It is a pleasure to watch such a polished show on the Fringe. Red Shift's Artistic Director Jonathan Holloway has taken great care over practically every aspect of this re-working of the famous Michael Caine cult film and the result is impressive.
Jack Carter, played by another Jack - Lord, is a tough gangster of the type that was so popular on big and small screen in the Sixties.
As the play opens, he swears that he will avenge his brother Frank's death. This is a bit rich coming from a man who had lost touch with Frank, having slept with his wife.
Quite why Tim Weeks' Frank should have been so offended is a little surprising since the tireless Jack sleeps his way through every woman that we see and hear about with the exception of his niece, who might just be a daughter anyway.
Jack then travels back to his old stamping ground, in Yorkshire to judge by the accents, to sort things out. There, helped by his deceased sibling, he comes up against floods of hard types (generally played by Eric Maclennan and Kieron Jecchinis) and a good number of attractive women (Lucy Cudden and Sally Orrock).
The plotting can get a little confused, as a cast of only six plays dozens of roles, but the principle of vengeance is rather more important than the detail of who is spraying blood over the stage at any point in time.
The staging is incredibly stylish, catching the period perfectly. A loud soundtrack offers music of the period, while the costumes, especially for the women could come from no other time.
Neil Irish's set, well lit by the director and David Sherman, is infinitely adaptable with a raked changing room swiftly transformed, often using a two-piece bench that proves to be perfect for anything from chair to table to bed.
Amid a welter of film adaptations for the stage, Get Carter is amongst, if not, the best, thanks to its wit, eélan and great pace, not to mention uncompromising slow motion sex and violence, all of which leaves you wishing for more at the end of just over 90 frantic minutes.