Editing Get Carter (section)

{{short description|1971 British film by Mike Hodges}}
{{about|the 1971 film}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Get Carter
| image          = Get Carter poster.jpg
| alt            = A promotional poster featuring Michael Caine as Jack Carter on the phone with a cigarette in his mouth.
| caption        = Original UK [[film poster]] by [[Arnaldo Putzu]]
| director       = [[Mike Hodges]]
| producer       = [[Michael Klinger (producer)|Michael Klinger]]
| screenplay     = Mike Hodges
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Jack's Return Home]]''|[[Ted Lewis (writer)|Ted Lewis]]}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Michael Caine]]
* [[Ian Hendry]]
* [[John Osborne]]
* [[Britt Ekland]]}}
| music          = [[Roy Budd]]
| color_process  = [[Metrocolor]]
| cinematography = [[Wolfgang Suschitzky]]
| editing        = John Trumper
| studio         = [[MGM-British Studios]]
| distributor    = [[EMI Films#MGM-EMI|MGM-EMI Distributors]] 
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1971|02|03|[[Los Angeles]]|1971|03|10|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 112 minutes
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| budget         = £750,000<ref name="Mayer-2003">{{cite book |last=Mayer |first=Geoff |title=Guide to British Cinema (Reference Guides to the World's Cinema) |year=2003 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-30307-4 |page=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7FOX_OWDyHEC&q=get+carter+budget+mgm&pg=PA149 |access-date=6 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414084049/https://books.google.com/books?id=7FOX_OWDyHEC&pg=PA149&lpg=PA149&dq=get+carter+budget+mgm&source=bl&ots=_GllJg6-Vf&sig=TmxbwR9-vwMG6Br8rrA92aoosS0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7pJCT_iLNsP08QPw5JGGCA&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=get%20carter%20budget%20mgm&f=false |archive-date=14 April 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=Klinger/>
}}

'''''Get Carter''''' is a 1971 British [[gangster film|gangster]] [[thriller film]], written and directed by [[Mike Hodges]] in his [[directorial debut]] and starring [[Michael Caine]], [[Ian Hendry]], [[John Osborne]], [[Britt Ekland]] and [[Bryan Mosley]].<ref name="BFIsearch">{{Cite web |title=Get Carter |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150029474 |access-date=27 August 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref> Based on [[Ted Lewis (writer)|Ted Lewis]]'s 1970 novel ''[[Jack's Return Home]]'', the film follows the eponymous Jack Carter (Caine), a London [[gangster]] who returns to his hometown in [[North East England]] after his brother's death. Suspecting foul play, and with vengeance on his mind, he investigates and interrogates, regaining a feel for the city and its hardened-criminal element.

Producer [[Michael Klinger (producer)|Michael Klinger]] optioned Lewis's novel shortly after its publication and made a deal with the ailing [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) to finance and release the film, making ''Get Carter'' the last project to be approved by the studio's [[MGM-British Studios|Borehamwood division]] before its closure. The production went from novel to finished film in 10 months, with [[principal photography]] taking place from July to September 1970 in and around [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], [[Gateshead]] and [[County Durham]]. Hodges, Klinger and Caine intended to create a more realistic portrayal of violence and [[criminal behaviour]] than had previously been seen in British films: Caine, who also served as an uncredited co-producer, incorporated aspects of criminal acquaintances into his characterisation of Carter, while Hodges conducted research into the criminal underworld of Newcastle, in particular the [[one-armed bandit murder]]. [[Cinematographer]] [[Wolfgang Suschitzky]] worked with Hodges to give scenes a naturalistic feel, drawing heavily on their backgrounds in [[documentary film]]s.

Turning a respectable profit upon its initial UK release, ''Get Carter'' initially attracted mixed reviews. Critics grudgingly appreciated the film's technical achievements and Caine's performance while criticising the complex plot, violence and amorality, in particular Carter's apparent lack of remorse for his actions.<ref name="Mayer-2003"/> American critics were generally more enthusiastic, but the film languished on the [[drive-in]] circuit, while MGM focused its resources on producing ''[[Hit Man (1972 film)|Hit Man]]'', a 1972 [[blaxploitation]]-themed [[remake]] of the film.

''Get Carter'' eventually garnered a [[cult following]], and further endorsements from directors such as [[Quentin Tarantino]] and [[Guy Ritchie]] led to the film being critically re-evaluated,<ref name="Crossan-09-12-2009">{{cite news |last=Crossan |first=Rob|title=Defining Moment: 'Get Carter' rewrites the gangster movie, March 1971 |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/25adefe8-9c0f-11de-b214-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1pJXFzqcD |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/sVxvm |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 March 2012|newspaper=Financial Times Magazine |date=12 September 2009}}</ref> with its depiction of class structure and life in 1970s Britain and [[Roy Budd]]'s minimalist [[jazz]] score receiving considerable praise.<ref name=AFI /> In 1999, ''Get Carter'' was ranked 16th on the [[BFI Top 100 British films]] of the 20th century; five years later, a survey of British film critics in ''[[Total Film]]'' magazine chose it as the greatest British film of all time.<ref name="03-10-2004">{{cite news |title=''Get Carter'' tops British film poll |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3711460.stm |access-date=6 April 2012 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=3 October 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515044118/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3711460.stm |archive-date=15 May 2006 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> A poorly received remake under the [[Get Carter (2000 film)|same title]] was released in 2000, with [[Sylvester Stallone]] portraying Jack Carter and Caine in a supporting role.