Blood, Guts, Bullets And Octane Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
Every generation has a hero.
Every hero has an inspiration.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mark Ebner...
Two Cats...One Car...And A World Of Hurt.
Slick-talking Bob and Sid run a bankrupt used-car lot. They used to work for Danny Woo, whose lot next door is the most successful one in Needles. Danny's still their friend, and what with his sick wife, Bob and Sid agree to cover for him during an IRS investigation into his finances. Meanwhile, a series of murders and an FBI investigation focus on a Pontiac convertible with a mysterious cargo originating in the Andes. Bob and Sid's shady supplier offers them $250,000 to stash the car on their lot for a couple days; Bob's reluctant, but Sid sees this as their ticket out. They say yes, then try to run a double cross on the Pontiac's mysterious and ruthless owner.
| Joe Carnahan | Sid French |
| Dan Leis | Bob Melba |
| Ken Rudulph | FBI Agent Jared |
| Dan Harlan | Danny Woo |
| Hugh McChord | Mr. Reich |
| Kurt Johnson | Hillbilly Sniper |
| Mark S. Allen | FBI Agent Franks |
| Kellee Benedict | FBI Agent Littel |
| Mike Maas | Victor Drub/Dumpster Bum |
| Nick Fenske | Mechanic |
| Mark Priolo | Frank Priolo |
| Andrew Fowler | Mike Carbuyer |
| Gloria Gómez | Julie Carbuyer |
| Josephine Arreola | Elda |
| Dave Booth | Jerry |
| Joe Carnahan |
5.50 out of 10 (465 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Carnahan is the next Tarantino.
posted on 30 Dec 2008It's simple: This movie has the best written dialogue I've ever heard.
Better than Reservoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction/Jackie Brown, and sharper than Mamet. The fact that it cost $7500 to make is incredible, Carnahan and co. must have known everybody in town to shoot a film for that cheap, but the fact remains that the script is the fulcrum of the viewing experience. The acting is terrific, and Carnahan really shines reading his own words. The visual style is incredible considering the budget. I heard the first cut was 30 hours, as they started from the top in editing. That shows incredible craft and work ethic and it's a little scary to think how good a Carnahan movie could be with a $50 million budget. As first efforts go, this eclipses Reservoir Dogs comes close in my mind to The Usual Suspects in overall quality. If you catch the DVD on the bargain rack, pick it up without hesitation.
A Fun B Movie
posted on 31 Dec 2007How my ratings work:
5 - I really liked/loved it
4 - I liked it
3 - Could've been better/worth a look
2 - Just didn't live up to the potential
1 - Simply aweful
This is the kind of movie that's good to watch on a slow and or dull day. It's no Oscar worthy film, nor is it an A list type film, but it is a fun B movie type film. People today don't seem to appreciate B cinema as much as they used to. This is a well put together low budget crime film made for a little over $7000, and it doesn't look like a $7000 film. The performances are over the top at times, but the actors have fun with it. Every crime film today seems to get compared to Quentin Tarantino. I myself love Tarantino's work, but people forget that he himself is a guy who takes material and ideas from other movies as well. Everyone takes from everyone, it's just a fact of life. For a debut film this movie showed off writer/director Joe Carnahan's talent as a filmmaker. His dialogue is whipe smart, even if a little offbeat at times, and his camera work is nicely energized. Of course his later work is much better, but few filmmakers hit the mark on the first try. Give the movie a shot; it won't be in your list of all time favorite films but it will entertain you.
Great flick from the start!!!!
posted on 04 Dec 2007There are a few movies that make feel like I wished I was the one doing the acting. This is one. I received this movie as a gift because I am a Pontiac man. I watched this movie with a feeling like "another movie that is not worth my time." I was wrong.
This movie is great. I was amazed at the story line. The movie kept me till the end. The acting was good and it had me guessing till the end. Awesome plot and terrific scene editing. I loved the camera work. I can see that many movie makers copied Carnahan's style with the camera.
I highly reccomend this film to any movie enthusiest. I am also awaiting J. Carnahan's next film. I am a movie-goer and I like getting my moneys worth. Great flick. When does the next one get here.
A strikingly original adrenaline rush!
posted on 18 Nov 2007"Blood Guts Bullets and Octane" is the low-budget, quirky action flick that "El Mariachi" and "Run Lola Run" strived to be, but failed. This movie hits a bullseye! Now, I rented this movie on Netflix, prior to having any knowledge that Joe Carnahan directed it. I read a review for it from Roger Ebert and the movie sounded enticing. So I put it on my rental list. Then I watched an interview with Ray Liotta on Carson Daly's show, and Liotta mentioned that prior to directing "Narc," this was his only feature. I just watched "Narc" about two weeks ago, and I thought it was an absolutely terrific film, so when I found out the two films were from the same director, I couldn't wait to receive the DVD in the mail! The film met all my expectations! It's like a cross between Quentin Tarantino and David Mamet. The characters constantly spew out witty lines of dialogue, using cuss words as punctuation, and often repeat those same lines (pure Mamet). Carnahan really knows how to engage his audience. Sometimes I tend to complain about movies being too flashy. But in this film, all that flash didn't seem stilted. It seems to fit the film's quirky tone perfectly. The plot is mildly faulty, with an ending that is pretty ridiculous, but the fast-paced style of this movie got me so engaged that I was willing to play along. Carnahan obviously wasn't aiming straight towards realism. Nevertheless, the movie is highly original, and that you must give it credit for. The story centers on two used car salesman who belt out their pitches like characters out of "Glengarry Glen Ross." Yet they're honest salesman, as is established in one of the character's opening monologues. The salesmen are unlikely heroes, but they get themselves into all sorts of mess because of keeping a certain convertible they keep on their lot (just for show) in exchange for 250,000 dollars. I don't want to go further into the plot, because it's really a wild ride and I wouldn't dare to spoil it for anyone. Even the actors, most of whom never acted previous to this movie, are damn good. Carnahan himself is a fine, natural actor. Sometimes you see directors take a stab at acting, and you want to scream at them, "Get back behind the camera! That's where you belong!" Carnahan has a strong screen presence and delivers much intensity in his dialogue. The skinny black guy who plays the FBI agent isn't a terrific actor, and there are scenes where he appears to be discreetly looking down at the script, but I was even able to buy into his performance. His monotone seemed to work well with his character. I was almost as impressed with this film as I was with "Narc." Even with some good directors, I look back at their first features and I see no signs of future genius (i.e.: Wes Craven's "Last House on the Left"), but Carnahan certainly seems like he's going places. At least I hope he is. He received a lot of recognition for his recent film, "Narc," so hopefully it's all uphill from here. My score: 9 (out of 10)
What are you people thinking?
posted on 01 Oct 2006This was one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. It isn't "clever" dialogue that cracks me up but rather the horrendous film making. B,G,B,&O is the type of movie I would have written when I was fifteen and thought Quinten Tarantino was the greatest film maker of all time. The fact that this is the type of stuff fifteen year old boys would make isn't as bad as the fact that fifteen year old boys could probabally make a film of the same quality as B,G,B,&O. Even though this movie is, in my opinion, one of the worst movies ever made I still have to suggest that everyone see it. The piss poor quality of this movie will have you rolling on the floor with laughter. One scene I really loved was when this guy at a diner tells a story about Johnny Cash being violated in prison. The guy delivers the entire rant doing an impression of Jules from Pulp Fiction.
It's cheap, corny, but most important entertaining.
posted on 24 Sep 2006This movie is in my opinion just a bit underrated. I personally saw the movie and the beginning was very interesting and on-edge. I'll give this movie what it definitely had from beginning to end- suspense. Really I wasn't bored for a second, some scenes were a bit "corny", but when you're making an indie like this theirs a limit to what you can do. I myself am a cinematographer, and it is not as easy as it seems. Money changes everything people. You can have the best actors in the world, but if you can't get the right angles and right editing($expensive$) the oh-so hard work of the actors is tanked. I'll just basically leave off with this, if like a twist and turn movie with guns, criminals, drugs, etc. etc., I would suggest you give this movie a shot. You can copy Q.T. or anyone and make an entertaining movie.
great low budget action flick
posted on 06 Apr 2006A superb effort and entertaining action flick. The plot is logical though somewhat predictable (you just know they're going to get deeper and deeper over their heads). The dialog is intelligent, realistic fast and terse. The action hits fast and hard but is not gratuitous. The plot has some complexity to it, with different threads that tie together as the story unwinds. But they manage to do this with a short running time by having tight editing - no extraneous scenes. Hollywood should have movies with this kind of dialog, story and editing. The film quality is grainy, evidence of this flick's low budget. But the acting, dialog, story and action are all solid. Definitely worth seeing for those who like action flicks.
Ambitious debut
posted on 29 Mar 2006I've immensely enjoyed Joe Carnahan's other works, particularly Narc and Smokin' Aces, and count Narc as one of the very best crime dramas in recent memory. When I heard Carnahan had kicked off his career back in '98 by writing, directing, and starring in a low-budget indie in the vein of Robert Rodriguez' El Mariachi, I got stoked at the idea of what he could do with a small budget (less than $8,000) and complete creative control. So I popped in Blood Guts Bullets and Octane one day and prepared to drink in its indie goodness.
The result? A cocktail with the sweet flavor of ambition but the aftertaste of a Quentin Tarantino/David Mamet knock-off.
It's not that the dialogue doesn't work; if anything it works too much, is too frenetic, too hyper. Whereas early Tarantino and Mamet use language to explore human emotion and build character, Carnahan uses it to make his characters sound snappy and witty but without revealing any true depth. He seems willing to have the characters use as many words as possible to get their ideas across, trying to mask it as characterization. It's like asking your buddy what he wants on his pizza, and your buddy proceeds to itemize every topping imaginable and why pepperoni trumps them all. Dude, just say you want pepperoni and let's phone it in. It gets frustrating, for sure. The non-linear format of BGB&O is another nod to Tarantino. Carnahan has two or three storylines going, another tip of the hat to all the hip post-modern crime indies that cropped up after Tarantino hit the scene in '92. The acting is pretty solid, especially Carnahan himself, who has some surprising acting chops. His direction, along with his eye for stylized shots and skillful editing, prove to be the big strengths of the movie. What's especially nice about watching BGB&O is that you see these strengths mature in his subsequent movies, Narc and Smokin' Aces.
This movie is very ambitious and inspiring. As Carnahan proved with his later movies, he can write snappy dialogue that fuses with his ambitious style and intriguing premise to create a very entertaining movie. Blood Guts Bullets and Octane was just the warm-up lap to get him on his way to making good crime movies on bigger budgets. Rent this movie if you want to see a young up-and-comer with a lot of promise.
It is what it is...
posted on 19 Dec 2005I just watched Blood, Guts, Bullets, and Octane on DVD last night, and found myself rather bored from start to finish. The camera work is sloppy, slipping in and out of focus as it pans back and forth from character to character, zooming in and out, and so on...The dialogue scenes are way too long, and the action scenes leave you feeling cheated, due to the shaky-cam, fast editing style that tries to conceal the lack of blanks and squibs. A good action sequence is created by the actual action onscreen rather than jerky camera work and loud sound effects. This film shows very little real action.
The story takes way too long to get started, and once it does, it becomes boring, with very little pay off at the end.
However, I have to give Joe Carnahan credit for making this film on such a low budget; regardless of the story, simply planning and executing this shoot is an impressive achievement.
Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi still remains the most legendary low-budget action film ever made, with better writing, directing, cinematography, and special effects than Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane.
So to sum it up, check this movie out, but don't expect too much; it is what it is.
Fabulous Tarentino knockoff
posted on 05 Dec 2005Oh, the long arm of Quentin Tarentino! How far and deep into the bowels of cinema does the mighty Tarentino reach? As far as the eye can see. As soon as "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" began reaching a wide audience, we started seeing the inevitable: the copycats. Yep, the copycats came out in full force with their own pictures embracing the "inimitable" Quentin Tarentino style. Movies with lengthy scenes of back and forth pseudo-intellectual and highly ironic dialogue, stylistic violence, and pop culture references galore started flooding the theaters and the shelves at the local video store. And I don't really have a problem with that. Tarentino is the first to admit that he's shamelessly cribbed from hundreds of low budget B movies from around the world, so more power to another filmmaker if he wants to steal from a ripoff artist. Besides, Hollywood is the home of the fast buck replication machine, wherein a successful idea arises and then is shamelessly exploited by others seeking to pay the mortgage on their fifteen-room mansion. Again, that isn't much of a problem. What I do mind, though, are derivative films that reek. O.K., not really, but SOMEONE probably hates them.
Fortunately, I firmly believe that Joe Carnahan's "Blood, Guts, Bullets & Octane" does not stink in any way, shape, or form. Is it low budget cheap? You bet, but it's also hilarious in spots and ultimately entertaining. The film follows the misadventures of two inept used car salesmen named Sid French (Joe Carnahan himself) and Bob Melba (Dan Leis). As the picture opens, we see these two schmucks fast talking customers out in the lot. It's a hilarious scene that really captures the essence of how the public perceives the bottom feeders that sell used cars. Then the movie gets to the nitty gritty. It turns out that Sid and Bob once worked for successful car dealer Danny Woo (Dan Harlan) before striking out on their own. Their little lot can't compete with the Woo powerhouse, unfortunately, and now the bank wants to call in all outstanding debts. But salvation rears its shining brow in the nick of time with an offer the boys can barely refuse, and would you believe salvation comes in the shape of a car? Some big shot wants Sid and Bob to keep a car on their lot for a few days--not to sell it, just to watch it--and give them a boatload of money in the process. A cool quarter of a million dollars for merely sitting on a car seems like easy money, but Sid suspects something more sinister is afoot.
And indeed it is. During the first part of the film, we often see the car moving from hand to hand on its way to the car lot. Oddly, everyone associated with the car dies violently. This 1963 Pontiac is hot as heck, thanks to a special package tucked snugly away in the trunk, that has everyone from the FBI to armed thugs trying to figure it all out. Sid, against Bob's better judgment, decides to try and get more money for the car. He figures if such a vehicle is worth so much cash, they can drive it off and phone in a ransom. Bad idea. Sid is shot in the car lot when he tries to mess with the car, a friendly mechanic examines the vehicle and discovers its wired to explode if anyone opens the trunk, and some blond headed goon with ice in his eyes seems to pop up all over the place. Meanwhile, the feds outline a bizarre story about a tribe down in South America whose blood is known to rejuvenate sick people, and said tribe suddenly died en masse at exactly the same time the Pontiac started appearing on roads in Central America. Hmmm. Are these two events connected? You bet, but I'm not giving a thing away by revealing this information. The real secret is finding out who's behind the scheme and why it's going down this way.
Like I said, it's obvious the movie was made on the cheap. But it overcomes that obstacle quite nicely with a crackling script, hilarious primary and secondary characters, and the offbeat scenes that fill up the cracks of the main narrative. Let's talk about that last point. Much as Tarentino fills his movies with odd little scenes that don't seem to add much to the primary plot, Carnahan's film does the same. The best example of this technique is the part where Sid and Bob meet up with a guy in a bar to set up the deal for watching the car. This guy claims to have some particularly lascivious information about Johnny Cash's stay at Folsom prison, information he keeps expanding upon much to the disgust of those present. It's utter nonsense that does nothing to get us closer to finding out who wants Sid and Bob to watch the Pontiac, but it's hilarious and gives the film that extra something most extremely low budget efforts lack. I got a big kick out of the conclusion too. The reason why the events unfolded the way they did had me laughing for hours afterwards. Just someone trying to repay a favor! Wonderful! It figures two used car salesmen would give in to greed and destroy a good thing.
In the course of looking up the movie in order to make sure I had the characters' names correct, I noticed that Joe Carnahan made this movie for less than eight thousand dollars. Wow! It looks cheap, but not that cheap. Too, Carnahan went on to write the screenplay for the film "Narc" and is planning a feature based on Mark Bowden's book "Killing Pablo." I wish him the best of luck and, if this movie is any indication, his future efforts ought to merit a look.
like a bad indie movie.
posted on 19 Nov 2005I have no idea whether this was an indie movie (or even what the definition would be), but it was pretty pathetic. The plot was horribly slow, acting was horrible... I'd call it a bad B movie, but I think it was trying to be artsy. Only the fact that I'd forced my g/f to rent it (thinking it would be a great B) kept me watching the whole thing. If a plot won't go anywhere, at least make it intellectually stimulating (like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead). Truly one of the worst movies I've seen.
"I got the head!"
posted on 16 Nov 2005Either this is one genius piece of filmwork or someone owes a debt of gratitude to Oliver Stone & Quentin Tarantino. Either way, the film takes off like a super jet and you better do some serious 100 meter dashing just to keep up. With more witty dialogue than 3 Lock Stocks, 2 Trainspottings, and a Pulp Fiction in a pear tree. This little flik here is what independent filmmaking is all about. I heard they made it on only $8,000. Shoot, you give em 8 mil, turn it into a polished up mainstream remake, and you got a cult-classic that will stand the test of time A+++
Wonderfully inventive, overlooked film
posted on 09 Aug 2005I rented this from Blockbuster last night and I must say, WOW. I was totally unprepared for how good this film was. I have to say I didn't have one single expectation and only rented the film because I liked the title but man, what a way to do a movie and what a great story to boot!Mr. Carnahan, the film's director/writer/star has proved that anybody can do a great film if they just have the will, the charisma and the talent, all of which he possesses in great quantity. An amazing achievement all the way around. If you can find this little movie, it is certainly worth every penny to rent.
One terrific movie!
posted on 28 Jun 2009I think this is a dynamite movie from start to finish. It has everything: action, suspense, very good acting, style, a comic sensibility and IT MOVES which to me is the ultimate test of a film like this. I particularly liked the perfect balance of fresh indy-type spontaneity & originality with total professionalism on the part of the actors and director. I think Joe Carnahan is a director with a fantastic future in film.