Mike Hodges, ‘Croupier’ and ‘Get Carter’ Director, Dies at 90

The British filmmaker also directed the 1980 cult hit “Flash Gordon”

mike-hodges
Director Mike Hodges in 2004 (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)

Mike Hodges, British director known for “Croupier,” “Flash Gordon,” and “Get Carter,” has died. He was 90. 

Hodges’ good friend Mike Kaplan and producer of “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” confirmed the director’s death to multiple media outlets.

At the beginning of his career, Hodges carved out a space for himself in crime dramas with “Get Carter” (1971) and “Pulp” (1972), concluding with “Croupier” (1999) and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” (2003). Outside of this bookend category of his catalog, he was also known for his rendition of “Flash Gordon.”

Hodges adapted “Get Carter” from a novel by Ted Lewis. The story follows Caine, a London gangster who seeks vengeance fr his brother’s murder. The British gangster movie experienced a resurgence after its 2000 remake starring Sylvester Stallone in the role of Caine.

Hodges’ second film “Pulp” consisted of another crime drama, but this one included a comedic twist element with Caine portraying a Mickey King, a memoir ghost-writer. Caine’s client is unveiled as Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney), a celebrity once known for playing gangsters and suspected of having real Mafia ties, who gets murdered at a party.

The director’s next hit arrived 27 years later, the neo-noir “Croupier,” starring Clive Owens. Owens plays an aspiring writer who takes a gambling den dealer job that leads to his involvement in a robbery of the place. “Croupier” brought Hodges crime drama career back, making way for “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” in which Owens also starred.

Owens portrays an exiled criminal who seeks vengeance against Malcolm McDowell’s gangster character after the rape and murder of Owens’ younger brother (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers).

Other feature films directed by Hodges include “The Terminal Man” (1974) loosely adapted from Michael Crichton’s bestselling book, “Damien — Omen II” (1978), “Morons From Outer Space” (1985), and “Black Rainbow” (1989).

After his last feature film “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” Hodges directed documentaries “Queen: Greatest Video Hits 2” (2003) and “Murder by Numbers” (2004).

He also wrote plays like “Soft Shoe Shuffle” (1985), “Shooting Stars and Other Heavenly Pursuits” (2000) and the radio play “King Trash” (2004). His first novel “Watching the Wheels Come Off” came out in 2010.

Hodges is survived by his wife, Carol Laws, his sons Ben and Jake Hodges, and five grandchildren, Marlon, Honey, Orson, Michael and Gabriel.

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