Get Carter (2000)

Producer Mark Canton was a great admirer of the original British film "Get Carter" when he began to develop the project with screenwriter David McKenna. "David is a really fine writer," says Canton, recalling his response to McKenna’s version of the story. "I liked the leanness of it and the kind of character that Carter is. In particular, I liked the sense of redemption and revenge, as well as the growth of the character, the way that he empowers himself."

Canton’s brother, producer Neil Canton, was also a fan of the original film and felt it was an ideal project. "There were many areas to explore which were not touched upon in the first version, like the characters of Gloria and Doreen, and Carter’s reaction to them," says Neil Canton.

Sylvester Stallone's involvement with the film became the linchpin that brought the project together. "Although there were a number of actors interested in the role, I knew upon first reading that Sly could make the character pop off the page," says Mark Canton. "Sly’s reaction was the same. I literally gave it to him one day and the next morning he said, ‘It’s the best thing I’ve seen in a long time. I want to do this.’"

"‘Get Carter’ feeds into one of my favorite subjects, which is redemption," says Sylvester Stallone. "Carter, who has lived a certain self-destructive lifestyle, has finally been put into a situation where he can turn it all around. He has been given a second opportunity to be everything that he’s never been, to be committed and not as self-serving as he has been throughout his life."

For Stallone, "Get Carter" also reflects a new personal direction he has taken in his own life. "Having two children as I do now, I could identify with the protectiveness that Carter feels towards his niece," says Stallone. "He has finally found a cause with this young girl’s life. That part of the story struck a chord with me."

Academy Award winner Michael Caine, who starred in the original "Get Carter," was also foremost on the filmmakers’ minds. "I’m a huge fan of Michael Caine," says Mark Canton. "He is an actor that makes any role his own. His work in this film is the perfect complement to his work in the original, which has become an underground classic and received accolades throughout the U.S., U.K. and Europe."

Caine was immediately taken with the script. "I liked what they had done with it," he recalls. "When I played Carter, I was, in Mafia terms, a 'made' man. I was one of the big guys. This Carter, on the other hand, is on the outside trying to get in. He is not so brutal. After all, the crusade he is on is a moral one. It’s a much nicer character that Sly is playing."

Stallone felt the irony of interacting with Michael Caine, who originated the character of Jack Carter more than three decades earlier. "I did feel kind of odd," says Stallone, "because I have a couple of scenes of intimidation with Michael where he starts to yell at me and then I have to say: ‘No. You’re a big man but you’re way out of shape. With me, it’s a full time job. So please sit down and relax.’ And I said to myself, ‘My God, I’m threatening the original bad guy, Carter himself.’"

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