Narrow Margin | | Cast : | Gene Hackman, Anne Archer | | Director : | Peter Hyams | | Studio : | Artisan Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Widescreen | | Released Date : | September 21, 1990 | | DVD Released Date : | August 17, 1999 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | September 16, 2004 | | Summary | An atmospheric thriller quickie | Content
 | Peter Hyams' remake of Richard Fleisher's 1952 The Narrow Margin focuses more on atmosphere and scenery than it does film noir. It does make for a cool, if a bit too short, movie.
Gene Hackman is the loudmouth Deputy DA desperate to get a big daddy mob boss behind bars. And when a shy book editor witnesses a mob assassination he treks out to Middleofnowhere, Canada to drag her into court to testify. Problem's arise when the bad guys show up in the wilderness and blow the crap out of her cabin.
A brilliant, rustic car/chopper chase down the sheer slopes of a mountain forest follows. It's a great scene with some cool shots and sharp editing. Once they reach the bottom of the mountain they find a train station and board the train for a private cabin. The bad guys follow, only they still don't know what their witness looks like.
Many scenes of hiding and seeking make up the rest of the movie. It doesn't sound like much but Peter Hyams' widescreen photography is used to the max to promote a sense of claustrophobia and even the quieter scenes are dominated by the sound of the train charging through the dark Canadian wilderness. One particular scene at Monashee Station really does take advantage of the 'middle of nowhere' feeling.
Bruce Broughton's score is kind of okay, but nothing as loud and exciting as the score he originally created. Peter Hyams disagreed (as he often does with his composers) and chopped up Broughton's work in post-production. Thus, the music in the movie is more of an underscore with much of the more action-based cues missing.
I wish it did last longer and with more scenes on the train (coz trains are cool) but, for what it is, Narrow Margin is a tightly wrought thriller with Gene Hackman on top form as always and having fun playing the older guy in the suit who can still get into fights and car chases as if it were his everyday job.
Filmed in Panavision the DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Dolby 2.0 soundtrack. Though 5.1 would have been better there is still some surround use. The R2 DVD by Universal also has better cover art than the R1. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 26, 2004 | | Summary | Within The Margin Of Error | Content
| At first glance, Narrow Margin sounds like a modest thiller, with a rather generic premise. After watching the film though, I realized that, it's actually better than its plot suggests. L.A. District Attorney Robert Caufield (Gene Hackman) must find unwilling murder witness Carol Hunnicu (Anne Archer), who fled to Canada, and bring her back to the United States to testify against a top-level mob boss. Locating and convincing her to return are the least of Caufield's problems. The pair is sent scrambling as they attempt to escape two deadly hitmen sent to silence her. Soon, they decide to board a Vancouver-bound train, only to find that the assassins are also on board the train. For the next 20 hours, as the train makes its way across the isolated Canadian wilderness, it becomes a game of cat and mouse, in which their ability to tell a friend from foe becomes a matter of life and death. Peter Hyams has spent some time over his career, directing thrillers, some good, like Outland and some that are pretty bad, like The Presidio.Here though, having Hackman along somehow elevates the film, as he presents a believable character that really helps to sell the idea. After causing a stir with Fatal Attraction, Archer contines to walk that fine line between being vulnerable and a certain strenth that she wears quite well. The film's last act is pretty exciting and filled with some truly tense moments. Hyams keeps a brisk pace to the movie and that also viewers avoid a few of the script's problems as well. The DVD is pretty much bare bones when it comes to the bonus material. The theatrical trailer, a few production notes, and some cast & crew information is all you get. The lack of any substantaial extras is very much in keeping with most of Hyams's films (if not all) as presented on DVD. Extras and a few script issues aside, Narrow Margin, is still very much worth a look. Recommended |
| Rating | | | Date | October 19, 2003 | | Summary | MISSED BEING A CLASSIC BY A "NARROW MARGIN" INDEED | Content
| If it weren't for the rushed ending, this movie'd be listed high up there with LA Confidential and Fugitive in terms of an action packed thriller. And for good reason -- it's lean, crisp, and nail-biting suspense. The original movie, a 1952 noir with the same name, had a stunning Charles McGraw cameo as well, but I am one of those who don't usually drool over B&W prints. This new version has some mild adjustments, e.g., the rail trip that makes the movie is now based entirely on a Canadian train ride. In that, the claustrophobic train interior is contrasted very well with the wide open Canadian wilderness. The cinematography and the screenplay are immaculate. Gene Hackman is riveting. Tension is built through a series of one-on-one confrontations, each with electric undercurrents. The best by far is the gentlemanly chat between Hackman and James Sikking (one of the villians also aboard the same train) in the dining car. What does the movie in, and leaves you with a lame parting shot is the super-quick ending. After the whole breathless action-packed rigmarole of getting a witness to LA, the case indicting a mafia boss happens all too soon to give a fitting closure. But don't let this stop you if you're into suspense films. Great thriller! |
| Rating | | | Date | September 02, 2003 | | Summary | More Suspense Please. | Content
| I was diapointed. I was expecting more of a Fugitive or Enemy of the State kind of movie. My 17 and 14 year old sons didn't finish watching with me because they thought it was to boring.
The first part with the mountain cabin and helicopter chase was good. Once they were on the train it fizzled out. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 13, 2002 | | Summary | Sit on the edge of your seat movie! | Content
| Narrow Margin starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer is a wonderful action and adventure movie and has some nail biting suspense aboard a train! This is definitely a movie I could watch again several times and not get bored with it! |
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