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Movie Review
Narc
By Lee Tistaert Published January 17, 2003
US Release: December 20, 2002
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Ray Liotta , Jason Patric
R
Running Time: 102 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $10,460,000
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Ray Liotta , Jason Patric
R
Running Time: 102 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $10,460,000
C+
64 of 143
Felt like it was trying to answer a question that the audience wasn?t overly engaged in
Sadly, Narc is one of those movies where if you?ve seen the trailer, best bet is to wait till video/DVD release for viewing safety.
If you love the cop dramas/thrillers and gritty pictures in that genre, then maybe you might get a kick out of this flick but I unfortunately was left a bit empty after witnessing this story. The problem with the preview is that it sums up the plot to a good distance, leaving suspense and thrills to somewhat of a minimum. Some of the acting is solidly in gear while some is just okay, the gritty direction fits right in, but as for stories go Narc never really surprised or intrigued me to a good level.
The film follows an undercover narcotics officer (Nick Tellis ? Jason Patrick) who is pulled back on duty following an eighteen-month suspension after accidentally shooting and killing a pregnant woman during an on-foot chase. Not a day goes by when he doesn?t regret what he has done, which lures his interest to find the madman that had murdered an undercover narcotics officer. Nick Tellis is teamed with the tough and aggressive cop, Henry Oak (Ray Liotta), who is full of himself but like Tellis, wants to get the job done. So ensues a thriller with dramatic touches, but unfortunately for myself I had a somewhat of an idea of what was to come not only due to the trailer segments revealed, but just paying attention to detail and what you may call "the obvious."
If there?s one performance in Narc that?s pretty damn terrific, it?s Jason Patrick. He dives into the role with almost every detail there is, with the regret, the ambition, and the stress, but appears to be the only actor in the cast who is really giving in to their duties. Ray Liotta is reasonable in his part as the guy you really don?t want to mess with, but it felt a little raw and a bit movie-clich?-esque. His role shares a few similarities with Unlawful Entry where he also played a cop, and his performance in Narc really isn?t anything special nor anything to go crazy about. We?ve seen these types of characters beforehand, which makes originality not very fresh.
Krista Bridges plays Patrick?s wife, a persona who is underdeveloped and the pretty standard "I don?t want you taking this case" scenario. We can comprehend their relationship, but the script is a bit weak within their interaction. It feels a bit been-there, done-that, which took me out of the picture. The situation in Narc is one of those "Man wants to do something, but his surroundings are trying to keep him from it." If you enjoy that sort of thing, then be my guest but Narc left me disappointed especially when Paramount was trying to go for nomination consideration for Best Picture.
The gritty look of Narc is occasionally one of the best things this flick has going for it, with the opening scene grabbing the viewer and taking them front-row to a very intense scene. The opening sort of misleads the picture a bit, as most of the film is rather slow paced. And despite the preview making it come off a little more dazzling in the action, Narc is pretty toned down which is the beautiful trick of marketing that studios have mastered over time. There are scenes that grabbed my interest and others that left me bored with my mind already a few steps ahead. The flick is more prone to please the fans that are really into the slow, human drama cop stories. I can take a slow moving film, but the overall acting did not persuade my desire to beg for more once the ending credits hit the screen.
The ending holds a light twist to its game, but the buildup to such was not adequate enough to retrieve a huge reaction from me. The script felt like it was trying to answer a question that the audience wasn?t overly engaged in, and once we understood the truths to the paths we took there wasn?t a grand amount of internal fulfilling that took place. It?s pretty well directed in style but not great in actual direction in terms of acting. And the story could?ve been more complicated, allowing for deeper thoughts and mind-boggling situations. Narc is instead a partially well acted film that can leave you empty inside if you want to really get involved with the story, and almost dive into the characters? lives yourself. It?s not a bad film; it just isn?t anything really rewarding.
If you love the cop dramas/thrillers and gritty pictures in that genre, then maybe you might get a kick out of this flick but I unfortunately was left a bit empty after witnessing this story. The problem with the preview is that it sums up the plot to a good distance, leaving suspense and thrills to somewhat of a minimum. Some of the acting is solidly in gear while some is just okay, the gritty direction fits right in, but as for stories go Narc never really surprised or intrigued me to a good level.
The film follows an undercover narcotics officer (Nick Tellis ? Jason Patrick) who is pulled back on duty following an eighteen-month suspension after accidentally shooting and killing a pregnant woman during an on-foot chase. Not a day goes by when he doesn?t regret what he has done, which lures his interest to find the madman that had murdered an undercover narcotics officer. Nick Tellis is teamed with the tough and aggressive cop, Henry Oak (Ray Liotta), who is full of himself but like Tellis, wants to get the job done. So ensues a thriller with dramatic touches, but unfortunately for myself I had a somewhat of an idea of what was to come not only due to the trailer segments revealed, but just paying attention to detail and what you may call "the obvious."
If there?s one performance in Narc that?s pretty damn terrific, it?s Jason Patrick. He dives into the role with almost every detail there is, with the regret, the ambition, and the stress, but appears to be the only actor in the cast who is really giving in to their duties. Ray Liotta is reasonable in his part as the guy you really don?t want to mess with, but it felt a little raw and a bit movie-clich?-esque. His role shares a few similarities with Unlawful Entry where he also played a cop, and his performance in Narc really isn?t anything special nor anything to go crazy about. We?ve seen these types of characters beforehand, which makes originality not very fresh.
Krista Bridges plays Patrick?s wife, a persona who is underdeveloped and the pretty standard "I don?t want you taking this case" scenario. We can comprehend their relationship, but the script is a bit weak within their interaction. It feels a bit been-there, done-that, which took me out of the picture. The situation in Narc is one of those "Man wants to do something, but his surroundings are trying to keep him from it." If you enjoy that sort of thing, then be my guest but Narc left me disappointed especially when Paramount was trying to go for nomination consideration for Best Picture.
The gritty look of Narc is occasionally one of the best things this flick has going for it, with the opening scene grabbing the viewer and taking them front-row to a very intense scene. The opening sort of misleads the picture a bit, as most of the film is rather slow paced. And despite the preview making it come off a little more dazzling in the action, Narc is pretty toned down which is the beautiful trick of marketing that studios have mastered over time. There are scenes that grabbed my interest and others that left me bored with my mind already a few steps ahead. The flick is more prone to please the fans that are really into the slow, human drama cop stories. I can take a slow moving film, but the overall acting did not persuade my desire to beg for more once the ending credits hit the screen.
The ending holds a light twist to its game, but the buildup to such was not adequate enough to retrieve a huge reaction from me. The script felt like it was trying to answer a question that the audience wasn?t overly engaged in, and once we understood the truths to the paths we took there wasn?t a grand amount of internal fulfilling that took place. It?s pretty well directed in style but not great in actual direction in terms of acting. And the story could?ve been more complicated, allowing for deeper thoughts and mind-boggling situations. Narc is instead a partially well acted film that can leave you empty inside if you want to really get involved with the story, and almost dive into the characters? lives yourself. It?s not a bad film; it just isn?t anything really rewarding.
Lee's Grade: C+
Ranked #64 of 143 between The Two Towers (#63) and Spider-Man (#65) for 2002 movies.
Ranked #64 of 143 between The Two Towers (#63) and Spider-Man (#65) for 2002 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
