When
you think of screen icons, Sylvester Stallone's name often pops up. Back in the
70's, he virtually came out of nowhere with the classic underdog story Rocky.
Sadly, the last decade hasn't been that kind to the Italian Stallion. It seems
every film he appears in, he's sort of playing a caricature of himself.
That's
not to say I don't like the guy. I enjoy many of his films and often feel that
many people forget that Stallone can be a talented force on screen. Take a look
at Copland. Not only is it a terrific film, but it contains what I think is the
performance of Stallone's career and it all but tanked at the box office. It saddens
me that Stallone's new film Get Carter is such a lame excuse for an action flick,
because I was pulling for him on this one. In this remake of the Mike Hodges thriller,
Stallone plays a badass hitman named, you guessed it, Carter.
He
returns to his violent home town to avenge the death of his brother. Finding the
culprit proves to be difficult and Carter finds himself back in a world he desperately
wants to forget. Stallone is subtle in this film and he tries to inject a dose
of humanity into this character, but nothing really works. Get Carter has a very
strong cast including Mickey Rourke, Alan Cumming, and Michael Caine. They are
all wasted in this tediously plotted film.
Perhaps
the weakest link in Get Carter is director Stephen Kay (The Mod Squad). His direction
is sluggish to say the least. Much of the film is confused and convoluted. The
editing style is more intrusive than anything else. In fact this is some of the
worst editing I've ever seen in a film, so bad in fact, it makes the film seem
amateurish. I have no doubt that Stallone has some good work left in him. Get
Carter certainly isn't it and his next film Driven (a formula one racing picture
from Renny Harlin) looks like a lemon from here. Come on Sly, there is a chance
for you to prove yourself. Stop doing this crap and deliver us the winner your
capable of .
