In fact, Liotta did a lot for Carnahan’s career (and is otherwise on my list of Tinseltown good guys”.
It seems although Carnahan was by no mean inexperienced, his career was not exactly powering ahead. Liotta read the script, had faith in it and off it went.
He not only produced it, but starred in it and, I seem to think, partly financed it, which goes to prove Liotta had a
good nose for fine work.
He also starred in a subsequent Carnahan film, Smokin Aces, a very different style of filmmaking and one which did not please everyone.
But it pleased me, I have to say, not least because it’s way, way, way over the top persona also manages to be so way, way, way over the top that you can’t help seeing the joke. Carnahan’s tongue is firmly in his cheek. Some, it seems, did not and took it at face value. Well, that is on them and not on Carnahan.
I then lost track of Carnahan (not that I was stalking him or anything) until last night when I came across The Rip, and fancied watching it, not least because it stars Matt Damon and his childhood pal Ben Affleck, to more of my good guys who always work well together.
For all my Schwärmerei about Carnahan, however, I am obliged to be truthful and, as you might have gathered from the title of this review, from a very promising start, second and third act, The Rip pretty much shoots itself in the foot and loses many of the points it had initially gained.
It becomes another, albeit very well-produced, Hollywood shoot-up flick.
That will certainly not dismay many, but it did rather rain on my parade and others might agree. And the nature of the film, or better the nature it acquired in its showdown, was distinctly at odds with the clever, intriguing and very promising build-up.
Frankly, it was ordinary and, almost inevitably, several very gaping plot holes became apparent. I shan’t spoil it for some and discuss them but they most certainly cannot be ignored. And that is a shame give the initial and for some time continuing promise of the films.
I suspect Carnahan pretty much wrote the script on the hoof, so to speak, and resorted to several – to my mind unforgivable – devices which are largely to blame for throwing away any kudos he might have acquired.
In keeping with that, to be blunt, unfair ‘plotting’, the film also concludes on several gooey scenes of the kind that go down well with sentimentalists, but never with me.
Still, with all that in mind, give The Rip a whirl if you like, but you might come to see what I mean.
Sadly cheats a little but a rollicking ride nevertheless.
But it pleased me, I have to say, not least because it’s way, way, way over the top persona also manages to be so way, way, way over the top that you can’t help seeing the joke. Carnahan’s tongue is firmly in his cheek. Some, it seems, did not and took it at face value. Well, that is on them and not on Carnahan.
I then lost track of Carnahan (not that I was stalking him or anything) until last night when I came across The Rip, and fancied watching it, not least because it stars Matt Damon and his childhood pal Ben Affleck, to more of my good guys who always work well together.
For all my Schwärmerei about Carnahan, however, I am obliged to be truthful and, as you might have gathered from the title of this review, from a very promising start, second and third act, The Rip pretty much shoots itself in the foot and loses many of the points it had initially gained.
It becomes another, albeit very well-produced, Hollywood shoot-up flick.
That will certainly not dismay many, but it did rather rain on my parade and others might agree. And the nature of the film, or better the nature it acquired in its showdown, was distinctly at odds with the clever, intriguing and very promising build-up.
Frankly, it was ordinary and, almost inevitably, several very gaping plot holes became apparent. I shan’t spoil it for some and discuss them but they most certainly cannot be ignored. And that is a shame give the initial and for some time continuing promise of the films.
I suspect Carnahan pretty much wrote the script on the hoof, so to speak, and resorted to several – to my mind unforgivable – devices which are largely to blame for throwing away any kudos he might have acquired.
In keeping with that, to be blunt, unfair ‘plotting’, the film also concludes on several gooey scenes of the kind that go down well with sentimentalists, but never with me.
Still, with all that in mind, give The Rip a whirl if you like, but you might come to see what I mean.
Sadly cheats a little but a rollicking ride nevertheless.
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