Eighties action icon Sylvester Stallone is resting his latest career comeback upon the laurels of a stylish revenge saga entitled "Get Carter," and it's anyone's call as to what the outcome will be.
Get Carter - R
Starring:
Sylvester Stallone, Rachel Leigh Cook and Sir Michael Caine
Directed by:
Stephen T. Kay
Now playing:
Showplace 12 West
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Stallone stars as Jack Carter, a self-proclaimed Las Vegas "loan adjuster," and while Carter is a head cracker of the highest order, he also fills the prototypical Hollywood role of the bad-ass with a heart of gold. The normally marble-mouthed Stallone does wonders in the role of Carter.
Suffice it to say, tough-guy Carter is none too happy when his baby brother dies in a shady auto accident where he suspects foul play was involved. Carter takes a hiatus from busting kneecaps to investigate his brother's untimely demise and to console his pubescent, pseudo-goth niece, Doreen (Rachel Leigh Cook) and his brother's widow, Gloria (Miranda Richardson).
Along the way, he encounters numerous thugs, including mid-level Internet porn king Cyrus Paice (the rarely seen Mickey Rourke), coke-snorting, cowboy hat-sporting, yuppie Internet mogul Jeremy Kinnear (Alan Cumming) and a barkeep by the name of Bumby (Michael Caine).
The film is much different than the television ads and trailers convey. Action sequences are downplayed, making room for both story and character development. Some undoubtedly will be disappointed -- after all, this is a Stallone flick -- but that's not to say there's no action in the film. There is, but it's all tantamount to the story at hand.
"Get Carter" is truly a mixed bag. It's definitely not a bad film, but at the same time, it's not an entirely good one either. As directed by first-time helmer Stephen Kay and photographed by cinematographer Mauro Fiore, the film is visually intriguing. The trick shots abound and the film is occasionally bleached, giving everything a really cool look.
Also, the musical score by Tyler Bates has a deep, throbbing, almost-techno vibe. This is a flick with style to burn.
Lack of action and the occasional over-abundance of style are major lapses, which prevent "Get Carter" from being the great film it could have possibly been.
