Get Carter (1971)

No, it's not the 2000 version with Sylvester Stallone. As with most remakes, the original (based on Jack's Return Home by Ted Lewis) remains more popular. We may have Michael Caine to thank for that; he was always a better actor than Stallone.

Jack Carter, a thug, hears that his non-thug brother died under personally suspicious circumstances, but it looks enough like an accident that the authorities will inspect it no further. As he starts asking around, he clearly hits a nerve when other thugs advise him to drop it. This only encourages him, of course. It's hard for him to know what answers to trust, but one thing is clear: The resolution will get ugly.

The Wicker Man (1973)

It seems fitting to start with this film, since I was talking about it when a listener recommended that I launch this blog. (That could have been a subtle way to get me to stop running at the mouth, but I prefer to think otherwise.)

If the title puts a bad taste in your mouth due to the 2006 Nicolas Cage remake, let me assure you that the original is much more popular, despite the condemnation by a producer at the time who might have had something to do with the poor theater distribution and the suspiciously lost negatives. I have not seen the remake to compare, but at least this time there are no bees. Partly, I suppose, because they did the shooting well into fall in Scotland, a fact that might be most discernible when more than half the outdoor "nudes" are in body stockings.