Michael Caine leads the list of greatest movie bastards

MICHAEL CAINE’s role in the classic Get Carter has earned the title of nastiest screen character of all time.

As the eponymous Jack Carter he became a legendary anti-hero. Throwing an adversary from the top of a car park is just one of his remorseless acts of violence.

He was chosen by movie experts at Total Film magazine, who have compiled a countdown of the all-time greatest screen ‘bastards’.

Callous Carter is a psychotic gangland killer in the 1971 film, which broke new ground at the time for its cold, graphic scenes of bloodshed.

He beats ruthless figures such as Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko and Melvin Udall from As Good As It Gets to make the top slot.

Carter is seen watching without emotion as a car sinks into a canal with a woman trapped in the boot.

The soulless character sneers when an associate who idolises him takes a severe beating on his behalf, then simply throws money at him, saying: “Get yourself some karate lessons.”

Caine told the magazine: “We made it very violent for the time because I had this bee in my bonnet that British films treated gangsters as though they were stupid or funny.”

Having met many during his childhood in London’s Elephant and Castle, he pointed out: “Never did I meet any who was stupid or remotely funny.

“It was only violent insofar as I wanted to get across the point that if you whack a bloke eight or 10 times in the face, he isn’t going to get up, shake himself down and come back at you.”

Director Mike Hodges admitted he was surprised Caine took the role: “Jack Carter was such a shit, it never occurred to me that a star would risk his reputation playing him.”