyrus Paice, who claims to be just a front-man for ITC tycoon Jeremy Kinnear. Someone hired goon Thorpey to make Jack return to Las Vegas. Jack's partner Con McCarty is restless, apparently about their boss Les Fletcher, whose wife had an affair with Jack. Someone breaks into Richie's home, looking for a crucial CD. Written by KGF Vissers
A mob enforcer goes back to his native Seattle to sort out the suspicious death of his brother.
The original film is one of the best English thrillers of all time and despite being made nearly thirty years ago still packs a punch. Sadly this film is not really in its league, despite a bigger budget and more ground coverage.
The main problem is that the authors clearly love the original and this leaves so much of what happens as a question mark to the new viewer. Characters are thrown in from nowhere and Carters involvement with his bosses' girl is almost in another movie. Micheal Caine's small role (as a barman) is funny in that he was the original Jack Carter, here reprised by Sly Stallone.
While quick to admit this is mediocre stuff you have to say that you get your share of car chases (well done too), fights, creeps, sleaze, family bonding, shoot outs and even the odd bit of light humour. The fight between Stallone and Mickey Rouke (here playing a buisnessman-stroke-creep) for example.
This film features interesting cinematography, with strange forward jump cuts (ripped off from The Limey), odd angles and the use of colour filters. In short, the producers trying to make more out of the material than is in the script. The choice of a wet Seattle is also curious and different. Presumably the nearest to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (the setting of the original) that the producers could think of.
So it is only an average product, but will see much worse than this in our lifetime and it does move along at a fair and steady clip. People are getting to knock Stallone for being Stallone, but he doesn't do bad a job here, a stonefaced enforcer that is prepared to shed a tear when needs be! Not great acting, but he looks the part.
Don't be put off by the low IMDB ratings, plenty of worthy films are two or three points higher but are far more boring. Popcorn fodder it may be, but I thought it was worth seeing through and even declared myself modestly entertained at the end of it. Not as good as the original but not a lot is.
Footnote: This is actually not the first remake of Get Carter. A blackspolitation version was made in the 1970's called "Hitman."