Get Carter

Apropos of my post The Entertainer, it might be interesting to mention John Osborne regarding the classic British gangster film, Get Carter (1971). In the movie, Osborne plays the role of Cyril Kinnear, the underworld boss who Carter (Michael Caine) suspects of having been instrumental in the death of his brother. We should not be surprised by Osborne's masterly handling of his relatively small but crucial part, as before he hit the big time as author of the play Look Back In Anger he was a jobbing actor who had been treading the boards in most of the country's repertory theatres. Here, fifteen years later, his contribution proves that he never lost the touch.

Yet the director of Get Carter, Mike Hodges, thought he had blundered big time in casting Osborne when filming commenced. Osborne was playing things so quietly that he was convincing Hodges he was completely on the wrong track. He was almost inaudible. But Hodges stuck with it, bringing the camera in closer and closer. And the more Osborne underplayed the role, the more sinister he became. In John Heilpern's outstanding biography John Osborne, A Patriot For Us, Hodges classes the performance as 'extraordinary'.

This film, of course, is packed with top-notch performances. Caine, in his element as a hard-man in relentless pursuit of his unsavoury prey, puts in what is arguably the greatest turn of his career. He is backed to the hilt with support from staunch, established stars such as Ian Hendry, George Sewell, Brian Mosely and Britt Ekland. John Bindon, a specialist in tough-guy roles both in film and television, puts in an early appearance and helps to set the tone in his inimitable style. And many may be interested to note the film debut of Alun Armstrong in the role of young Keith. Armstrong went on to forge a strong acting career, with major roles in films such as Braveheart and the television series New Tricks and Garrow's Law.

But Get Carter, of course, belongs to Michael Caine. For this vehicle to have become what many regard as the greatest British gangster film of all time, the leading man was compelled to play a blinder. Few would dare to to suggest that he missed his mark.