Book vs Movie: Get Carter by Ted Lewis/Mike Hodges

[@jshaers96]

It would certainly be hard to have a three book series with Carter if it had ended the way it did in the film! I think the film scores over the book with all the fantastic performances. The actor playing Eric Pace genuinely hated Caine because he was up for the lead role and Caine landed it instead, which gives their scenes real tension. And the 'pissholes in the snow' line is immortal.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah there are some really great lines. That detail about the cast rivalry is fascinating!

[@patprr1756]

How could pace ever think he could get the lead role , clown .

[@patprr1756]

The top line of that film was clearly , " You're a big man but your out of shape with me it's a full time job now behave yourself " , absolute classic .

[@FrankieTeardrop1998]

They could have made prequels to the movie if they'd wanted too.

[@nathanfoung2347]

Nice addition to your channel Olly. Get Carter is a brilliant film. The rawness of the film really sets the tone for British film in the 60s. This is british dude bro at its finest. Know what I mean? Caine's performance really is really quite iconic. Did you know his real name was Maurice joseph Micklewhite Jr? Not quite as strong a name perhaps. It's a shame there hasn't been a British remake of the film, maybe not while caine is still alive. I could see Guy Richie making a decent remake of Get Carter.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I did know that about his name! And I suspect it's just too highly regarded for anyone in the UK to dare to do a remake

[@krisprepolec5616]

One of the things about the movie that stuck with me outside of the plot and performance, was seeing someone’s head go through a car window before tempered glass. I love seeing what things were like at a certain place and time.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

That's fascinating! I do know what you mean.

[@CinePhill]

Thank you for the mention Olly! Glad you enjoyed the film. The Stallone version is well erm…I switched it off after 30 minutes 😂 Lovely copy of Where Eagles Dare as well!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

My pleasure, Phill! Thanks again for the movie!

[@scottgraham1143]

I got my daughter to watch it recently, explaining that if she liked The Wicker Man then she must watch Get Carter too. It's a brilliant representation of the harshness of grimy working class Britain. Juxtaposing Caine, with his film star good looks, against such ugliness, somehow works when it really shouldn't. I always think of Point Blank in connection with Get Carter and I wonder if it influenced Hodges and whether Caine is channelling Lee Marvin in his performance.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I think those 2 make a great British double bill of the period, both showing sides of the UK that just didn't get shown in films much

[@rresmini]

Great connection with Point Blank. Excellent film, fantastic editing. No doubt Soderbergh noticed as you can see during The Limey.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@rresmini The Limey is one I need to watch!

[@kevinsbookcase59]

I've only seen bits and pieces of the original and the remake. I did read where the Director Mick Hodges just passed away last December. After your review, now I'm going to give it try over the weekend ☺️

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yes he did. Hope you enjoy the film as much as I did

[@EmsBookNookMI]

I love a good book vs. movie video! I don’t recall watching the movie, so I’ll have to look into this. I know I haven’t read the book. 😅 Thank you for sharing your thoughts! This was fun!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Em - yeah they're fun to do, I'll definitely do more

[@eriebeverly]

Fun review. In a weird coincidence I watched Hit Man (1972), the Blaxploitation remake of Get Carter last week. Is it a good movie? Nope but it does have some cool 1970s LA fashions, cars, and locations. And Pam Grier gets attacked by a lion. Take that Michael Caine.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Damn, I'd not heard of that but it sounds great!

[@DuncanMcCurdie]

Hit Man is great fun!

[@susanjohnson5824]

It would be fun to see a topic of Movies that are actually better than the book - I have never seen that.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah, I think us bookish people always tend to think the book is better, even though that's not always true

[@diamondslashranch]

I enjoyed this very much and will look forward to more.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@linahill7341]

I really enjoyed this book/movie review and hope you will do more. I had never heard of Get Carter. Would you suggest read the book first or see the movie first?

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I'd probably go book first, but it's more of a marginal thing here than with some. Glad you enjoyed it, Lina!

[@M-J]

American gal observation- I don’t think we would pick up on the accent differences or care about them as much here since we aren’t familiar with them. But I do see your point with accents in general. I’m wondering if the Get Carter from the early 2000’s is related at all, or is the story completely different? - 📚MJ

[@CinePhill]

The Stallone film is a bad bad bad remake MJ….avoid! 😂

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I think it's a remake, but I know little more about it than that. That's probably a very fair point about accents abroad

[@stephennootens916]

Noting Michael Caine's accent reminds me how some people mistake it for more upper class in America by some. But to far to Americans we just assume that any one who is English speaking that we don't understand is lower class.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Ha! That's interesting - I guess we probably think of American accents in a similar way

[@johnbeeston2473]

like get carter and the book what about dirty herry as your next one i loved the thought eastwood was great in them

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I think that was a movie then a book, rather than the other way round

[@johnbeeston2473]

Right

[@rhyfedd9168]

The accent of the character 'Margaret" in the original movie is an absolute theme park. It starts in Karachi and visits Wales, Leeds, Cornwall and Bayswater. Never Newcastle though.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

LOL yes!

[@ChrisLind81]

Saw Get Carter a couple years ago for the first time, and was sadly a bit disappointed. Maybe I had too high expectations with all the praise. And I probably expected something stylistic pleasant as John Boorman's fantastic Point Blank. The social realism style didn't work for me here, and it's too long and it didn't have the best payoff. Not a bad movie, but it just didn't work for me.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Point Blank is really great! I haven't see that for years

[@rresmini]

Love the original film. Being from the States the differences with UK accents doesn't register with me as something set Stateside working certain dialects/accents. Book/film comparisons: Shining (King vs Kubrick), Cutters Way (aka Cutter and Bone), Angel Heart vs Falling Angel, LA Confidential, Wolfen.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Oooh, some great suggestions there! I'm actually thinking I might do Dr Sleep as I've just read the book and people seem to think the film is better

[@rresmini]

@@CriminOllyBlog I've honestly not read any King since the Dark Half. I did see Dr Sleep other than one feasting scene where a kid really sold the distress to disturbing levels I felt it was mediocre at best. The Outsider miniseries I enjoyed far more but not enough to seek out the novel.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@rresmini Not seen the Outsider show, but that is one recent King book I did enjoy

[@juliealvar4587]

Off topic from the video but can I ask you -since you have multiple e-reading devices- when you buy a book can you choose which device it goes to or does it automatically go to all of them? Couldn't seem to find an answer to this question. Thank you.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It's kind of a bit of both actually. The cloud library is visible on all of them, but you can specify a default device that new books automatically get downloaded to and you can also elect when you buy a book to send it to a particular device. Plus you can choose to show a view of either library or just downloaded books on your devices

[@juliealvar4587]

@@CriminOllyBlog Thank you!

[@darkfaetarot]

OMG I know Where Eagles Dare! How about the Dirty Dozen? Or Escape from Alcatraz? Were those books too? Maybe...

[@darkfaetarot]

"Broadsword calling Danny Boy" ... ah, another classic

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I don't know about Escape from Alcatraz, but The Dirty Dozen definitely is

[@richardgill1309]

I agree with you about Michael Caine. I remember he did those acting masterclass in the late 80s on TV where he famously said " film acting is all about the eyes ". No it isn't Michael . The film is great and wonderfully bleak, but it is like having a Thunderbirds puppet as the star. He ruins the film. The book I loved but I do prefer the film ending like you.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

LOL at that Thunderbirds reference. You're not wrong!

[@pauljames907]

Didn’t this film rip off ‘The Reckoning?’? I’m referring to the 1970 movie set in London and Liverpool

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Not sure, I'll have to look that up

[@DDB168]

I quite like Michael Caine, but I always feel that I'm watching Michael Caine and not his character, probably because of his accent. I have Get Carter but haven't read it yet. I haven't seen the film either 🤭 I'd like you to give Where Eagles Dare AND Von Ryan's Express the same book/film compare.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Where Eagles Dare would be a fun one to do - any excuse to watch Ingrid Pitt. I think you'll really like the Get Carter book

[@GyntherMeyer]

I actually watched the remake of GET CARTER and yes it's truly horrible. Not even in the sense of being "so bad it's good". No, it's just bad! Michael Caine has a cameo and I hope they paid him well. I love the original film (but I haven't read any of the books).

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I didn't know Caine appeared in the remake - that must have hurt!

[@GyntherMeyer]

@@CriminOllyBlog Maybe he needed a new swimming pool. lol

[@Yellowblam]

‘Rambo’, please.

[@arronjameshook]

You're a big man, but you're in bad shape. With me it's a full time job. Now behave yourself.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Classic!

[@NoReason2Liv]

Watched the Hitchcock movie version of Strangers on a Train. Extremely disappointed. Book: A+ Movie: D- . I hesitate to recommend that you watch this one, but I would be interested in your take.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

My memories of the Hitchcock movie are pretty positive, but its been a very very long time since I saw it

[@wendyvilla2904]

🖤💚

[@patprr1756]

Film

[@patprr1756]

Some critic , yawn .