One-time GoodFella Ray Liotta gets tough once again in writer/director Joe Carnahan's brutal 70s-style thriller, "Narc".
Liotta, 25 pounds heavier than normal, gives a hard-edged but complex performance as Henry Oak, a tough, no bull narcotics cop who's out to collar the killer of his partner on the mean streets of Detroit...
You've been passionate about "Narc" from the day you got the script. Why?
I was looking to become more proactive with my career because I wasn't crazy with some of the scripts I was getting - this was before "Blow" and "Hannibal" - so I decided to start my own production company. This script came across my desk and it reminded me of 70s movies I grew up watching, like "Serpico" and "The French Connection". There were a lot of surprises and it had that anti-hero thing where it's not just about good guys and bad guys. Joe Carnahan's only previous feature, "Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane", received bad reviews. What convinced you he could do this?
You don't see "Narc" in that movie. But he had a confidence that he could do the job like I had when I met Jonathan Demme for "Something Wild", which was my first movie. I was 30 and Joe's, like, 30-31, so I probably related to him like that. But I didn't do it just to give him a chance. It was a good part for me, too.
The film is very violent. Did you discuss this aspect with him?
Because of the world the film takes place in, we really had to go for it. The fact we were doing it for a few million dollars meant we had the opportunity to do a raw, edgy movie. So I said, "If we're going to do it, we're going to 'Scorsese' it."
Despite the low budget, the film almost fell apart. Why?
It was unbelievable. The financing company was so excited about the project that they started it before they had the loan in place. So two weeks into it, the guy who financed the movie had to go to all these different people just to keep it together. That's why there's so many producers listed: in Hollywood, nobody does anything for nothing.
Did it have an adverse effect on the outcome?
There were some days where we didn't have enough film, so it was a crazy way to work. But, if anything, it was good for the movie because we were so angry and edgy.
"Narc" opens in UK cinemas on Friday 7th February 2003.
