Get Carter might’ve been yet another unnecessary remake and although hardly perfect is at least passable entertainment, though there’s nothing about it particularly memorable despite decent performances from Stallone and Cook.
Get Carter
(2000)
Genre(s): Action, Crime, Drama
Warner Bros. | R – 102 min. – $14.97 | April 22, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Stephen Kay Writer(s): Ted Lewis (novel “Jack’s Return Home”); David McKenna (screenplay) Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke, Michael CaineTheatrical Release Date: October 6, 2000 DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1) |
THE MOVIE – 2.75/5
Plot Outline: Ask Las Vegas resident Jack Carter (SYLVESTER STALLONE) what he does for a living, and he’ll explain he’s a “financial adjuster.” Pay what you owe, or Carter will adjust your arm, nose or spleen.
Plenty of adjusting awaits, including a change in Carter’s own sense of honor and family when Carter goes to Seattle following the suspicious death of his brother and attempts to infiltrate the seedy underground involving sex, money and porn. There, he gets reestablished with his brother’s widowed wife (MIRANDA RICHARDSON) and his troubled niece, Doreen (RACHEL LEIGH COOK). His investigation ruffles many feathers from pornographer Cyrus (MICKEY ROURKE), self-righteous billionaire punk kid Jeremy (ALAN CUMMING) and a mysterious woman (RHONA MITRA) who had contact with Carter’s brother, giving him something important before he was killed.
Quick Hit Review: On the one hand I can say that it wasn’t for the lack of trying as Sylvester Stallone gives a solid enough performance and unlike some of his peers, hardly slacked off in the role (i.e. collecting a paycheck and move on to the next project). His cast mates also do a nice job from Mickey Rourke’s small yet important role to Rachel Leigh Cook who is really good even if in some of her scenes she underplays it a bit too much. That being said, the pacing was off and the chaotic directing style never quite meshed leaving a movie that isn’t terrible but it’s hardly very good either.
In the end, Get Carter probably had the best of intentions but at the end it’s a middle-of-the-road thriller that doesn’t know exactly what it wants to be: either a gritty personal drama or a revenge flick, so it straddles between the two leading to something that’s not very memorable in spite of a couple good performances.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.5/5
All the features from the DVD have been ported over:
Audio Commentary with Stephen Kay offering some insights into his filmmaking process which is OK but does push into the drier side with silent moments.
Deleted Scenes (8:10; SD) contains seven scenes that didn’t make the cut including the original ending which isn’t a whole lot different just Carter’s conversation with Doreen is done over the phone rather than at the cemetery.
Theatrical Trailer (2:29; SD)
VIDEO – 3.75/5
Get Carter arrives on Blu-ray presented in 1080p high-definition and shown in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio. This was never a movie that looked very good since its debut on DVD back in 2001/2002 and this Blu-ray transfer, while better, still isn’t amazing with large amount of grain/noise and the detail levels, especially in the background, appear a bit soft while even close-ups aren’t as sharp even compared with older classics. Still, it’s an improvement at least as I didn’t notice much in the way of pixilation or even dust marks and scratches.
AUDIO – 4.0/5
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track meanwhile comes across a bit better showcasing the crazy soundtrack, score and Tyler Bate’s title remix while dialogue levels are relatively clear from the center speaker and the action scenes shine through well enough providing some depth thanks in part to the LFE channel.
OVERALL – 2.5/5
Overall, Get Carter might’ve been yet another unnecessary remake and although hardly perfect is at least passable entertainment, though there’s nothing about it particularly memorable despite decent performances from Stallone and Cook. The Blu-ray release from Warner is another one of their basic cheap catalogues porting over the limited features and at least adequate video and audio transfers.
Published: 04/12/2014