--- title: "Get Carter: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/get-carter/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/get-carter" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Get Carter (1971): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics regard Get Carter as a forceful British crime film, with praise concentrated on Michael Caine’s cold authority, Mike Hodges’ controlled direction and the bleak working-class setting. The reviews repeatedly find that its brutality has purpose: it makes revenge ugly and its central gangster difficult to admire, however compelling he is to watch. Variety particularly values the adaptation’s restraint and clarity, while The Guardian emphasises the combination of violent pulp and working-class realism. The disagreement concerns how much that control compensates for the ugliness, and whether the thriller always convinces. The New York Times admires the acting and taut construction but recoils from the relentless violence and view of humanity. The Times flags the dated treatment of women. The Telegraph offers a sharper dissent, finding the plotting unclear and the thriller implausible. The balance is strongly positive, but these reservations range from discomfort with the material to objections about its execution. ## Empire — Mark Dinning Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls it arguably the best British gangster movie ever made, praising its brutal, bleak mood and unflinching revenge tale that never lets up. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-get-carter-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 1971. Ebert calls the film a tense, hard-boiled crime movie that showcases Michael Caine at his most authoritative and vicious. He praises its sure feel for the proletarian underbelly of society and Hodges' skillful direction that gives it the quality of a strong American detective novel. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/get-carter-1971) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 1999. The review highlights the film as a Brit classic with Michael Caine at his most relentlessly malicious, noting Carter's cool lines and evil nature make it a movie to love despite its bleak tone. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/get-carter-review/) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1970. The review deems it a superior crime action meller with Michael Caine as an English hood seeking vengeance. It highlights Mike Hodges' top-notch adaptation that maintains interest with rare artistry, restraint, and clarity amid brutal and sordid plot turns. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1970/film/reviews/get-carter-1200422503/) ## Financial Times — Rob Crossan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2009. The piece positions Get Carter as a landmark that rewrote the gangster movie with its cold, nihilistic violence and pitiless portrait of Newcastle’s underworld. It notes the film’s initial critical dislike on 1971 release before later re-evaluation as a social document. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/25adefe8-9c0f-11de-b214-00144feabdc0) ## The New York Times — Peter Schjeldahl Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 March 1971. Schjeldahl finds the film ghastly in its unremitting violence and vile view of humanity, yet finely acted and crafted in a way that makes it spectacularly better than most of its genre. He singles out Michael Caine's performance as a ticking, glinting bomb and the film's overall taut execution. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/14/archives/youll-hate-yourself-for-loving-carter.html) ## Sight and Sound — Tom Milne The critic finds the film a cool, clinical neo-noir that exploits its Newcastle setting well and shows promise in Hodges' direction and strong performances, but notes it lacks the mythic aura of classic American thrillers and includes some contrived or sentimental elements. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/get-carter-review-clinical-cynical-film-noir-1970s-britain) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 25 May 2022. The critic calls Mike Hodges’ 1971 film a Brit-crime magnum opus and a stone-cold classic on re-release. He singles out Michael Caine’s dead-eyed, ruthless performance as gangland enforcer Jack Carter and the film’s blend of violent pulp with dour working-class realism. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/25/get-carter-review-michael-caine-delivers-in-stone-cold-classic-mike-hodges) ## The Telegraph — Patrick Gibbs 12 March 1971. The original review finds the film ridiculous and unconvincing as a thriller, failing to match Chandler or Bogart. It criticizes the off-hand style, unclear plotting, and the protagonist’s implausible paragon status amid a confusing trail of violence. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10727750/Get-Carter-original-Telegraph-review.html) ## The Times — Ed Potton Rating ★★★★☆. 27 May 2022. The review hails Michael Caine’s tour de force as the cool, quotable London gangster Jack Carter investigating his brother’s death. It praises the film’s stylish brutality and iconic lines while noting dated elements in its treatment of women as a reflection of the unpleasant characters. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/get-carter-1971-review-michael-caines-tour-de-force-as-a-london-gangster-f8xgjjcn9) ## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2009. The critic calls the film a tough but groundbreaking British gangster movie with gritty realism and an uncompromising vision. Caine's iconic, cool performance is singled out as making it arguably his finest hour and a landmark picture. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/get-carter-film-review-by-stephen-carty) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/get-carter.md