Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Joseph Aaron "Joe" Carnahan (born May 9, 1969) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, producer and actor best known for his films Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane, Narc, Smokin' Aces and The A-Team. He is the brother of screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan.
Known For
Complete Filmography

The Rip
2026
Director, Writer
After a team of Miami cops discovers millions in cash inside a derelict stash house, trust frays as everything — and everyone — is called into questio...

Not Without Hope
2025
Screenplay, Director, Producer
A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.

Shadow Force
2025
as Shady Government Type
Kyrah and Isaac were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They broke the rules by falling in love, and in ord...

Shadow Force
2025
Director, Writer
Kyrah and Isaac were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They broke the rules by falling in love, and in ord...

Copshop
2021
Producer, Director, Screenplay
On the run from a lethal assassin, a wily con artist devises a scheme to hide out inside a small-town police station. However, when the hit man turns ...

Boss Level
2021
as Customer at the Chinese Restaurant (uncredited)
A former special forces agent is trapped in a time loop and relives his death over and over again. To escape the terrible situation, he must track dow...

Boss Level
2021
Director, Writer, Producer
A former special forces agent is trapped in a time loop and relives his death over and over again. To escape the terrible situation, he must track dow...

A Journey to Sundance
2021
as Self
'A JOURNEY TO SUNDANCE' is about the spirit, dreams and struggles of independent filmmakers from all over the world, as well as my own struggles to fi...

Bad Boys for Life
2020
Screenplay, Story
Marcus and Mike are forced to confront new threats, career changes, and midlife crises as they join the newly created elite team AMMO of the Miami pol...

Into the Ashes
2019
Executive Producer
With an honest job and a loving wife, Nick Brenner believed he had safely escaped his violent, criminal history. But his old crew hasn't forgotten abo...

Point Blank
2019
Producer
A nurse is forced to spring a wounded murder suspect from the hospital when the man’s brother kidnaps his pregnant wife and wants to make a trade.

El Chicano
2019
Writer, Producer
A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.

Death Wish
2018
Screenplay
A mild-mannered father is transformed into a killing machine after his family is torn apart by a violent act.

Wheelman
2017
Producer
A getaway driver for a bank robbery realizes he has been double crossed and races to find out who betrayed him.

Stretch
2014
Screenplay, Director, Producer
A hard-luck limo driver struggling to go straight and pay off a debt to his bookie takes on a job with a crazed passenger whose sought-after ledger im...

Out of Print
2014
as Self
A documentary exploring the importance of revival cinema and 35mm exhibition - seen through the lens of the patrons of the New Beverly Cinema - a uniq...
The Devil's Dosh
2012
Executive Producer
Every great London crime boss has a tragic beginning. This is Marcus' story.

The Grey
2012
Director, Producer, Screenplay
Following a grueling five-week shift at an Alaskan oil refinery, workers led by sharpshooter John Ottway are flying home for a much-needed vacation. B...

The A-Team
2010
as Mike "The Operator"
A man who loves when a plan comes together, Col. Hannibal Smith leads a close-knit team of elite operatives and Iraq War veterans. Framed for a crime ...

The A-Team
2010
Director, Screenplay
A man who loves when a plan comes together, Col. Hannibal Smith leads a close-knit team of elite operatives and Iraq War veterans. Framed for a crime ...

Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball
2010
Characters, Story, Executive Producer
Walter Weed is an unassuming desk jockey at the FBI when the Bureau uncovers a plot to assassinate him. A team of degenerate, psychotic assassins disp...
Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
2009
as Self
A short Universal promo regarding the works of Alfred Hitchcock.

The Fourth Kind
2009
Producer
Since the 1960s, a disproportionate number of the population in and around Nome, Alaska, have gone missing. Despite FBI investigations, the disappeara...

Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
2008
as Self
Alfred Hitchcock often referred to his style of film making as "pure cinema" — using camera movement, editing, music and sound to tell stories that wo...

Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
2008
as Self
No director-composer collaboration has been more seminal to motion pictures than the partnership of Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann. In this doc...

In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
2008
as Self
Films beget films. Filmmakers influence other filmmakers constantly. But the most influential filmmaker of all time is Alfred Hitchcock.

Pride and Glory
2008
Screenplay
A saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City Police officers. The family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney, investigates a ...

The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry
2008
as Self
An in-depth look at Dirty Harry (1971), featuring interviews with such film artists as Michael Madsen, 'Hal Holbrook', John Milius, 'Shane Black' and ...

A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry
2008
as Self
Filmmakers, social scientists and authors take a provocative look at the moral, political and ethical themes of the Dirty Harry films.

The Evolution of Clint Eastwood
2008
as Self
Follow Eastwood's career from television star to matinee idol to Oscar-winning director in this wide-ranging documentary.

The Business End: Violence in Cinema
2008
as Self
An unflinching look at the ongoing debate on violence in movies and its effect on the audience.

Smokin' Aces
2006
Director, Writer
When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of...

Made Men: The 'GoodFellas' Legacy
2004
as Self
A group of filmmakers talk about their appreciation for "GoodFellas" (1990) and how it has influenced their work. Jon Favreau, Allan and Albert Hughes...

Narc: Making the Deal
2003
as Self
This documentary on the film Narc (2002) delves into the creation of Joe Carnahan's script, what inspired it, and the casting of the film.

Narc: The Visual Trip
2003
as Self
This documentary examines the cinematography, music, and editing of the film Narc (2002).

Narc: The Friedkin Connection
2003
as Self
Documentary on the connections between Narc (2002) and William Friedkin's filmography.

Ticker
2002
Director, Writer
The Driver drives a wounded diplomat, who carries a mysterious briefcase, while under helicopter attack. During the attack the briefcase is struck by ...

Narc
2002
Screenplay, Director
When the trail goes cold on a murder investigation of a policeman, an undercover narcotics officer is lured back to the force to help solve the case.

Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane
1998
as Sid French
To keep their struggling used-car dealership from closing, salesmen Sid and Bob agree to let a vintage 1963 Pontiac LeMans sit on their lot for two da...

Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane
1998
Producer, Writer, Director
To keep their struggling used-car dealership from closing, salesmen Sid and Bob agree to let a vintage 1963 Pontiac LeMans sit on their lot for two da...

The Devil Takes a Holiday
1996
Co-Producer
A rambuctious ride thru American culture. The nouveau-riche meet The Prince of Darkness in this outlandish fable for the politically incorrect.A famil...

Karate Raider
1995
Screenplay
Jake Turner is back on a rescue mission to liberate an attractive female Drug Enforcement officer captured and held prisoner by an American drug lord ...
Felix
N/A
Producer
Charlie and his best friend Jimmy are making a film and dream of becoming big-time Hollywood directors. When Charlie’s father finds an old ventriloqui...
Five Against a Bullet
N/A
Screenplay
After his father is killed by a Mexican drug cartel, a man runs a successful political campaign to clean up his area, though doing so will require sta...