In a lovely but definitely not lonely place -- Nantucket Island -- a hack screenwriter gets lucky and finds another guy's work to rip off with murky "neo-noir" consequences in John S. Johnson's overwrought independent feature.
The atmosphere of repressed violence and kinky sex is thick in Johnson's slow-moving scenario, which takes off when one-hit wonderboy Elliott Callahan (Tom Gilroy) ducks out of Hollywood to make one last stand with the help of his agent. The parallels to Tarantino are obvious -- Elliott's only big hit is a violent action film bearing resemblance to a prior Hong Kong movie -- but "Ratchet" takes a promising premise and devolves into a preposterous thriller.
A drinker and always available, Elliott has to deliver a new script or go to court. He's a loner and not talented -- and easily distracted once he's settled near the beach. Not to worry. There are two femme fatales, an old Hollywood chum who's now a jealous maniac, a greasy tough guy with a script and a perverted police chief to bounce ideas off.
Art is worked into the proceedings with the character of Julia (Murit Koppel), whose painting about her sister's rape and murder catches the eye of attentive Elliott when she shows him her lair. Alas, she's somehow involved with scary Carver (Matthew Dixon), an intense but crude local who recognizes Elliott and immediately throws him a copy of his own opus.
All about bondage and voyeurism and told from a murderer's point of view, Elliott loves Carver's script so much that he types it into his computer and phones L.A. with the good news. He's got something, and there's still time to get involved with the flirtatious real estate lady (Margaret Welsh) who drives by occasionally.
Carver discovers the theft, and Elliott shoots him. He then seems to get away with it when the body disappears. Credibility and coherence disappear soon after as the uncharismatic lead cruises through an obstacle course of sin-city encounters in a bucolic setting.
Johnson's direction is routine, and the performances range from lazy to catastrophic. Starting with the script, "Ratchet" is an unsatisfying potboiler.
RATCHET
Phaedra Cinema
Ratchet Prods.
in association with Altar Rocks Films
Writer-director John S. Johnson
Producers George Belshaw, John S. Johnson
Executive producer Hank Blumenthal
Director of photography Joaquin Baca-Asay
Production designer Debbie Devilla
Costume designer Jana Rosenblatt
Music Paul Schwartz
Editors James Lyons, Keith Remaer
Casting Susan Shopmaker
Color/stereo
Cast:
Elliott Callahan Tom Gilroy
Catherine Ripley Margaret Welsh
Tim Greenleaf Mitchell Lichtenstein
Julia Webb Murit Koppel
Henry Carver Matthew Dixon
Chief Groves John A. Mackay
Running time -- 114 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The atmosphere of repressed violence and kinky sex is thick in Johnson's slow-moving scenario, which takes off when one-hit wonderboy Elliott Callahan (Tom Gilroy) ducks out of Hollywood to make one last stand with the help of his agent. The parallels to Tarantino are obvious -- Elliott's only big hit is a violent action film bearing resemblance to a prior Hong Kong movie -- but "Ratchet" takes a promising premise and devolves into a preposterous thriller.
A drinker and always available, Elliott has to deliver a new script or go to court. He's a loner and not talented -- and easily distracted once he's settled near the beach. Not to worry. There are two femme fatales, an old Hollywood chum who's now a jealous maniac, a greasy tough guy with a script and a perverted police chief to bounce ideas off.
Art is worked into the proceedings with the character of Julia (Murit Koppel), whose painting about her sister's rape and murder catches the eye of attentive Elliott when she shows him her lair. Alas, she's somehow involved with scary Carver (Matthew Dixon), an intense but crude local who recognizes Elliott and immediately throws him a copy of his own opus.
All about bondage and voyeurism and told from a murderer's point of view, Elliott loves Carver's script so much that he types it into his computer and phones L.A. with the good news. He's got something, and there's still time to get involved with the flirtatious real estate lady (Margaret Welsh) who drives by occasionally.
Carver discovers the theft, and Elliott shoots him. He then seems to get away with it when the body disappears. Credibility and coherence disappear soon after as the uncharismatic lead cruises through an obstacle course of sin-city encounters in a bucolic setting.
Johnson's direction is routine, and the performances range from lazy to catastrophic. Starting with the script, "Ratchet" is an unsatisfying potboiler.
RATCHET
Phaedra Cinema
Ratchet Prods.
in association with Altar Rocks Films
Writer-director John S. Johnson
Producers George Belshaw, John S. Johnson
Executive producer Hank Blumenthal
Director of photography Joaquin Baca-Asay
Production designer Debbie Devilla
Costume designer Jana Rosenblatt
Music Paul Schwartz
Editors James Lyons, Keith Remaer
Casting Susan Shopmaker
Color/stereo
Cast:
Elliott Callahan Tom Gilroy
Catherine Ripley Margaret Welsh
Tim Greenleaf Mitchell Lichtenstein
Julia Webb Murit Koppel
Henry Carver Matthew Dixon
Chief Groves John A. Mackay
Running time -- 114 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/29/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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