Directed by:
Stephen KayScreenplay:
David McKennaCinematography:
Mauro FioreComposer:
Tyler BatesCast:
Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook, Rhona Mitra, John C. McGinley, Alan Cumming, Michael Caine, John Cassini, Mickey Rourke (more)Plots(1)
Jack Carter's brother is dead. And Jack (Sylvester Stallone) wants to know why. A Las Vegas mob enforcer, he carefully packs his guns and sets off for Seattle by train. At the funeral, he discovers his brother was full of alcohol when he died in a car accident. But according to his niece, Doreen (Rachael Leigh Cook), his brother didn't drink. Jack starts on a tortuous trail that leads, via gang boss Brumby (Michael Caine) and porno-loving thug Cyrus Paice (Mickey Rourke), to a Seattle computer billionaire named Jeremy Kinnear (Alan Cumming). Among those trying to "get Carter" is Con (John C. McGinley), another enforcer from Las Vegas. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (4)
Get Carter could be a prime example of the differences between American and British films, or between films made 40 years ago and today. Compared to the great original, this remake is pretty weak. It lacks any thought and atmosphere, we just watch one pissed off guy beating on people all the time, and sometimes he learns something from one of them (or not, but what the hell). From my point of view, it's saved mainly by Stallone, who is exemplarily tough (although he doesn't show anything else on screen), Michael Caine and Mickey Rourke, who are only half trying to act, but they do act, and the music, which nicely revived the addictive theme from the original Carter... and that's it. Why the filmmakers chose a completely different (!) ending from the original remains a mystery to me. When I get to the book one day, I'm sure it will end in a "British" way, I know it... Carter's score: Two and a half stars.
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Get Carter wants to have a distinctive atmosphere and to be appealing with it original cinematography, but in the end, it very much comes across as a B-movie.
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I rank Carter as one of Stallone's weaker efforts. I can totally hear the director's instructions before shooting, "Keep that tough look, Sly. Mickey, don’t be afraid to show some emotion." I didn't really get the plot. The basic story line was clear, but everything around it was drowned in chaos. Who was supposed to be the bad guy? Michael Caine? Then why did he act so illogically? How did Mickey Rourke's character end up? Why was Carter's Las Vegas romance even part of the story? The biggest problem for me was that the creators were trying to pretend the story was deep. If they had focused more on making an action movie, it would have turned out much better.
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I simply like Stallone, so I think the movie is worth at least some points, even though it's something that can't quite decide between being a comedy or a truly serious action film. It's soft, poorly structured, and lacks a proper finale, and it just sort of ends uninterestingly.
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