Often hailed as a classic of the gangster genre, perhaps 'Get Carter (1971)' was 'groundbreaking' initially because of its cold and callous depiction of both its central character and the criminals he essentially calls his co-workers. It hasn't aged too well, though, with many misogynistic moments and a general poor treatment of women coming up too often to be considered just unfortunate 'by-products of its time'. It is also incredibly dull, attempting to be a slow-burning thriller but instead just being slow. There is a proper nastiness to the picture, a pulpy heart beating underneath its calm and collected exterior, but this often comes across as ever-so-slightly 'glamorised' even if Carter himself isn't really considered a 'hero'. It's in its seedier side that it finds its most success and, somewhat paradoxically, its most failure. While there's a sense of violence begetting violence and criminality spreading to even the most innocent like a corrosive virus, there's also a sense that the movie revels in its depiction of these elements (especially those that concern its female characters) even as it condemns them, to a bizarre and often off-putting result. Its biggest issue, however, is that it isn't ever entertaining. 4/10
Review of Get Carter
