Runtime:
112 minutes
Directed
by: Mike Hodges
Starring:
Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, John Osborne, Tony Beckley, Rosemarie
Dunham
From:
MGM
Last night I rewatched the remake right after I saw this for the first time. The remake is still OK with me and not because it features one of my favorites; there actually are some good or better scenes. However, what an error it was not to watch this years ago:
Oh,
what a fool I was for not watching this much sooner; I had seen the
remake back in 2012 and multiple people informed me the original was
something I should check out. They were right as this is a movie I
thought was great; a dark nihilistic look at ruthless SOB gangster Jack
Carter who returns to his hometown of Newcastle to find out if his
brother really did die of drunk driving or something more sinister
happens.
Mike Hodges was a first time director here yet you couldn't tell it; he was quite self-assured throughout. The score was pretty groovy at times and it ended up oddly working for a blue collar rainy area like Newcastle. As the movie was filmed to be naturalistic, the unique feeling of that area really shines through. Then there are all the unforgettable characters, most of them pretty slimy in nature. Jack Carter is the lead but in no way he is a hero... instead he is an anti-hero who acts like a villain himself at times when he gets his revenge.
Michael Caine was pretty incredible as Jack; he was totally believable as the hard-nosed brutal character. The best scene for him was when he unexpectedly finds out something shocking concerning his niece Doreen. That was a masterclass of acting from Caine in how he reacted in this scene, and you can understand why he gets so upset he gets revenge, although you won't agree with all of his methods.
I am uncertain if I was supposed to laugh at these moments like I did, but there were some pretty funny moments. I am talking about bits like a random catfight happening, along with everything involving Edna, an older lady who has rooms for let and this is where Jack Carter stays at while in Newcastle. All of their interactions were fantastic to me, and a particularly hilarious scene was when Jack calls his girl Britt Ekland and he talks dirty while she gets quite turned on... and Edna is sitting not even 10 feet away the entire time.
The movie even has a perfect shot of a finale. Considering how hard-hitting it is even almost 50 years later-and I know some will naturally not care for all the misogyny on display-I know it is not for all tastes but for those that love such genre efforts, this is a must-see.
Mike Hodges was a first time director here yet you couldn't tell it; he was quite self-assured throughout. The score was pretty groovy at times and it ended up oddly working for a blue collar rainy area like Newcastle. As the movie was filmed to be naturalistic, the unique feeling of that area really shines through. Then there are all the unforgettable characters, most of them pretty slimy in nature. Jack Carter is the lead but in no way he is a hero... instead he is an anti-hero who acts like a villain himself at times when he gets his revenge.
Michael Caine was pretty incredible as Jack; he was totally believable as the hard-nosed brutal character. The best scene for him was when he unexpectedly finds out something shocking concerning his niece Doreen. That was a masterclass of acting from Caine in how he reacted in this scene, and you can understand why he gets so upset he gets revenge, although you won't agree with all of his methods.
I am uncertain if I was supposed to laugh at these moments like I did, but there were some pretty funny moments. I am talking about bits like a random catfight happening, along with everything involving Edna, an older lady who has rooms for let and this is where Jack Carter stays at while in Newcastle. All of their interactions were fantastic to me, and a particularly hilarious scene was when Jack calls his girl Britt Ekland and he talks dirty while she gets quite turned on... and Edna is sitting not even 10 feet away the entire time.
The movie even has a perfect shot of a finale. Considering how hard-hitting it is even almost 50 years later-and I know some will naturally not care for all the misogyny on display-I know it is not for all tastes but for those that love such genre efforts, this is a must-see.
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