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by Alex Keen Published: December 16, 2002
From writer/director Joe Carnahan, “Narc” delves into the darkest areas of police work, following an on-edge narcotics officer as he tries to find a cop killer. Carnahan’s follow-up to “Blood, Guts, Bullets, and Octane” starts off with an incredibly shocking opening that borrows camera tricks seen in reality-based entertainment (“The Blair Witch Project” and “Series 7: The Contenders”). This opening tests the limits of an R-rating, as a drug fueled cop chases down a criminal that has no regard for civilians or human life. And the chase concludes with a revelation as powerful as the opening of “The Sixth Sense”. After the opening, the film details a complex investigation through the underworld, as two cops played by Ray Liotta and Jason Patric look for the murderer of Liotta’s partner. Patric’s character is an unlikely choice in the investigation considering that he had recently gone through detoxification, and was decidedly against returning to working on the streets. Liotta’s character is an intensely just cop, who is willing to supersede the system if need be to see that justice is served. The two are a pair of officers with similar experiences and similar outlooks, but with varying methods of investigation. As the film progresses the two sometimes work together to explore the leads that they generate, including a humorous encounter with a pants less junky (John Ortiz). While the two cops have an excellent rapport together, their trust of one another comes under fire after Patric decides to interview the dead cop’s grieving widow. This results in a thunderous confrontation that Liotta initiates with incredible intensity. The shaky partnership continues until the duo is forced to decide on the fate of their investigation. And just like the opening, the closing is filled with action and drama. The performances in “Narc” from Liotta and Patric are career bests. Liotta, who has made some bad role selections since “Goodfellas”, has a performance worthy of Academy Award notice. Because his role is secondary to Patric, it seems fitting that he will fall into the Supporting Acting category. Liotta’s strength is the ferocity in which he generates a complex and shocking performance. He channels the styles of Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, and Mel Gibson to give the character a presence unseen in his previous performances. While “Narc” may have a difficult time getting notice due to its subject matter, Liotta’s performance deserves as much buzz it will generate. For Patric, “Narc” is a vehicle of redemption. Since his breakthrough role in “The Lost Boys”, Patric has struggled to achieve success in Hollywood. “Narc” is actually his second attempt at portraying a narcotics officer (he struggled through “Rush”), and he is much stronger this time around. Patric’s everyman talents are pushed aside to reveal an honest and direct delivery style. He holds his own when challenged by Liotta, but still delivers compassion and charm when handling familial situations. Patric clearly hits all the right tones throughout the film, especially during the opening. Carnahan delivers a masterpiece of a police drama in the midst of an entertainment climate overwhelmed by cop shows. His picture surpasses shows like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, “Boomtown”, “Robbery Homicide Division”, “NYPD Blue”, and “The Shield” because it avoids cliché characters and situations. The pacing of the film is well crafted, never too slow, but able to pause so that characters can have time to develop without too much exaggeration. Carnahan’s only mistake is not using actor Chi McBride to his full potential. Had McBride been allowed a few high temper scenes with Liotta and Patric, and the film would have been boiling over with fury. “Narc” is an incredible drama and a much better dark police drama than last year’s “Training Day”. It keeps the streets honest and the storyline simple. Fans of intense drama and gritty character-based action will be well entertained. Overall Rating: A |
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