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 here's
an old saying that revenge is a dish that's best served cold. And
vengeance was never delivered with a |
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| here's
an old saying that revenge is a dish that's best served cold. And
vengeance was never delivered with a |
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| with a bigger chill than it was in the
1971 action drama, Get Carter. Michael Caine played Jack Carter,
a professional killer who was out to get revenge for the death of his
brother. And that meant killing anyone who got in his way - with no
compassion whatsoever for the victims of his transgressions. Almost 30 years later, Sylvester Stallone, having had his share of playing men of action (Rocky, Copland, Rambo: First Blood, Part Two, The Specialist), decides to carry the mark of Caine, and resurrect this killer on a mission. But since this is a new millennium, Jack Carter is given a whole new look, with a whole new perspective. In the late '60s and early '70s, vigilante action films like Point Blank and Get Carter were a brutal response to the social unrest during the era of the Vietnam War. Lee Marvin's killer in Point Blank was depersonalized, a lost man in a world of turmoil and betrayal. And the predator of Get Carter had no soul. His single-minded desire for retaliation was his only identity. Last year, when director Steven Soderbergh re-made Point Blank into The Limey, the vigilante (Terence Stamp) was not an alienated man - it was the world itself that had become |
actors Sylvester Stallone Miranda Richardson Rachael Leigh Cook Mickey Rourke Michael Caine director locations outtake |
| alienating. And the city was Los
Angeles, where sell-outs got to bask in the sun and shady deals are made
under palm trees. Stamp portrayed a man forced back on his own violent
wits in an effort to seek justice for his murdered daughter. This latest version of Get Carter is also set in contemporary Los Angeles. Jack Carter is now a New York hit man, who comes to the coast for his brother's funeral. As he investigates, Carter discovers that his sibling was murdered, and he seeks revenge. But unlike the original Carter, this is a man whose brutal behavior leads him to a personal revelation. Stallone is an adaptable actor capable of taking himself seriously (as he did in Rambo: First Blood, Part Two), or poking fun at himself (as he did in the animated film, Antz). In Get Carter, he's playing a little bit of both. He's even helped along by Michael Caine, who makes a guest appearance playing a criminal associate. Get Carter, in fact, is chock full of surprise guests, including Miranda Richardson (The Apostle, Enchanted April), Rachael Leigh Cook (She's All That) and Alan Cumming (Eyes Wide Shut, Titus). The film also represents a change of gears for director Stephen T. Kay, whose debut was The Last Time I Committed Suicide, a love poem to the Beat Generation. Get Carter is co-written by David McKenna, who penned the controversial drama American History X. Some folks may wonder why Sly Stallone does Carter, when any number of young actors such as Jude Law or Ewan MacGregor could have been cast in the role. Perhaps it's the experience of a veteran actor that wins out over the brashness of youth. Maybe, like Stallone, you have to be around a long time to hold the kind of grudge that Carter does. - Kevin Courrier |