Purely Joyful Movie!

Dreadfully Boring

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Why are some good cop films overtly successful and talked about, whereas some good cop films are forgotten too early? Narc has garnered critical acclaim. It also managed to approximately double it's meager 6.5 million budget. So it is a success, and a pretty decent one. However, I think it should have gained a lot more recognition. Moreover, it should be remembered overtime, just as films like se7en(1995) and Serpico(1973) have. It is a very thorough film, it should be ranked among one of the top in the cop film genre. Ray Liotta and Jason Patrick team up as cops who look to investigate the murder of a fellow undercover cop working in the narcotics department. Hence, as they set on course to investigate, the gritty reality of the drugs arena and the internal corruption in the police department come to surface. Narc is an ideal cop film. It has everything. Fast pace, powerful performances, twists, mystery, edge of seat stuff. From the first frame, the pace of the film is set up. The first scene is the gloomy but edgy chase sequence as Jason Patrick runs breathlessly after a junkie. It is dark and intense. Also, the characters come with their own weaknesses. They are not the typical 'macho' cops. They are struggling with their internal demons throughout their journey into the underbelly. Not only that, they don't get along very well with each other. All of the subplots and backstories of the two protagonists have been connected to the focal plot of the film. All the loose ends have been tied up, hence no loopholes in a somewhat layered plot. All these traits make this an entertaining film. But what makes this film compete with classics is the fact that it is not only entertaining, but it also exposes the grit and dirt. The corruption in the police department and the frailty of those working in the narcotics department is portrayed heavily in the film. So no matter how hard one tries, there is nothing lacking or weak in the film that can be pointed out. It stays true to the genre, it doesn't even try to be anything else, just an outstanding cop film. Ray Liotta and Jason Patrick deliver strong performances. Snappy and dark cinematography match the genre's requirements. It also gives it a "noir" feel. Joe Carnahan's direction is spot on. Much like Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone(2007), the ending leaves the main character with a tricky choice. Here, Jason Patrick has a choice to hand in the confession tape or not. Both choices will disadvantage someone unfairly, if he hands in the tape, two junkies will be accused of a murder they did not commit, otherwise Calvess's(the cop whose murder investigation was taking place) widow will stop receiving his pension. It's a question of morals, which the film doesn't spoon- feed or preach explicitly. Hence, the ending is left open ended. Overall, the statement that Narc is a good film is an understatement. It is more than good. It is widely established as just a good 2002 cop film, but it should be remembered as more than that.

The opening scene made the film seem promising. But as soon as it's over the movie drops right down to lame. The dialogue is over dramatic and boring. Several of the sets used in this movie are really cheap and unbelievable. I kept waiting and waiting for the movie to pick up but it maintained a steady slow boring pace. I want to watch a movie with constant substance throughout. These lame drama movies filled with emotional over dramatic dialogue conveying over dramatic "blah blah blah' are just so bloody lame. One scene with a crying baby was so hard to watch because it was clear that this was a prop baby crying and pulling away from the actor reaching for it's real parent off set. 80% of the movie is just emotional glut with the actors moaning on over slow depressing background music. I dredged through 50 long painful minutes of this B-grade waste of time waiting for something to happen to make up for all the lameness of it, but it never happened. I stopped watching it. Terrible.

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.

Narc is written and directed by Joe Carnahan. It stars Ray Liotta, Jason Patric, Chi McBride, Busta Rhymes and Richard Chevolleau. Music is scored by Cliff Martinez and cinematography by Alex Nepomniaschy.After being suspended from the Detroit police force following an undercover drug bust gone horribly wrong, undercover narcotics officer Nick Tellis (Patric) is coerced back into active duty to see if he can help crack the case of a mysteriously slain fellow officer. Paired with the victim's volatile ex-partner, Henry Oak (Liotta), Tellis tries to hold it together as the case grows ever more complex the deeper he gets.Don't tune into this one if you want cartoon action and good cop/bad cop laughs, this is a perpetual downer, stripped to the bone, it's a portrait of damaged people in a shabby part of Detroit. The investigation is standard formula stuff, but it's with the characterisations, and the attention to detail of said characters, that lifts this to near classic status. Grit and grime rule the day, with the violence never gratuitous and pulsing with intensity. The mystery element of the case is strong, we constantly wonder what happened as we trawl through the avenues of red herrings and streets populated with scummy characters, but nicely Carnahan has us primarily concerned with what happens to Tellis and Oak as opposed to the slain copper they are investigating. Carnahan breaks free from the sub-Tarrantino mimicry taunts that had landed his way previously, to produce a daring film visually, with kinetic hand held camera work, split-screens and washed out colours, all aiding the narrative, keeping this always as a gripping tale of substance.It's not perfect, the wife is too standard, some loose ends dangle from the finale, but backed by two exemplary performances from Liotta and Patric, both never better, Narc goes way above cliché to hold in a grip throughout. 8/10