Get Carter 1971 director: Mike Hodges

This film is not only regarded as a british classic but also one of the most iconic thriller films in the world. It follows the story of jack carter played by Michael Cain on his return to the north to finsd out more about his brothers death.

It has a destinctive opening, in some ways an establishing shot, but not one of a place but of our protaganist. The camera slowly zooms in on him facing out towards us as the theme music plays over the diagetic sound of the wind. Imediatly you know who the story follows and recieve hints of a sinister storyline.

The opening scene is in a room with the characters gangster bosses and his contemporaries. Here you see the steriotypical characters showing power. They are over wait, wear black suits and smoke cigars. Commonly seen in films that a thriller/ gangster. They all sit back watching porn on a slide. You can imedialty see that Carter is different. He is lean, wearing a grey suit and drinks a some what more sophisticated whiskey. Our eyes are almost Blinded by the cut to the bright light coming from the front of the projector mixed with the diagetic sounds of the changing of sound work as a tool for the director to un ease his audience and create a sence of tension in the scene, something that you can also see in the subtext of the writing.

Hodges approaches the opening in a very noir esc fashion. The room is dark and shadows are created by the surroundings and the single light from the projector. Everything seems to have a hidden feeling of darkness just like the characters in the scene. It creats a evil mis en scene, the audience seem thrown into this world of the dark criminal underworld.

The dialogue is used here to start the story off. The audience is told where and why he is doing what he plans and in some ways how he is going to do it. The repetative warnings of "don't go" and "rethink this" from the people that suround Carter set up the idea that something is going to happen. It is also very interesting that this is one of the most important scenes in th whole film but it isn't played up to be. Like the rest of the film everything is done subtly. Without this scene the ending doesn't really make much sence.

Get Carter isn't just an iconic movie, it is one of the rare films that told its story with an unbelievable amount of truth. This is something hard to find in the thriller cinema of today. Get Carter helped to reperesent the generation in which it was made. With the fashion, the language and the over all mis en scene of the piece. It showed the britain of that time for what it was ; gritty and unforgiving, and it was enhanced and made better for doing so.