Cast: Jason Patric, Ray Liotta, Chi McBride, Alan Van Sprang, Krista Bridges
Director: Joe Carnahan
Producers: Ray Liotta, Diane Nabatoff, Julius R. Nasson
Screenplay: Joe Carnahan
Cinematography: Alex Nepomniaschy
Music: Cliff Martinez
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Distilled to its base elements, Narc is a conventional "gritty cop" thriller of the sort that has been popularized on television by such weekly shows as "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue." The film works less because of its relatively straightforward plot trajectory than because of its forceful lead performances and the stylistic choices made by director Joe Carnahan. Without a hint of regret, the filmmaker freely borrows from such diverse sources as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone, and the TV program "C.S.I."
Detroit narcotics officer Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) has been off the force for 18 months following a shooting incident that left an unborn child dead and a permanent black mark on his record. Now, just as Nick is becoming restless with home life, homicide captain Cheevers (Chi McBride) offers him an opportunity at redemption and the chance to re-start his career. All he has to do is solve the murder of officer Michael Calvess (Alan Van Sprang), a messy crime that has left the police without a single lead. To do this, he partners with Calvess' best friend, Henry Oak (Ray Liotta), a cop who is as known for getting results as he is for having a short trigger. The deeper Nick gets into the case, the more obsessed he becomes with determining what happened to Calvess. In the process, he loses sight of the damage the investigation is doing to his personal life. Eventually, he discovers that Henry's secrets may hold the keys to the case.
The best parts of Narc are those that concentrate on character development rather than police work. The investigation is a generic affair. Despite a few twists, turns, and red herrings, there's nothing remarkable about how Nick and Henry execute their jobs. But, at least during Narc's first half, there's more to the film than just following clues and questioning recalcitrant suspects. We are given a window not only into Nick's home life, but into the private hell from which his loving wife, Audrey (Krista Bridges), has rescued him. These scenes give Nick three-dimensionality, and make us care about what happens to him. If there's a disappointment to be found in Narc, it's that the final act becomes so focused on solving the mystery of what happened to Calvess that it forgets we care more about Nick than the corpse. I felt a measure of dissatisfaction at the end because, although Carnahan wraps up the case, he leaves dangling all sorts of messy loose ends.
The acting of the two leads elevates Narc. Jason Patric, an actor who has mastered the art of giving an understated portrayal, is riveting. We can see his character slowly simmering – never quite reaching the boiling point, but always on the edge. There's a quiet intensity to this performance that meshes perfectly with Carnahan's grim, gritty mood. Ray Liotta gets the more flamboyant role, and tears into it with relish. Henry is one of those bigger-than-life individuals who is capable of great good or great evil. For him, the ends unequivocally justify the means.
Carnahan, whose previous film, Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane, was all style and little substance, uses nearly every camera trick in the book. There are hand-held shots, scenes where the focus is blurred, black-and-white flashbacks, images photographed through colored filters, and even a period where a split-screen is employed. The film oozes atmosphere – Detroit is presented as a less colorful neighbor to Dante's Inferno. It's grim, gray, and grainy – the kind of place where no one except a criminal or a zombie would willingly reside. There are times when Carnahan's hyper-stylized technique threatens to overwhelm his story and characters (as occasionally happens with Oliver Stone), but, when he dials down the flamboyancy, his approach is effective in enhancing the mood.
Narc is a relentless downer. The movie is about murder, abuse, and betrayal, with no distant ray of light shining like a beacon of hope. Some of Carnahan's dialogue has the rat-a-tat feel of Tarantino, but the uncompromising bluntness of the violence is pure Scorsese. This is not gratuitous bloodshed; it's the kind that makes you feel like you've been punched in the gut. Narc's characters live in the shadows, and the movie works because Carnahan takes us into the darkness with them. Unfortunately, when it's all over, he leaves us there.
© 2003 James Berardinelli