Ratchet on AllMovie

In this noirish crime thriller, deeply troubled screenwriter/director Elliot Callahan, who made a brilliant debut with the innovative thriller "Criminal Intent," finds himself tormented with writers block that prevents him from starting on his eagerly awaited sophomore film. His studio is about to sue him for missing several key deadlines and someone else has accused Callahan of stealing the script for "Intent" from a popular Hong Kong action film. In order to find the respite he needs to write again, Callahan slips off to Nantucket island. There he encounters a beautiful Realtor who looks to him for much needed excitement. He also hooks up with his former writing crony Tim and his sculptor girlfriend Julia. Finally Callahan encounters the mysterious Henry, an aspiring screenwriter who is trying to sell his own chilling and realistic script about a serial killer. Callahan reads it and finds it so true-to-life that he begins believing that Henry himself is a killer. Wanting to exploit that angle, Callahan endeavors to steal the script for himself.