Spoiler, please.

September 20, 2012 9:29 AM

How does the end of 'Get Carter' differ from the end of the novel, 'Jack's Return Home', it's based on?

I saw 'Get Carter' last night, pretty good movie. A number of the descriptions note its (appropriate but not, IMO particularly surprising) ending.

Internet tells me it's based on a well regarded book by Ted Lewis, 'Jack's Return Home'. Some of the reviews, blog posts, essays, what-have-you also praise the book's ending and point out it was different from the movie's. None of them actually detail the difference.

So, how does 'Jack's Return Home' end?

posted by BigSky to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

Best answer: It's been a long time since I read this, but the book's ending is more ambiguous than the movie ending, which clearly ends with Carter dead. BBC radio 4 recently did an adaptation. The first episode is here. You can skip ahead to the final part, if you just want to catch the end.
posted by dortmunder at 10:01 AM on September 20, 2012

Response by poster: In the BBC's adaptation Carter fails to get the best of his final opponent and a plugged shotgun ends the fight. I hope that's faithful to the book as it's a better ending than the movie's.
posted by BigSky at 6:50 PM on September 20, 2012