“Get Carter” (2000) directed by Stephen Kay; starring Sylvester Stallone, Rachael Leigh Cook, Miranda Richardson, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke & Michael Caine / Z-View

Posted on by

Get Carter (2000)

Director:  Stephen Kay

Screenplay: David McKenna; based on JACK’S RETURN HOME by Ted Lewis.

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Rachael Leigh Cook, Miranda Richardson, Rhona Mitra, Johnny Strong, John C. McGinley, Alan Cumming, Gretchen Mol, Tom Sizemore, John Cassini, Mickey Rourke, Mark Boone Junior, Darryl Scheelar, Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, Tyler Labine, Stephen Kay, Frank Stallone and Michael Caine.

Tagline:  The Truth Hurts

The Plot…

Jack Carter, a Vegas mob enforcer, returns to Seattle for his estranged brother, Ritchie’s funeral.  Ritchie was killed in a car crash after drinking.  Problem is Ritchie never drank.  As Jack digs deeper, he starts to believe Ritchie was murdered.

But why?

Clues point in several directions.  Ritchie’s death could have something to do with the club he managed.  Cliff Bumbry, the owner of the club has his fingers in other pies.  Did Ritchie have dirt on Cliff?

Rumor is Ritchie was having an affair.  Could that have led to Ritchie’s murder?

Some leads point to tech millionaire Jeremy Kinnear.  How were he and Ritchie linked?

Worse still, Cyrus Paice may be involved.  Paice was a rival of Jack’s when Jack was coming up.  There’s still bad blood.

As Jack digs deeper he will discover the truth.

The truth hurts.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Get Carter (2000) is a remake of Get Carter (1971) which starred Michael Caine. Caine co-stars in the remake.  Stallone and Caine also appeared together in Victory (1981).  Caine was originally only supposed to appear in a one scene cameo.  The scene scored so high with test audiences, the film was adjusted to give Caine a bigger role.

When producers were hesitant to hire Mickey Rourke (because of his past behaviors), Stallone guaranteed a portion of his salary, to cover any delays caused by Rourke.  Rourke was on-time and ready every day.

Gretchen Mol plays an important role but is not listed in the film’s credits.

Tom Sizemore’s voice (also uncredited) is heard when Carter talks to his Vegas boss.

Director Stephen Kay appears uncredited as a party guest.  Get Carter features Stephen Kay’s second outing as a feature film director.  Kay would go on to direct multiple highly rated episodes of The Shield; Sons of Anarchy; Yellowstone; Mayor of Kingstown; Lioness and Landman.

Frank Stallone appears uncredited in the funeral scene.

Get Carter (2000) is one of my all-time favorite films.  The movie and especially Stallone’s character resonates with me.  In it you’ll see some of Stallone’s best acting (especially the roof top scene with Rachael Leigh Cook).  The film isn’t perfect or a classic, but it remains one of my go-to movies.  Your mileage may vary (a lot on this one).

Get Carter (2000) rates 5 of 5 stars