Review of Narc (2002) by Chris P — 07 Nov 2013

Narc. The film that almost did not get made, but thanks to people like Ray Liotta investing their own money into the film, it still made it to theaters and was anything but a let down although very few of us actually went to see it.

It is probably the most underrated movie that I love, and I really love this movie. A lot of people might take issue with the story feeling somewhat familiar, but it never directly copies another film and still takes time to relish in smaller details to keep you engaged with the characters.

It is a dark story about undercover police work and the true pleasure in watching this film comes from Ray Liotta's performance. I am a big fan of Liotta and honestly I feel this film holds his best performance ever.

Jason Patric does a great job here but honestly the second star of the show is the editor. Major credit should be given to John Gilroy who has since gone on to edit the amazing "Warrior" and many other excellent films.

His clever cutting makes for one of the most intense opening scenes put to celluloid, as well as a really cool shot montage that somehow managed to not feel stale. This film also introduced the world to Joe Carnahan who I felt took a complete nose-dive with Smokin' Aces and The A-Team.

Luckily, there was somewhat of a return to form with The Grey. If you have already seen The Grey and did not like it, there is a good chance you would not like Narc either. However Narc is a far superior film in my opinion.

Narc also has the advantage of not having a trailer that completely misguides the audience (I'm looking at you shot of Liam with broken bottles taped to his knuckles). Either way I think Carnahan should stick to making "winter" films because he has an eye for grim, snowy films whether they are filmed in a forest full of CGI wolves or a concrete jungle full of unsavory characters.

Here's to hoping this film actually makes it on Blu-Ray!