Narrow Margin

Starring: Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, James Sikking, J.T. Walsh, M. Emmet Walsh, Harri Yulin
Directed by: Peter Hyams
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller
1990

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A deputy district attorney (Gene Hackman) must protect a witness (Anne Archer) who can positively identify a crime boss (Harris Yulin) who was present at a brutal murder.

Review:

Tim: Sometimes a movie is just a movie, but quite often, there's a story behind the movie- what it meant to you, how it impacted you, etc. Narrow Margin is one of those films for me. I vividly remember my dad watching this movie, probably when I was about 9 years old. I don't remember much, but I was there during the climactic confrontation on top of the train. I remember so clearly hearing Gene Hackman utter his hilarious one-liner. That scene stuck with me. I'd think about it from time to time and wonder what movie that was. Maybe twenty years later, I finally got around to looking it up, and discovered it was Narrow Margin. It took another three years or so for me to finally track it down and watch it. So, in some ways, this is a movie that took me 23 years to finally see.

I'd already seen the original- 1952's The Narrow Margin and thoroughly enjoyed that film noir. So, for personal reasons (and because I liked the original), I was very excited to see this film. I actually love the updates and the changes director Peter Hyams made to this film. It's an action thriller, but it has significantly more intelligence than the normal film. I really enjoyed this movie and think it's about on par with the original.

Gene Hackman is likely the highlight of the film. The guy is an exceptional actor, so it's not surprising that he brings all that talent to this role. What I really liked, though, was that he wasn't your typical action hero. He's not a cop, he's a deputy district attorney. He doesn't fire a gun in the film. He wears glasses, and he seems much more comfortable in an office than having a crazy adventure, running from bad guys. It's his normalcy as a character that makes the movie so exciting- he's thrown in way over his head, in a stressful and deadly situation, yet he somehow manages to keep his cool and protect the witness. His portrayal of this character wasn't expected, but it made a huge difference to the film.

Anne Archer was fine, but she didn't have a whole lot to do. She's a strong actress, but outside of a few strong moments, she mostly just looks scared or upset. I liked seeing both J.T. Walsh and M. Emmet Walsh here, although their roles are fairly minor. The film's antagonists were believable and frightening. As a whole, the cast might not be huge, but it's solid.

I also liked that much of the film's suspense came from the mental chess game played between the heroes and the villains. Yes, there's a few fight scenes and the aforementioned climax on the top of the train, but for the most part, this is a thinking man's thriller. You don't see many of those and I loved the back-and-forth. There were some truly remarkable scenes where Hackman sits down with the bad guys in the dining car. One conversation is truly incredible- he's funny, witty, yet firm. It was so great seeing these characters talk, when most exchanges between good and bad guys in action films are with bullets. The dialogue between them was incredible. I also loved the setting on the train- there's something so claustrophobic and intense about being chased on board a train.

Now, while I really like this movie, there are a few flaws. The biggest one has to be the massive plot hole about the killers not having seen the witness. At the beginning, there's some doubt about whether or not they know what she looks like. It becomes somewhat apparent as the movie goes on that they don't know. The only thing tying her to the killers is Hackman's character. All he has to do is stay away from her- the bad guys don't know what she looks like, so she would be safe. And yet, Hackman continually risks being seen by ducking into and leaving their room. It just felt very silly- go sit somewhere else and they'll never find her!

While the movie isn't perfect, it updates the classic for the 90s while retaining much of what made the first film so special. This is an intelligent, exciting action thriller and I would highly recommend it. And, for no other reason, you have to hear Hackman's hilarious line on top of the train. I heard it once when I was 9 and never forgot it- that's a great line.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The Narrow Margin, Runaway Train, The French Connection