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Get Carter (2000 film)
Encyclopedia
Get Carter is the 2000 remake of the 1971 crime film of the same name
, starring Sylvester Stallone
in the title role. The film also features Miranda Richardson
, Rachel Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming
, Mickey Rourke
, and Rhona Mitra
. Michael Caine
, who starred in the original, plays a supporting role. The film was released by Warner Bros.
, which had recently acquired the distribution rights
to the original.
when he hears that his brother, Ritchie, has been killed in a drunk driving accident. He tries to make amends with Ritchie's wife, Gloria (Richardson), and his niece Doreen (Cook), and investigates Ritchie's death after he realizes Ritchie was murdered. While he starts snooping around, his mob partner in Las Vegas, Con McCarty (John C. McGinley
), covers for him with the mob boss, Fletcher (Garwin Sanford
). A secondary plot revolves around an affair Carter was having with Fletcher's girlfriend, Audrey (Gretchen Mol
).
His first stop in his investigation is with loan shark Cliff Brumby (Caine), the owner of the club that Ritchie managed. Brumby does not believe Jack's allegations of murder, but does tell him that Ritchie was having an affair with Geraldine (Mitra), an associate of local boss Cyrus Paice (Rourke).
Jack cannot get anything from Paice, who unknowingly leads him to Jeremy Kinnear (Cumming), a wealthy computer mogul who uses Paice's prostitution services, as well as Eddie (Johnny Strong
), one of the club's bouncers. Although he cannot get any straight answers, Jack continues to pursue the truth, carefully examining the surveillance tapes from Brumby's club, looking for any sort of clue.
Jack discovers that Paice had made an amateur porn movie
where he and Geraldine would pick up different young girls, drug them and rape them. Jack watches the film and learns that Doreen was one of the victims. Paice and those who helped him make the disc did not know that Doreen was Ritchie's daughter. Before he died, Ritchie was given the disc by Geraldine. Ritchie was murdered as he was taking the disc to the police, with Paice having it set up to look like an accident.
Con and a fellow gangster from Las Vegas track Jack down and confront him after Jack says he is done with Vegas. After knocking both of the men out, Jack has a talk with Doreen about what happened.
Intending to settle the score, Jack begins a path of vengeance. He gets a frantic, apologetic call from Geraldine, who tells him Cyrus is coming to kill her. After he finds Geraldine's body, Carter heads straight to Eddie's apartment, and throws Eddie off of a balcony to his death. Carter gets involved in a car chase with Con and the other gangster, only to lose them when he causes them to lose control of their vehicle. Visiting Kinnear's house, he confronts Cyrus, who tells Jack that he should be going after Kinnear, because Kinnear is the man behind Ritchie's murder. Jack has a vicious fight with Cyrus, losing at first only to return and beat Cyrus to a pulp. The fight ends with Jack holding a pistol to an unconscious Cyrus; the scene cuts abruptly and whether Carter kills Cyrus is unseen. He then confronts Kinnear, who says that all he told Cyrus to do was get the disc back from Ritchie, not kill him, and that it was Cyrus and Brumby who committed the murder. Carter decides to not kill Kinnear.
After getting a call from Audrey, who breaks up with him, Carter confronts Brumby as Brumby is breaking into his car to retrieve the disc. Brumby admits that he was involved in the murder and, as he is walking away, Carter shoots him in the back.
After settling the score for his dead brother, Carter meets Doreen one last time at Ritchie's grave. He is clean shaven, and explains to her that he has to go away for awhile. He tells her to remember that she is special, and they say their goodbyes. Carter is next seen getting in his car, and opening a map that leads back to Vegas.
. It did not do well at the box office, with worldwide takings of approximately US$19 million, less than the production budget of nearly $64 million.
Among the positive reviews, JoBlo.com
praised "the sharp turn given by Sly Stallone, its groovy tunes, and its generally dark and gritty nature." Rob Blackwelder of SPLICEDWire called the film "a stimulating visual showcase of stylish film making that keeps a viewer's attention." Chuck O'Leary of FulvueDrive-in.com said that "the original Get Carter is better, but this is quite watchable as far as modern-era remakes go".
Shawn Levy of the Portland Oregonian gave an average review, saying that while "the film doesn't touch the original, it doesn't hit rock bottom, either." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times
said the film is "not a terrible movie" but "too routine for its own good." Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle
said that "the film itself is a muddle, [but] what is good is Stallone". Bob Graham of the San Francisco Chronicle
said the film "is murkier than it needs to be, through no fault of Stallone's".
Among the negative reviews, Todd McCarthy of Variety
called the film "a useless remake." A.O. Scott of The New York Times
said that the film is "so minimally plotted that not only does it lack subtext or context, but it also may be the world's first movie without even a text". Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News
called the film "a throwaway story hidden beneath a messy jumble of weird camera angles, worthless editing tricks and an ill-placed, obnoxious score".
The film was nominated for Worst Actor (Sylvester Stallone
) and Worst Remake or Sequel at the Golden Raspberry Awards
in 2001.
Get Carter
Get Carter is a 1971 British crime film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a gangster who sets out to avenge the death of his brother in a series of unrelenting and brutal killings played out against the grim background of derelict urban housing in the city of...
, starring Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
in the title role. The film also features Miranda Richardson
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes and a BAFTA during her career....
, Rachel Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
, Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
, and Rhona Mitra
Rhona Mitra
Rhona Natasha Mitra , sometimes credited as Rona Mitra, is an English actress, model and singer.-Early life:Mitra was born in Paddington, London, England, the daughter of Anthony Mitra, a cosmetic surgeon, and Nora Downey...
. Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
, who starred in the original, plays a supporting role. The film was released by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, which had recently acquired the distribution rights
Turner Entertainment
Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. is an American media company founded by Ted Turner. Now owned by Time Warner, the company is largely responsible for overseeing its library for worldwide distribution Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. (commonly known as Turner Entertainment Co.) is an American...
to the original.
Plot
Mob enforcer Jack Carter (Stallone) returns home to SeattleSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
when he hears that his brother, Ritchie, has been killed in a drunk driving accident. He tries to make amends with Ritchie's wife, Gloria (Richardson), and his niece Doreen (Cook), and investigates Ritchie's death after he realizes Ritchie was murdered. While he starts snooping around, his mob partner in Las Vegas, Con McCarty (John C. McGinley
John C. McGinley
John Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
), covers for him with the mob boss, Fletcher (Garwin Sanford
Garwin Sanford
Garwin Sanford is a Canadian actor best known for his portrayal of Narim in Stargate SG-1 and Simon Wallis in Stargate Atlantis....
). A secondary plot revolves around an affair Carter was having with Fletcher's girlfriend, Audrey (Gretchen Mol
Gretchen Mol
Gretchen Mol is an American actress and former model. She is known for her roles in films like Rounders, Celebrity, 3:10 to Yuma, The Thirteenth Floor,and The Notorious Bettie Page, where she played the title character...
).
His first stop in his investigation is with loan shark Cliff Brumby (Caine), the owner of the club that Ritchie managed. Brumby does not believe Jack's allegations of murder, but does tell him that Ritchie was having an affair with Geraldine (Mitra), an associate of local boss Cyrus Paice (Rourke).
Jack cannot get anything from Paice, who unknowingly leads him to Jeremy Kinnear (Cumming), a wealthy computer mogul who uses Paice's prostitution services, as well as Eddie (Johnny Strong
Johnny Strong
Johnny Strong is an American actor, musician and martial artist. He is best known for his roles in Black Hawk Down and The Fast and the Furious as Leon. Aside from acting, Strong is also the founder of the band Operator.-Biography:Strong was born in Los Angeles, California...
), one of the club's bouncers. Although he cannot get any straight answers, Jack continues to pursue the truth, carefully examining the surveillance tapes from Brumby's club, looking for any sort of clue.
Jack discovers that Paice had made an amateur porn movie
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
where he and Geraldine would pick up different young girls, drug them and rape them. Jack watches the film and learns that Doreen was one of the victims. Paice and those who helped him make the disc did not know that Doreen was Ritchie's daughter. Before he died, Ritchie was given the disc by Geraldine. Ritchie was murdered as he was taking the disc to the police, with Paice having it set up to look like an accident.
Con and a fellow gangster from Las Vegas track Jack down and confront him after Jack says he is done with Vegas. After knocking both of the men out, Jack has a talk with Doreen about what happened.
Intending to settle the score, Jack begins a path of vengeance. He gets a frantic, apologetic call from Geraldine, who tells him Cyrus is coming to kill her. After he finds Geraldine's body, Carter heads straight to Eddie's apartment, and throws Eddie off of a balcony to his death. Carter gets involved in a car chase with Con and the other gangster, only to lose them when he causes them to lose control of their vehicle. Visiting Kinnear's house, he confronts Cyrus, who tells Jack that he should be going after Kinnear, because Kinnear is the man behind Ritchie's murder. Jack has a vicious fight with Cyrus, losing at first only to return and beat Cyrus to a pulp. The fight ends with Jack holding a pistol to an unconscious Cyrus; the scene cuts abruptly and whether Carter kills Cyrus is unseen. He then confronts Kinnear, who says that all he told Cyrus to do was get the disc back from Ritchie, not kill him, and that it was Cyrus and Brumby who committed the murder. Carter decides to not kill Kinnear.
After getting a call from Audrey, who breaks up with him, Carter confronts Brumby as Brumby is breaking into his car to retrieve the disc. Brumby admits that he was involved in the murder and, as he is walking away, Carter shoots him in the back.
After settling the score for his dead brother, Carter meets Doreen one last time at Ritchie's grave. He is clean shaven, and explains to her that he has to go away for awhile. He tells her to remember that she is special, and they say their goodbyes. Carter is next seen getting in his car, and opening a map that leads back to Vegas.
Cast
- Sylvester StalloneSylvester StalloneMichael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
... Jack Carter - Miranda RichardsonMiranda RichardsonMiranda Jane Richardson is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes and a BAFTA during her career....
... Gloria Carter - Rachael Leigh CookRachael Leigh CookRachael Leigh Cook is an American actress, known for her role in the romantic comedy She's All That and her This is Your Brain on Drugs public service announcement.-Early life:...
... Doreen Carter - Rhona MitraRhona MitraRhona Natasha Mitra , sometimes credited as Rona Mitra, is an English actress, model and singer.-Early life:Mitra was born in Paddington, London, England, the daughter of Anthony Mitra, a cosmetic surgeon, and Nora Downey...
... Geraldine - Johnny StrongJohnny StrongJohnny Strong is an American actor, musician and martial artist. He is best known for his roles in Black Hawk Down and The Fast and the Furious as Leon. Aside from acting, Strong is also the founder of the band Operator.-Biography:Strong was born in Los Angeles, California...
... Eddie - John C. McGinleyJohn C. McGinleyJohn Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
... Con McCarty - Alan CummingAlan CummingAlan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
... Jeremy Kinnear - Michael CaineMichael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
... Cliff Brumby - John CassiniJohn CassiniJohn Cassini is a Canadian actor who played the role of Officer Davis in the 1995 Brad Pitt film, Se7en. He also starred in the 2005 film Cool Money. Cassini starred as Ronnie Delmarco on the CBC series, Intelligence...
... Thorpey - Mickey RourkeMickey RourkePhilip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
... Cyrus Paice - Mark Boone JuniorMark Boone JuniorMark Boone Junior is an American actor perhaps best known for his roles as Bobby Munson in FX's Sons of Anarchy and in two films by Christopher Nolan, Memento and Batman Begins...
.... Jim Davis - Gretchen MolGretchen MolGretchen Mol is an American actress and former model. She is known for her roles in films like Rounders, Celebrity, 3:10 to Yuma, The Thirteenth Floor,and The Notorious Bettie Page, where she played the title character...
... Audrey (uncredited) - Tom SizemoreTom SizemoreThomas Edward "Tom" Sizemore, Jr. is an American film and television actor and producer. He is known for his roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Strange Days, Pearl Harbor, Heat and Black Hawk Down....
... Les Fletcher (voice, uncredited)
Reception
Critical reaction was negative. The film received a 12% favorable rating among the critics tracked by Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. It did not do well at the box office, with worldwide takings of approximately US$19 million, less than the production budget of nearly $64 million.
Among the positive reviews, JoBlo.com
JoBlo.com
JoBlo.com is a website primarily focused on the film industry.JoBlo.com was started in 1998 by Berge Garabedian , a movie reviewer who is known for critiquing movies from the perspective of an average movie-goer. The website's name is, in fact, a play on the term Joe Shmoe, and registered users of...
praised "the sharp turn given by Sly Stallone, its groovy tunes, and its generally dark and gritty nature." Rob Blackwelder of SPLICEDWire called the film "a stimulating visual showcase of stylish film making that keeps a viewer's attention." Chuck O'Leary of FulvueDrive-in.com said that "the original Get Carter is better, but this is quite watchable as far as modern-era remakes go".
Shawn Levy of the Portland Oregonian gave an average review, saying that while "the film doesn't touch the original, it doesn't hit rock bottom, either." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said the film is "not a terrible movie" but "too routine for its own good." Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
said that "the film itself is a muddle, [but] what is good is Stallone". Bob Graham of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
said the film "is murkier than it needs to be, through no fault of Stallone's".
Among the negative reviews, Todd McCarthy of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the film "a useless remake." A.O. Scott of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said that the film is "so minimally plotted that not only does it lack subtext or context, but it also may be the world's first movie without even a text". Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
called the film "a throwaway story hidden beneath a messy jumble of weird camera angles, worthless editing tricks and an ill-placed, obnoxious score".
The film was nominated for Worst Actor (Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
) and Worst Remake or Sequel at the Golden Raspberry Awards
Golden Raspberry Awards
A Golden Raspberry Award, or Razzie for short, is an award presented in recognition of the worst in movies. Founded by American copywriter and publicist John J.B. Wilson in 1981, the annual Razzie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles precedes the corresponding Academy Awards ceremony by one day...
in 2001.