The impossibility of making good films in the 21st century is perfectly illustrated by this perfunctory remake of the 1971 Mike Hodges classic which starred Michael Caine as 'Jack Carter', a gangster who travels to the north of England to find out how his brother Frank died. This version shifts the story to America, and casts Sylvester Stallone in the main role. Caine himself plays 'Cliff Brumby'. The end result is a routine crime drama whereas the original is a classic. But what really takes the breath away is the ending. Instead of being shot on a beach, Carter jumps into his car and drives off. Presumably it was changed because American audiences hate films with unhappy endings. I take it then that if ( heaven forbid ) 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' ever gets remade, it will climax with 'McMurphy' building a jet pack and escaping from Nurse Ratched's institution by zooming Rocketeer-like over the fence. Have movies ever been quite as bad as they are right now?
Review of Get Carter
