Get Carter

What About It?

Even bad guys have families, and no matter how rotten a character is, we can sympathize when a crime against that family drives them into action. In the movies, senseless death in the family is often enough to turn the most mild mannered citizen into a killing machine. We don't mind seeing that, since most of us probably imagine we'd feel the same way.

In "Get Carter" we, like Carter himself don't know anything about his brother Frank's murder. We start off with no evidence that it was anything but an accident. Jack Carter must investigate anyway, as he doesn't believe it. Judging by the company he keeps, he has good reason to consider anything bad that happens as suspicious. He's a hit man on retainer for a couple of London gangsters. His idea of having a social life is sleeping with his boss' girlfriend, planning to go to South America with her. There is no sense of "family" loyalty towards his employer. He's somewhat of a free agent, as we see when Gerald tells him not to go check out his brother's situation, and he openly declines to listen. These men don't care for each other much, their alliances based on getting the job done with as little trouble as possible. This is true in London, and in Newcastle where Carter comes from. The only difference between place are the guys in charge. Presumably, Newcastle crime is smaller scale, but we don't really see London for comparison. In any event, they look about the same to Jack Carter. He knows all about the underworld. It's a fact of his life. Its influence has corrupted his whole family. His brother Frank, who we never see, but hear described as nothing like Frank, but "calm as gentle Jesus." while not seeing himself as a gangster, works at a bar owned by a gangster. The closest thing Frank has to a regular girlfriend is a married woman who may be a prostitute. He wasn't a gangster but his life was full of the criminal influence. Unsurprisingly, this also touched his daughter's life starting the sequence of events that led to his death.

Jack Carter is a good guy to pick if you want revenge, but he's not a good guy in any other way. Watching him laugh as he's about to hurt somebody, of after he's done, we know that he's not reluctant about violence, and even enjoys it. He's not one of those hit men who tells himself he only hurts bad guys, he doesn't seem to care about anything but his own desires. Even Frank's death doesn't seem to bother him much. And he pursues his revenge as much out of pride as any emotional attachment.  Even his allies get no special consideration. When Keith the bar employee who assists him is kidnapped, he's not bothered. He simply says "What do you want me to do? I don't know where he is?" He catches up with Keith later and gives him some money for the trouble he had, but he can't help but mock him telling him to spend it on karate lessons. He offers his niece Doreen a place to stay, but doesn't push the issue when she says she's going to stay with friends. As his parting gesture, he gives her some money and tells her not to trust boys. He fulfills his possible duty, but Jack hasn't been to Newcastle in some time, he's not a beloved uncle, but a stranger that Doreen knows just well enough to recognize.

We're not shown much of Jack's past in Newcastle, but there is a hint of it in his associations. Finally fed up with Carter, Keith reveals that he knows more about Jack than he said. Frank told him that Jack slept with his wife and he didn't even know if Doreen was his. Eric's hatred of Jack is obvious immediately, although it doesn't stop Carter from toying with him. It's obvious that he delights in reminding Eric of his grudge, and we can safely assume that whatever happened between them, Carter came out of it far ahead. Eric's resentment is too strong for a minor slight, although they never outright mention what happened. Eric's continued "Still got your sense of humor" comments, imply that Carter made him the butt of a joke at some point.

Carter has a limited sense of duty, but no loyalty at all. Shortly after making love to Glenda, he thinks nothing of throwing her in the trunk, and his expression doesn't even change when the car containing her (still alive) is pushed into the water. He may have been angry that she was involved in Doreen getting into pornography but she wasn't the agent behind it all, or forcing anyone to do anything, she was simply someone doing what she always does.  Carter's relationship with Anna is a betrayal of his boss. And as far as Anna herself goes, he's not even loyal there, calling her his fiancee, but sleeping with any woman he can. He betrays Kinnear, making a deal with him and then planting a body and calling the police. He thinks nothing of betrayal and takes very little seriously, making a joke out of anything he can.

There's no secret do gooder waiting to be revealed, but at the same time, he's not completely inhuman. He appears genuinely shaken on discovering the pornographic film with Doreen in it. But even this can be seen as an affront to his own pride, in the same way that killing his brother was. In fact, Eric seems to view it much the same way, as a side benefit to his actions. We learn that Eric said "Good." when told that Frank was Jack's brother. Still, whatever, Jack's depth of emotion (or lack of) we want him to succeed, because we all understand family. Even though Jack wasn't good to his brother, he gets angry at Margaret when he realizes she isn't the kind of girlfriend he though Frank should have. "I'm the villain in the family." he says, and he certainly believes this. It's his role in the family to be the undependable, untrustworthy one. They weren't close but there was still some connection and that's where the duty comes from.

It should also be said that Jack's traits are not unusual among his peers. We see Brumby betray Kinnear in order to get out of the snare he was caught in. Glenda betrays both Kinnear and Brumby. Margaret betrays Frank and Doreen. And of course Gerald betrays Carter, to pay his own betrayal back. Betrayal seems a big part of Carter's way of living. The important thing is to betray the other guy better than and before he betrays you. That's the world he lives in, and he's well versed in the rules. His revenge never comes across as a noble deed, as much as following the rules of betrayal. If he lets it stand, that would send the wrong message, that he can be insulted without consequence.

He's curious as well, and wants to see the mystery solved. We see him reading "Farewell, My Lovely" on the train ride to Newcastle, and that's certainly no accident. "Get Carter" has a lot in common with a detective story, only replacing Philip Marlowe with one of the thugs that beat him up. Carter and Marlowe both enjoy witty banter, but the similarities end there. Carter doesn't have the governor on his actions that Marlowe did. He'll kill you to get information and may even laugh about it. He belongs in the underworld and aside from the family sympathy, he has other relatable qualities. He's smart and efficient and he actually gets his hands dirty, while the bosses merely give orders. He's good at doing his job, even if it's not an admirable job to have. He's not the only hit man around though, as we see at the end when the cycle of betrayals catches up to him, fortunately just after he finished his mission. He's not immune to his own lifestyle.

"Get Carter" is Mike Hodges' first film, although it doesn't seem like a debut. He manages to get the shady essence of Carter's criminal lifestyle in every part of the film. This world is not a nice place to live, but you can believe that a few blocks over, maybe it's not so bad. We get the sense however, that Carter wouldn't know what to do in a nicer neighborhood. He only knows one way. It was an interesting choice to make the lead character as unsympathetic as Carter, and it's a credit to Michael Caine that despite his rotten nature, he becomes just personal enough, that we still want him to succeed. This is by far my favorite Michael Caine role and watching it again, it's easy to believe that he's still acting today, although the role is very different than the mentor figures he's been playing recently. Here, he's witty, sharp and very dangerous. The film has sparse dialogue, including long stretches where no one says anything at all. As a result, when people talk it counts. Carter especially seems to measure everything he says for maximum impact. Everything is not explained, but we pick up the edge's of the character's back stories, just enough to know how they feel about each other. This adds to the feeling of precision, all the way up to the last action, a sniper pulling the trigger and packing up, the logical end of the story.  The scenery is used to great effect, both urban and natural environments are perfectly used. Even at the beach, there are coal buckets zipping by, as if nothing is really clean.

The supporting actors all hold up very well, especially Ian Hendry as the grudge nursing Eric Paice. You can feel the contempt he has for Carter every time they speak, as well as the knowledge that Carter is dangerous. John Osborne's Kinnear is very entertaining, just to see the smug way he holds a conversation with Carter while toying with someone as he takes all their money. RoseMarie Dunham's portrayal of Edna is  another high point, her alarmed interjections into Carter's situation are all the more amusing after he calls her bluff. Geraldine Moffat's Glenda makes the most of every scene. There isn't a bad performance here even the bar patrons feel like they belong. Like the rest of the film, we're given exactly the elements required to tell this story, but it feels like there's more underneath it.

What Happens?

We find Jack Carter (Michael Caine) at a party hosted by brothers Gerald (Terence Rigby) and Sid Fletcher, (John Bindon,) centered on a pornographic slide show. Gerald tells Carter "We don't want you to go up North, Jack. You work for us." He mentions some connections they have in place that they'd rather Jack not screw up. He asks Carter why he's going. Carter tells him "To find out what happened." He tells Carter, "Look, your brother's dead and gone. They're hard nuts up there, Jack. They won't take kindly to someone from London poking his nose in."
Carter: Too bad.
Gerald: Remember, they're killers. Just like you. The police seem satisfied.
Carter: Since when was that good enough?
Gerald: Think again, Jack.
Carter: I will.



We see Carter the next day, on a train. We see him keeping himself busy, blending into the background, on the long trip up north to Newcastle. He finds the streets quiet and visits a bar. He looks over all the patrons carefully, and the bartender announces a call for Mr. Carter. The call is from a Margaret, and Carter is angry she isn't at the bar, although she hangs up on him.

Later, he visits his brother Frank's house in Newcastle. He notices the poor shape the house is in. Two men in a car down in the street notice him in the window and drive on. He looks through old things, including a shotgun kept on top of a dresser. In the living room, he finds his brother Frank's body in it's coffin. He looks it over and then leaves to get a room at a boarding house managed by Edna, who wisecracks about him seeing someone.

The next day is Frank's funeral. Carter asks the undertaker, "Was he in bad shape?" He replies, "They come worse." He takes a moment to take to Doreen Carter, Frank's sixteen year old daughter. He offers condolences but she doesn't say much except to tell Jack that the police said Frank was drunk. She reveals that she left school to work at Woolworth's. Carter asks if she's planning to live with Margaret, but she shakes her head. He offers to have her come live with him, saying his fiancee wouldn't mind. Carter talks with Frank's coworkers, Eddie and Keith, on the way to church, who tell him that Frank was a "good bloke" and they were surprised when he didn't show up for work. Eddie says "You know a bloke for six bloody years and all the time he's as calm as gentle Jesus... (pause) ...then he goes and does a thing like that. It's a bloody funny thing." Carter agrees "Yeah, a bloody funny thing." We see the funeral procession pass by the men in the land rover who saw Jack in his brother's window. They're parked on the side of the road watching.

They move to a church for the service and Frank's girlfriend Margaret, shows up. When Frank is cremated, she tries to slip out but Jack catches up with her. Jack insists on talking to her about Doreen. He tells her she's the closest person to her since her mother left. Margaret insists that she has nothing to do with her, revealing that she has a husband. She tries to leave but he grabs her arm and asks "Who killed Frank, Margaret?" She insists she knows nothing about it and tells him she's in a hurry. He insists that they met later and she reluctantly agrees.

Jack, Doreen, Eddie and Keith go to a bar afterwards. Eddie toasts, "To absent friends." He starts wondering whether Frank killed himself on purpose, upsetting Doreen. He and Keith talk about the oddity of him drinking whisky as he never drank. Eddie calls him "a good bloke, the best." again, and Doreen throws her drink in his face. She yells "How would you know? Or you? Or you? None of you knew. I knew. He was me dad!!" before storming out. Jack buys them another drink and asks Keith (who works at the bar) to let him know if anyone comes looking for him. He asks Keith about an Albert Swift, who is apparently a regular customer. He tells Carter that Albert is probably at the races.

Jack goes to the horse races to find Albert (Glynn Edwards.) Albert spots Jack, causing a hot dog bun to fall out of his mouth, before leaving to avoid him. Jack runs into an old associate, Eric, obviously surprised, says "Good God!"
Carter: Is he?

Eric: Jack Carter. 

Carter: Eric. Eric Paice. 

Eric: What you doing around here then? 

Carter: Didn't you know this is my home town? 

Eric: No, I didn't know that. 

Carter: Funny, that. 

Eric: Thanks. So what're you doing? On your holidays?

Carter: No. I'm visiting relatives. 

Eric: Oh, that's nice. 

Carter: It would be. If they were still living. 

Eric: Meaning what? 

Carter:  A bereavement. A death in the family. 

Eric: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. 

Carter:  That's all right, Eric. Carter flicks bis lighter and gives Eric a, light. 

Eric:  Well, well. Small world, isn't it? 

Carter:  Very... (pause) So, who you working for these days Eric? 

Eric: Oh, I'm straight. (indicating uniform) Respectable. 

Carter:  What are you doing? Advertising Martini? 

Eric: Oh, you've been watching television. 

Carter:  Yeah. Come off it, Eric. Who is it? 

Carter:  Brumby? Kinnear?

Eric: What's it to you anyway? 

Carter:  I've always had your welfare at heart, Eric. Besides which, I'm nosy. 

Eric: That's not always a healthy way to be... 

Carter:  And you should know, if I remember rightly. So you're doing all right then, Eric. You're making good. 

Eric: Making a living. 

Carter:  Good prospects for advancement, is there? A pension? [takes off Eric's sunglasses] Do you know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. They're still the same. Piss holes in the snow. 

Eric: Still got a sense of humour? 

Carter:  Yes, I retained that, Eric. Do you know a man called Albert Swift, Eric? 

Eric: Can't say I do.

A little later Carter follows Eric, who is driving three men from the race track. He brings them to an estate called "The Heights." Carter parks and walks into the property on foot, knocking out a guard with a stick. He sees the men who were in the Land Rover outside and tries to evade them. They bring him into the main room of the house where Cyril Kinnear (John Osborne,) is holding a card game, betting back and forth with Harry (Kevin Brennan)  Kinnear has a woman there, Glenda (Geraldine Moffat) get Jack a drink. Kinnear seems amused that Jack slipped passed his guards. He remarks that he didn't know that Jack's brother was working in one of his places. He offers condolences, saying "If I'd have known I'd have fixed him up with something better. Nasty way to go." while at the same time continuing with his card game raising the ante, and taking the other player, Harry for all his money. Glenda and others at the table seem fascinated that Jack knows Sid Fletcher. Carter says that he works for Fletcher and Glenda recalls that Fletcher was out to visit Kinnear last year for a few days and she went out with him. 

Carter leaves and Eric pulls him aside for a moment and tells him, "Jack, I didn't like that."

Carter: You should've told me who you were working for.

Eric: Cyril didn't like it either.

Carter: Oh, Cyril, eh? So it's all girls together, is it?

Eric: He's thinking Sid and Gerald won't like it much when they hear you've been sticking your nose in.

Carter: [leaving] He's right. Tell him to save the cost of the phone call.

The next day, Carter visits a scrap yard to look at his brother's car. He determines that it was driven into the river, although the steering and brakes were fine. The scrapyard owner tells him "He was drunk as a lord."

Later, Carter visits the Half Moon bar again. He talks to Keith who tells him a man named Thorpe was asking about him. "Haven't seen him in a long time." Carter says. Keith tells him that Thorpe said the same thing. Keith tells him that Thorpe had asked where he was saying, but he didn't tell him. "Good lad." Carter tells him. Carter leaves as a bar fight starts.

Carter finds Doreen at a restaurant having a milkshake with another woman. He calls her outside to talk and check if she's alright. She tells him she is. She tells him she's going to be living with a friend rather than go with him. He gives her some money and tells her "Be good. And, don't trust boys." 

Carter returns to the boarding house and finds a casket shaped package with an envelope waiting for him. He asks Edna if he can phone London. "It'll cost you." she says but sits down nearby as he makes a call to Anna (Britt Ekland). He starts a phone sex conversation with her, which she eagerly participates in, as Edna listens. He mentions making love when they're in South America. She's interrupted when Gerald Fletcher knocks on the door and asks if she's got "gut trouble." She pretends she's been talking to a girlfriend and hangs up. Carter hears the doorbell and finds Keith outside looking a little ragged. he tells Carter, "Thorpey, they were waiting for us in the car park." Carter asks how many men there were and Keith tells him there were four. A car pulls up in front of them and Thorpe (Bernard Hepton) tells Jack he'd like a word with him. Carter replies "That's nice." Thorpe tells Carter he was instructed to give him a train ticket, that he has just enough time to catch.

Carter: What happens if I miss the train?

Thorpe: I've been asked to make sure you don't.

Carter: Oh, really? You're getting very optimistic in your old age, aren't you, Thorpey?

The other men in the car start muttering, and Thorpe asks again, telling him "It'd be best." Carter tears up the ticket and drops it to the ground. 

One of the men starts to get out but Carter slams the car door on him. The driver hits the gas as a man in the back was getting out and his foot is caught by the seat belt causing him to be dragged on the road. Realizing what happened, the driver stops. Thorpe gets out of the car and runs. Carter chases him into a dance club and finds Thorpe in the Men's room. He yanks open the door and says "Time's up, Thorpey."

Carter brings Thorpe back to the boarding house, where Keith is cleaning up the glass from the car. Edna is furious but Carter apologizes and ignores her, bringing Thorpe up to his room. He opens the casket that was sent to him and tells Thorpe, Well now, Thorpey. It seems I've got a secret benefactor. It's nice to know that, isn't it, Keith? There's only one trouble, I don't know who to thank." He starts beating Thorpe and demands to know who it is. Thorpe refuses to talk saying "I can't." but Carter grabs him by the testicles and squeezes. Thorpe tells him "Brumby." Keith asks "Who's Brumby?"

Carter:  Cliff Brumby. Ever been to Westsea? [Keith nods] Ever been into an arcade there and put a penny in the slot machine? [nods] Ten to one, it belonged to Cliff Brumby, and like as not the bloody arcade as well. Right along the coast. Isn't that right, Thorpey?

Carter gets an address from Thorpe, "On Durham Road, in the Pantiles." Thorpe asks if he can go. Carter says "You must be joking." and tells Keith to keep Thorpe away from the phone.

Carter heads to the Pantiles and Brumby's house where a party is happening. Carter sneaks up to the house and sees Brumby (Brian Mosley) pulling up to the house, furious tha this daughter was having a party while he was out. Carter lets himself in as the party disperses, confronting Mrs. Brumby and telling her to tell Brumby that Fletcher sent him.

Brumby: What's so bloody important it couldn't wait till the morning? Listen, I'm not in the mood for bloody silly buggers.

Carter: [standing up] I made a mistake. 

Brumby: What? 

Carter: I made a mistake. 

Brumby: What about? 

Carter: Never mind.

Carter starts to leave but Brumby stops him, saying "Listen, I don't like it when some hard nut comes pushing his way in and out my house in the middle of the night." 

Carter starts to leave again, but again Brumby stops him. 

Brumby: Bloody well tell me who sent you. 

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

Brumby swings but Carter quickly steps aside and beats him, leaving him sitting in his chair.

Carter returns to Edna's boarding house, entering cautiously as the door is wide open. He finds only Edna there, with a torn dress, holding a poker. She tells him that they took Keith away and hurt her. She asks if he killed Brumby. Carter shakes his head and she adds "Thorpey nearly died laughing." Carter says "That little shit!" She asks him what he'll do about Keith, Carter says, "I don't know, pension him off."

Edna: You're a bastard!

Carter: What am I supposed to do? I don't know where they've taken him. Do you? [she shakes her head] So, shut up! 

She threatens to call the police, and he says she won't. "How do you know I wouldn't?" Edna asks. He answers "Because I know you wear purple underwear."

Edna: What's that supposed to mean?

Carter: Think about it. [rips open her shirt revealing purple bra.]

We see a marching band marching outside the boarding house. Inside Carter and Edna are in bed. A red car parks outside the boarding house and two men, Peter the Dutchman (Tony Beckley) and Con McCarty (George Sewell)  get out, go into the building and walk in on Carter and Edna. Surprising Jack, Con tells him, "Gerald phoned us in the middle of the night, said he'd heard you've been making a nuisance of yourself." He tells Jack they have to take him back to London. Carter manages to grab a shotgun from under the bed and usher them out into the street while still naked. They tell him they'll wait until he has his clothes on. He gets dressed and brings Edna out the back, where Con is waiting. Holding the shotgun, Carter takes Con's gun and locks him in a shed. Carter gets in his car and takes off, hitting the door of Con and Peter's car and knocking it off, before leaving.

Carter goes to check on Keith. He finds him at home, badly beaten up. Keith is angry assuming that Carter knew this would happen. Carter asks him about Albert Swift again, but Keith is still angry. Carter throws him some money, and tells him "for a karate lesson." Keith says,  "Frank said you were a shit and he was bloody well right.You even screwed his wife, didn't you? The poor bastard didn't even know if the kid was his." Carter leaves.

He meets up with Margaret. He deduces that to Margaret, Frank was "just another fella." although he was nicer than most. She tells him "We are what we are, like it or not." and tells him that Frank wanted Margaret to leave her husband for him. She had to break things off and Frank threatened to kill himself. Carter tells her  , don't believe you, Margaret.  "Frank wasn't like that. I'm the villain in the family, remember?" She tells him she doesn't know anything else, and Carter declares that he isn't leaving until he finds out who killed his brother. Peter and Con pull up next to them making Carter angry with Margaret for tipping them off. He runs for it on foot, with Con chasing him. Glenda shows up just in time and calls to Jack. He gets in and Glenda, very drunk, tells him, "You didn't know you had a fairy godmother, did you?" 

Carter: No. I didn't know that. 

Glenda: A fairy godmother, all of your own. Aren't you lucky? 

Carter: So where are we going, Princess? 

Glenda: To the demon king's castle, of course. 

Carter: Of course. Where else?

She brings him to a parking garage where Brumby is waiting. He tells Carter, "Last night, after you'd gone, I did a little bit of asking around. Seeing as you weren't very forthcoming, (pause) It seems that you are concerned about the death of your brother? (pause) I got to thinking it would be nice if the bloke you were after was the same bloke I wanted off my back." He tells Carter that he's in trouble with Kinnear for placing some gambling machines in the wrong place, and that Kinnear killed his brother. He offers Carter five grand to kill Kinnear, but Carter is skeptical of the claim. He takes off with Glenda and they make love at her place, which she tells him, is paid for by Grumby. 

Carter: Aren't you scared Kinnear will find out?

Glenda: He won't. He thinks I'm simple.

Carter notices a film projector in the room and asks if Grumby's into that. He aks her if Kinnear mentioned him after he left. Glenda gets angry, saying "that's why you waited for me." She leaves to take a shower and Carter turns on the film projector. He's disturbed to see that Doreen is in the film along with Glenda and Margaret. Albert Swift is also in the film. He's visibly shaken by this information. and confronts Glenda in the bathtub. He loses his temper, revealing that Doreen is Frank's daughter. He pulls her from the bath and puts her in the trunk and goes looking for Albert Swift. He finds Albert in a betting shop.
Carter: Hello, Albert. 

Albert: Hello, Jack. I don't know anything, Jack. 

Carter: Yes, you do, Albert. Talk or I'll kill you. 

Albert: I know. I know.

Carter talks Albert out behind the shop. He attempts to escape, but Carter stops him.
Albert:  I didn't know who Doreen was. Thought she was just another bird. 

Carter:  Did Eric Paice pull her? 

Albert:  Yes. 

Carter:  How? 

Albert: I dunno. He's got his ways. He knows Margaret. 

Carter: When did you find out? 

Albert:A couple of weeks back. 

Carter:  How? 

Albert: No choice. I had a visit from somebody. 

Carter:  Who? 

Albert:  Cliff Brumby. He'd seen the film. He wanted to meet Doreen. 

Carter:  And you told Brumby? [nods] Who killed Frank? Do you want to be dead, Albert? 

Albert:  Last Sunday afternoon, Eric and two of his boys arrive with Frank and tell me that he's rumbled. Somehow, he's seen the film and was about to shoot his mouth off. They ask me for some whisky and start forcing it down his throat. (pause) I thought they'd just duff him up a bit. Honest. 

Carter:  What did you do? Albert? 

Albert: Nothing. What could I do? 

Carter: Did Eric know that Frank was my brother? 

Albert: Yes. I told him. 

Carter:  What did he say? 

Albert:  'Good.'

Jack pulls out a knife.

Carter: You knew what I'd do.

Albert: Yes, but listen. Christ, I didn't kill him. 

Carter: [stabs Albert] I know you didn't kill him. I know you didn't. 

Eric, Con and Peter catch up with Carter on a ferry. Peter fires at Carter, tipping him off. Eric is angry, and reminds him "No shooters. Cyril said, no shooters." Con mentions that Gerald wants to see him first. Carter is listening to them and taunts them to come out.
Eric: You're finished, Jack. You know that, don't you? I've bloody finished you. 

Carter: Not till I'm dead, Eric. Eric laughs. 

Eric: Oh, you've still got your sense of humor? Tell him how I've fixed him, Con. 

Con: He's told Gerald about you and Anna. 

Eric: Didn't believe us at first, did he, Con? Then Peter talked to him. 

Peter: Didn't even say goodbye. Just asked us to take you back - alive. 

Eric: He's probably talking to her right now. Are you still going to fancy her when Gerald's finished with her face?

Peter attempts to get near Carter, who warns him to stay put. Peter doesn't listen and Carter kills him. Eric, meanwhile pushes Carter's car into the water with the Land Rover, unaware that Glenda is in the trunk.

Carter catches up with Grumby, who is meeting with architects in a high building. He punches Grumby in the gut and tells him, "You shouldn't have shown the film to Frank."  Brumby tells him, "I had to. It was the only way I could get at them." Carter drops Grumby over the side of the building. He then catches up with Margaret. We see Kinnear answer a call from Gerald, but he finds it's Carter on the phone, standing in a phone booth with Margaret.
Carter: It's Carter. Listen carefully, you hairy-faced git. I've got the film and enough evidence to put you away for a long time. All it takes is one call to the police.

Kinnear: Really?

Carter: I'll do a simple deal with you. All I want is...

Kinnear: I think that can be arranged.

Carter: but I don't want him there until six in the morning. OK?

Kinnear call Eric over to him.

Carter pulls his car over into a clearing in the woods at night. He tells Margaret to take her clothes off. She complies and he gags her before injecting her with heroin.

Kinnear makes a call to an unknown man with a ring with a "J." on it. . He asks the man if he knows what Jack Carter looks like. He says he does.

Carter parks outside Kinnear's property in the morning and watches Eric leave. He then calls the police. The police search the property and find drugs and all sorts of illegal activity, including Margaret's dead body floating in a pond. They arrest Kinnear and take him away in front of all his guests.

Carter takes his shotgun and a bottle of whiskey and waits for Eric at a seaside pier. Eric sees him and runs. Carter tells him "You couldn't win an egg and spoon race, Eric." He tells Eric to stay away from his car or "I'll blow you apart." They continue the chase on foot. Carter catches up to him on the beach and tells him to stand up.He forces Eric to drink the whisky, "saying, Drink up, Eric. Drink up. I want you to drink all of that. Do you understand? Drink up. Just like it was with my brother, Frank. Go on, son. Drink up." He forces Eric  to drink, covering him with the whiskey as he throws it up. He yells, "Did you all have a good laugh, eh? Did you have a good laugh when he was spewing it up?" Satisfied, Carter says "Goodbye, Eric." and hits him in the head with his shotgun, then dumps him into a coal bucket passing by to be dumped into the ocean. We see it dump Eric as Carter laughs. 

Carter walks along the beach, and as he's about to throw his shotgun into the ocean we see a sniper a little ways off (wearing a ring with a "J" on it) take aim and fire, putting a hole through Carter's forehead. The waves crash into Carter's body as the hit man packs up his things and leaves quietly.