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| Narc |
| Genre |
Police Drama |
| Starring |
Ray Liotta and Jason Patric |
| Director |
Joe Carnahan |
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“Narc” is a dark, gritty, police drama that is a triumph for all involved. The film marks the breakthrough success for Writer- director Joe Carnahan. The movie succeeds visually by using many dark, dreary colors and liberal use of the steady cam to document the volatile and seedy life's of Narcotic officers and the underbelly of small time thugs and druggies.
Jason Patric plays, Nick Tellis, an unstable narcotics officer, disgraced and suspended after wounding a pregnant woman while chasing down a criminal in the brilliant opening sequence.
More than a year later, Tellis’s marriage is in trouble. With a baby boy, Tellis yearns to get off the street and behind a desk. He is presented with an opportunity to be reinstated by looking into a politically charged case involving the murder of an undercover Narcotics officer Michael Calvess.
Tellis is paired with the intense Henry Oak, played by Ray Liotta. The rest of the film involves discovering who savagely beat and murdered Calvess.
The performances in “Narc” elevate the film to a level of near greatness. Ray Liotta is in top form. Adding over 30 pounds of bulk, Liotta’s presence is down right menacing. Charles Bronson himself would vouch for Liotta’s toughness. (The fact that the Academy has overlooked this film as well as Spike Lee’s “The 25th Hour” again shows that they have their heads completely up their asses). The character of Henry Oak is on a mission for justice. He explains that the case has “nothing to do with rules and regulations and everything to do with right and wrong”. Both men have lost themselves in the job and it borders on an obsession for them. Tellis is searching for redemption for himself. Oak is out for justice for Calvess’s widow and child.
The script is easily one of the best of the year. The third act of the film features very little action and only location but is carried by performance dialogue and conflict. The slower, character building scenes of Tellis and his family and Oak talking about his dead wife are also well done. They all work seamlessly into the film.
I think back to last year’s “Training Day.” Liotta and Patric far outperform Denzel Washington and pretty-boy Ethan Hawke. With independent films, one of the major advantages is they are not called upon to cast major name actors, they can pick someone who is perfect for the part. Perhaps the performances are so good that one is not aware that they are acting. For example, Jeff Bridges in the “Big Lebowski” or Kevin Spacey in “American Beauty.” I can’t imagine anyone else playing that role. They weren’t acting, they simply became those characters. On the other hand when big budget studio pictures cast a famous person to play a role, one is very conscious of the performance. Will Smith in last year’s “Ali” or Ethan Hawke in “Training Day”. They did a good job for considering they were both stretching considerably, but there are certainly many other actors who could have played the roles much more convincingly.
BOTTOM LINE: “Narc” has incredible acting, a great mood, great dialogue and is one of the best most underrated films of the year. A- to A+. |
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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