Let's be blunt: this is the best British gangster movie of all time, powered by Michael Caine's blistering performance as a complete bastard. His enforcer Carter heads to Newcastle after the death of his brother - his investigative technique there, involves making a nuisance of himself until someone comes sniffing, then working his way up the food-chain, bodies in his wake. Carter is not a nice man, but then, he makes absolutely no attempt to be. For brutal honesty (strong emphasis on the "brutal"), perseverance and loyalty to his family, you can only admire him, despite his callous indifference to human life, and the film is surely an influence on the "heroic bloodshed" movies of John Woo. The dialogue is ripe with immortal lines - you'll inevitably find yourself asking for pints of beer "in a thin glass" - and the Newcastle area becomes a non-speaking character all its own. Then there's the ending which, especially if you come upon it innocently, ranks as among the most carpet-pulling in cinema history. It'd take the best part of another thirty years for Caine to get an Oscar, yet he can have no finer monument than this.
A-
