Review of Narc (2002) by Harry T — 14 Nov 2009

First viewed years ago, when it first came out, I returned to it a second time, wondering if I would hold it in the same high regard--especially after the host of outstanding cop dramas to come out in the past while.

The Wire, Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River, The Departed--these are great works in my mind. And I must say, Narc stays pretty damn close to them. What makes cop films great--and I refer to dramas more than anything else--is how they layer their worlds with moral dilemmas. In fact, the great films boil down to exercises in ethics.

Narc does the very same thing. Dark, brooding, with knuckle-and-bone performances from the demi-god Liotta and an impressive Patrick, Narc violently examines human nature, preservation, moral high-ground, and perception. Sure, it contains plenty of "expected" moments: angry diatribes from Liotta, interrogations etc. But it uses these to effect, rather than as a cop-out (pun intended).

Narc also ends with perfect ambiguity--as any real moral dilemma should. Definitive answers would be patronizing. In the real world, an ethical choice of any kind results in further choices to be made down the road.

Where the film lacks a bit is clarity, mostly in the third act. It rushes to connect the dots but doesn't necessarily succeed. Overall, though. It is an impressive, harrowing character study and a hell of a film.