Get Carter

If this rain-slicked new Sylvester Stallone revenge fantasy seems a little familiar, that could be because it's a remake of a gnarly 1971 film starring Michael Caine (who appears in this one too), or maybe it's just that the bad-guy-going-after-worse-guys plot cropped up in two other recent movies, The Limey and Payback (itself a remake of 1967's Point Blank). But even though the experience of watching Stallone rough guys up trying to find out who killed his brother feels like a retread of a retread, director Stephen Kay mounts a stimulating visual showcase of dynamically stylish filmmaking that keeps a viewer's attention. Bottom line: As remake retribution shoot-'em-ups go, this one doesn't measure up to the grittier, more entertaining Payback: it may be twice as flashy, but it's only half as cool. Optional. (R. Blackwelder)