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MAGIC CARPET RIDE

ORGANIZE ISLER

By Yilmaz ERDOGAN

BKM (BESIKTAS KULTUR MERKEZI) - as PROD

Comedy - Completed 2005

- Year of production
- 2005
- Genres
- Comedy
- Countries
- TURKEY
- Languages
- TURKISH, GERMAN
- Budget
- 5 - 10 M$
- Duration
- 108 mn
- Director(s)
- Yilmaz ERDOGAN
- Writer(s)
- Yilmaz ERDOGAN
- Cast
- Yilmaz ERDOGAN, Tolga CEVIK, Demet AKBAG, Altan ERKEKLI, Ozgu NAMAL, Cem YILMAZ, Nazmi KIRIK
- Producer(s)
- Necati AKPINAR (BKM Film)
- Synopsis
- Asim Noyan and his gang make up a rambling collective, which concerns itself with a range of criminal activity, running from car theft to fraud, the length and breadth of Istanbul. Their main source of livelihood is selling stolen luxury cars ‘owner direct’ at giveaway prices through classifieds ads in newspapers. While Asim’s ex-wife lives with their daughter and her second husband, Asim remains an inveterate womaniser despite an ongoing affair with one of the gang members.
  On yet another of his romantic escapades, Asim is caught in the act by a marauding husband. Fleeing from the neighbours, he dives into an apartment building and bangs on the first door he finds. The basement flat of this rundown block is home to Samet, a failed comedian, who has yet to raise a single laugh from his Superman impersonations. Right now, Superman Samet is preparing to commit suicide, so in opening the door to Asim, he saves two lives, his own included. And thanks to Asim’s debt of conscience, the desperate Samet finds himself unwittingly implicated in the life of the gang.
  The gang lives together in the city centre, but in a well-concealed site comprising a car park and surrounding buildings. Heading the swollen ranks are Touchy Tugay, Shy Üzeyir, Gullible Ersin, Jewboy Silviyo in charge of the money and Nilüfer, Suna and Berrak, a trio playing the wild card. The gang members resent Samet and can’t work out why he’s being taken into the gang: after all, he doesn’t have a clue about what they do. Still, the initiation ritual is performed and, the morning after a heavy night of organised strikes, Samet wakes up, a member of the gang, with a scar to his lower back.
  The Ocak family, meanwhile, leads an altogether different life in an altogether different Istanbul. Prof Dr Nuran Ocak, a physics professor of some repute, is married to Yusuf Ziya Ocak, a well-read sociologist and prolific, but unread author. Umut, the daughter of this highly literate but hard up couple, is an English Philology graduate and, naturally, out of a job. The life of the Ocak family constitutes an honourable, but misjudged investment in a world where knowledge is worthless. One evening, after Nuran Hoca has her bag pinched (from the university lecture hall, what’s worse), Yusuf Ziya Bey sits through another book-signing devoid of buyers and Umut returns crushed again from her endless interview round, the family finds itself asking the same frustrated question: Why?
  Still, life sometimes takes an unexpected turn… Next morning, a ring on the Ocak’s doorbell throws up a cash prize from a fund overseas for one of Yusuf Ziya Bey’s unread books. The prize could well translate into home ownership for the couple, who still live in rented accommodation despite a lifetime of toil. But no, Yusuf Ziya Bey is not the kind of man who wants to mess with property at his age: he has a different plan. He talks to his wife and they make a decision… They’ll buy their beloved daughter something nice, something she deserves – a fabulous car, for example. In fact, Yusuf Ziya Bey has already found a car.
  Umut is not as thrilled by this surprise as expected. Showing more maturity than her parents, she convinces them to go back to the idea of buying a house. That said they’ll make a nice family outing along the Bosporus before returning the car.
  Unfortunately, at the first routine police stop, it turns out that the car is stolen and the outing ends at the police station.
  Samet, who can make no sense of the people he’s stumbled on let alone what they do, remains an outsider in the gang and decides to quit – but can’t. Asim persuades him to stay, arguing that he has the chance to learn a new way of life and that at least he’s no longer alone.
  Umut is unable to swallow the latest scam befalling her parents. The people behind it should be punished. But Istanbul is a wild jungle; and the police are usually helpless. What’s more, civilised people like the Ocaks have absolutely no idea about – or contact with -unlawful affairs and the people involved. In other words, Umut is without hope… But one day, glancing through the classified column of a newspaper, she spots an ad for a car for sale ‘direct from owner’; and this changes everything. This may be the entrance to the tunnel leading to the criminals’ lair.
  Samet is now ready for his first job. Or rather, he isn’t ready but he’ll do it somehow… The contacts have been arranged following a response to the ad for the newly stolen jeep. He picks up the jeep, goes off to the appointment and falls in love. Umut and Nuran Ocak are there simply to be sure that these are the same guys at work; they have no interest whatsoever in the car. Samet, however, still gives it to them so he’ll get to see the girl again. The money isn’t important; they can pay tomorrow…
  Samet’s ridiculous ‘deal’ doesn’t go down too well with the gang. Asim’s orders are final: he must go to meet them the next day and not come back without the money. This isn’t exactly how things turn out at the meeting though. Samet takes the car back, but drops his bravado and confesses a stack of details about the gang – as well as his interest in Umut.
  The Ocaks manage to find the gang as a result. The time has arrived for revenge. And they have Samet, the weak link, to thank the most. Umut hatches a plan; a plan that would never meet with her parents’ approval…