Big, bombastic and filled with non-stop action scenes,Boss Levelis the type of weekend entertainment that demands to be seen on movie theater screens. Unfortunately, most cinemas across the United States are still closed. So director Joe Carnahan has taken his time loop masterwork to Hulu, where it will premiere this Friday, March 5. And it’s sure to be an instant favorite amongst action fans and sci-fi aficionados alike. We recently caught up with Joe Carnahan to talk aboutBoss Leveland all the fun that comes along with it.
Joe Carnahanmade his directorial debut with the 1998 comedy crime thrillerBlood, Guts, Bullets and Octane, which instantly put him on the action map. He followed that up with the 2002 hitNarcand never looked back. The filmmaker has since made such hits asSmokin' Aces,The A-Team, Laim Neeson’sThe Grey, andStretch.Boss Levelarrives as his first feature film since 2014. And it was worth the wait.
ForBoss Level, Carnahan teams up with leading man Frank Grillo for a fast-paced action mystery thrill-ride that finds a retired special forces officer trapped in anever ending time loopon the day of his death.Boss Levelwas one of the final movies to play at famed Hollywood theater The Arc Light before it shuttered its doors due to the pandemic. It was screened for select audience members before it found distribution with Hulu.Paulington James Christensen IIIchats with Joe Carnahan about that night, and how exciting it was to see all the action play out on the big screen.
They also discuss Frank Grillo’s comedy chops, suggesting that maybe he should be the lead in the upcomingNaked Gunreboot. Frank plays Roy Pulver, a retired special forces soldier, inBoss Level, and while he is first and foremost a man of intense action, the movie allows for quite a few very funny moments, and as Carnahan describes it,Boss Levelis also very much a relationship drama at its core.
As Grillo’s Pulver gets stuck in a time loop on the day of his death he’s forced to battle various assassins while also trying to figure out what’s going on. The film also stars Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts, Michelle Yeoh, Annabelle Wallis, Ken Jeong and former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Next up for Joe Carnahan this year is his action-thrillerCopshop, which he directs and penned alongside Kurt McLeod. Gerard Butler andFrank Grillostar in the movie about a small-town police station that becomes the unlikely battleground between a professional hitman (Butler), a smart rookie female cop, and a double-crossing con man (Grillo) who seeks refuge behind bars with no place left to run. COPSHOP has wrapped filming and was shot during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Carnahan also opened up about his action thriller in anticipation ofBoss Levelpremiering this weekend.
