Desertman84
Narc is a crime film about corrupt police involved in the illegal drug trade.It stars Jason Patric and Ray Liotta together with Chi McBride and Busta Rhymes.The plot revolves around the efforts of two police detectives as they search for the murderer of an undercover police officer and as they proceed in the investigation they engage in suspect tactics and give viewers a glimpse into the seedy side of undercover work.It is written and directed by Joe Carnahan.Suspended from the police force following an undercover drug bust gone horribly awry, Detroit undercover narcotics officer Nick Tellis is reluctantly goaded back into active duty in hopes that he can help to crack the case of a slain fellow officer. Promised reinstatement in the force in exchange for his efforts, Tellis is paired with the victim's volatile ex-partner Henry Oak and soon begins to actively seek the killer in an increasingly complex case. A recent father whose wife fears for her husband's safety and begs him not to take back to the dangerous streets, Tellis struggles with his conscience as he navigates a twisting road of half-realized truths, shifting loyalties and questionable agendas. With every step closer to Tellis gets to solving the troubling murder, he grows farther away from his wife and newborn son, and edges ever closer to a resolution so complicated that it threatens to devour his soul and shatter every preconceived difference he has ever made between cop and criminal.The screenplay is your basic renegade-cop narrative, with the usual formula and clichés about justice versus the law.Aside from that,it is more about a triumph of style over substance as Jason Patric and Ray Liotta make for one splendidly cast pair and their characters worth caring about despite the fact that the movie adds nothing new to the films of the same genre.
Scott LeBrun
"Narc" is exactly the sort of movie for which the word "gritty" is meant. It's a tough, uncompromising, bleak, yet stylish crime drama that does very well when it comes to creating a constant seedy ambiance. Writer / director Joe Carnahan pays attention to detail and character; this is one of those instances where one might think they've figured out the twist laden plot only to learn that things aren't quite what they seem. Jason Patric plays Nick Tellis, an undercover narcotics detective under fire for a bust gone bad. A review board offers him a chance to redeem himself by working another case: the killing of another detective. He's basically recruited to keep someone else in check, and that's the dead detective's partner, Henry (Ray Liotta), a volatile maverick. Carnahan keeps things tough, honest, and free from too much sentiment, revealing layers to the characters a bit at a time. Tellis's wife Audrey (Krista Bridges), not surprisingly, is having a hard time dealing with the grim reality of her husband's life and job. Carnahan's use of colour is striking, and while the camera sometimes moves a bit much - and shakes - for its own good, there's no denying that there's a major visceral effectiveness to the film. The director also works in themes of family and loyalty and the maintaining of images, and gets two memorable performances from his two stars, who completely disappear into their roles. Liotta kicks ass in a role that initially seems clichéd but turns out to be reasonably complex. Also to be seen in an important small part is music star Busta Rhymes as a lowlife who opens up Tellis's eyes to additional information about his new partner, while Chi McBride is quietly authoritative as the police captain. These actors help to sell the reality of this violent, profane story, which never loses its grip despite a slow and steady pace. It has a real grabber of an opening, and remains very watchable right through to its downbeat resolution. It comes recommended to fans of hard hitting cop stories. Seven out of 10.
joshmclellan
This is a perfect score for a few reasons. 1) I'm a big fan of dark gritty cop flicks. 2) Ray Liota steals the show here. Hands down. This is Ray Liota's best film to date. Some would argue Goodfellas and that is understandable. Jason Patrick's scenes are thoroughly intense and the opener is one to remember. Very violent, very graphic and dark. Plus great plot twists, ones you'll think you see coming and then not and then do! Liota is quite hefty in this, he gained 25lbs for the roll and just nails the performance. He really did deserved an Oscar. This is one of if not the best dark cop movie I've ever watched. If you liked: Training Day, Dirty, Payback...go watch!
kenzokeith
This movie was as good as I expected it to be. It was raw, nasty and just violent enough. Both Patric and Liotta were totally immersed in their characters and it was directed impeccably. The fighting and shootouts were realistic (although the blood looked a little fake) and there wasn't one bad actor to speak of.The only problem I have is with a hole in the plot. If Oak is so concerned with Calvess' widow receiving his pension, why would he care that Cheevers wanted to pin his death on Eugene Sheps? It would have solved that problem. And he could still get his revenge on Love and Steeds later by killing them, which he came within an inch of anyway. The concept that Oak felt that Love and Steeds were responsible for Calvess' addiction and would only accept their wrongful conviction of his murder as suitable revenge is a little bit of a stretch.
AD
