Claim: Michael Caine produced Get Carter.

Get Carter is a 1971 British crime film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine , Ian Hendry , Britt Ekland , John Osborne and Bryan Mosley . The screenplay was adapted by Hodges from Ted Lewis 's 1969 novel Jack 's Return Home . Producer Michael Klinger optioned the book and made a deal for the ailing Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer -LRB- MGM -RRB- studio to finance and release the film , bringing in Hodges and Caine . Caine became a co-producer of the film . Get Carter was Hodges ' first feature film as director , as well as being the screen debut of Alun Armstrong . MGM was scaling back its European operations and the film became the last project approved before the American company closed its Borehamwood studios . The film is set in north-east England and was filmed in and around Newcastle upon Tyne , Gateshead and County Durham .   The story follows a London gangster , the eponymous Jack Carter -LRB- Caine -RRB- , who travels back to his hometown to discover more about the events surrounding his brother Frank 's supposedly accidental death . Suspecting foul play , he investigates and interrogates , getting a feel for the city and its hardened-criminal element ; with vengeance on his mind , the situation builds to a violent conclusion .   Caine and Hodges had ambitions to produce a more gritty and realistic portrayal of on-screen violence and criminal behaviour than had previously been seen in a British film . Caine incorporated his knowledge of real criminal acquaintances into his characterisation of Carter . Hodges and cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky drew heavily on their backgrounds in documentary film . This -- combined with Hodges ' research into the contemporary criminal underworld of Newcastle -LRB- in particular the one-armed bandit murder -RRB- , and the use of hundreds of local bystanders as extras -- produced a naturalistic feel in many scenes . The shoot was incident-free and progressed speedily , despite a one-day strike by the Association of Cinematograph , Television and Allied Technicians . The production went from novel to finished film in eight months , with location shooting lasting 40 days .   Get Carter suffered in its promotion , firstly from MGM 's problems and secondly owing to the declining British film industry of the period , which relied increasingly on US investment . Initial UK critical reaction to the film was mixed , with British reviewers grudgingly appreciative of the film 's technical excellence , but dismayed by the complex plotting , the excessive violence and amorality , in particular Carter 's apparent lack of remorse at his actions . Despite this the film did good business in the UK and produced a respectable profit . Conversely , US critics were generally more enthusiastic and praised the film , but it was poorly promoted in the States by United Artists and languished on the drive in circuit while MGM focused its resources on producing a blaxploitation version of the same novel , Hit Man . On its release Get Carter received no awards and did not seem likely to be well remembered . It was n't available on home media until 1993 , however it always maintained a cult following . Subsequently , endorsements from a new generation of directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie led to a critical reappraisal which saw it recognized as one of the best British movies of all time . In 1999 , Get Carter was ranked 16th on the BFI Top 100 British films of the 20th century ; five years later , a survey of British film critics in Total Film magazine chose it as the greatest British film of all time . Get Carter was remade in 2000 by Warner Bros. under the same title , with Sylvester Stallone starring as Jack Carter , while Caine appears in a supporting role . This remake was not well received by critics in the USA and was not given a UK theatrical release .