Get Carter 4K Review (Warner Archive Collection)

Get Carter is a 1971 revenge film written and directed by Mike Hodges (Flash Gordon, Damien: Omen II, The Terminal Man, A Prayer for the Dying, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Black Rainbow, Croupier, Murder by Numbers, and Pulp). It’s based on the novel “Jack’s Return Home” from author Ted Lewis. It was remade in 1972 as Hit Man and in 2000 as Get Carter. It was produced by Michael Klinger (Pulp, Riding High, Shout at the Devil, A Study in Terror, Repulsion, and Gold). The budget was £750,000 and it grossed $60,404 worldwide at the box office. Jack Carter (played by: Michael Caine from The Dark Knight trilogy, Mona Lisa, Alfie, The Italian Job, Deathtrap, Dressed to Kill, Jaws: The Revenge, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Sleuth) is a cold-blooded London gangster with a vicious reputation. When Carter’s brother ends up dead, he travels to Newcastle to arrange the funeral for his family. He is convinced that his brother was killed, Carter does his own investigation and he questions local thug Eric (played by: Ian Hendry from Repulsion, Tales from the Crypt, Theater of Blood, and The Avengers), who eventually leads him to kingpin Cyrill Kinnear (played by: John Osborne from Flash Gordon, Tomorrow Never Comes, and First Love). From there, Carter carves a bloody trail of revenge through the seedy underbelly of Newcastle in search of his brother’s killer!!!! Get Carter is one of the greatest British gangster films ever made. It’s an excellent entry into the revenge sub-genre. Director Mike Hodges really shines behind the camera for Get Carter. I love this film but it’s always felt like 15 minutes too long, I think it would have been even better edited down a little bit because it doesn’t drag much but there’s moments every once in awhile that are a little slower when it comes to the overall story and plot. Regardless, Michael Caine is top notch as Jack Carter. He’s a dangerous man and he pulls all his sources to find out what really happened to his brother. This is one of the best roles from the legend. The rest of the supporting cast includes Ian Hendry, John Osborne, Britt Ekland (The Wicker Man), Tony Beckley (When a Stranger Calls), George Sewell (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Geraldine Moffat (From Russia with Love), Dorothy White (Sam), Rosemarie Dunham (Croupier), Petra Markham (EastEnders), Alun Armstrong (Van Helsing), Bryan Mosley (Coronation Street(, Glynn Edwards (Minder), Terence Rigby (Tomorrow Never Dies), John Bindon (The MacKintosh Man), Godfrey Quigley (A Clockwork Orange), Kevin Brennan (Ivanhoe), and Bernard Hepton (Colditz). Get Carter shows vengeance from across the pond. It’s one of the highest quality retribution productions that was made overseas back in the 70’s. It’s loaded with plenty of violence and it doesn’t shy away from nudity either. The criminals run crazy on this one, law enforcement is basically non existent which makes for a very chaotic atmosphere. It never holds back on anything and I’ve always appreciated that about Get Carter. Once it fully kicks in, it pays you back for it’s patience. It’s packed with tension and suspense. The mystery and noir feel just adds to it all. It’s darkly fun and very entertaining, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from the Warner Archive Collection! This 2160p (1.78:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is from a newer 4K restoration from the original camera negative. This is a massive improvement over the previous home video releases in the states. It blows them all away and it’s very similar to the BFI 2022 version. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track on the UHD. This gritty gangster film has some loud and crazy moments that shine here. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the vengeance is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director Mike Hodges, lead actor Michael Caine, and cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitsky. They put this track together with separate interviews so it’s definitely interesting. Hodges is the main person on here but the other two do have some entertaining contributions. They are very detailed on a variety of inside information. They share some personal stories from this production. They all add something different when it comes to Get Carter. It has an additional “Audio Commentary” with critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw. It has an almost 3 minute “2002 Introduction” with lead actor Michael Caine. It has the little over 60 minute “Mike Hodges in Conversation”. Hodges is asked a variety of questions at an event. He chats about his origins, script writing, and his early documentary experience. The director goes over his directing career including Get Carter. It’s loaded with inside information and personal stories from the filmmaker. It has the little over 17 minute “The Sound of Roy Budd”. The music, score, and composer Budd is discussed here for both Get Carter plus his career. The label owner goes over his personal opinions of the artist and he shares some of his history. It has the 4 minute “It has the almost 22 minute “Don’t Trust Boys”. It’s an interview with actress Petra Markham. She chats about growing up and her father was an actor. She originally had no interest in following his footsteps but it ended up happening when she got older. She sits down and breaks down her career. She talks about her experience and role from Get Carter for this. It has the little over 24 minute “Klinger on Klinger”. The son of producer Michael Klinger goes over his father’s legacy, projects, and connection to Get Carter. He points out similarities with the production team that he worked with. He says he dealt with some taboo cinema during his start. Tony is very proud of his dad’s work and he tells some interesting stories about the late producer. It has the under a minute “1971 Newcastle Premiere Intro” with lead actor Michael Caine. It has a few different “Trailers”. Most of these added extras were only available overseas until now so this huge upgrade compared to all of the older home video releases from the past. This 2 disc set is a must own for any crime or revenge collection. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!