Lack of good storyline.

Best movie ever!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

This film was almost constantly annoying. The main character, supposedly an ex-Marine, manages to get his hands on actual guns several times, which might well have evened up the odds a little in his attempts to escape the assassins sent to kill his charge, so of course the screenwriter inserted bits of business each time to let the "hero" screw it up. He loses one gun whilst he stops to preen himself in a mirror, t'other whilst he tosses off a quip evidently meant to display the screenwriter's facility with Bondish repartee, and is so stuck on himself that he fails to notice when the obvious decoy on the train makes goo-goo eyes at him, ignoring countless real hunks in the process, and so sets up the mandatory denouement in which the decoy (quelle surprise!) acts out the perfect "villain taunting the hero" scene and is vanquished mid-taunt, whilst Bond... pardon... one or another of the Marx Brothers, utters the perfect quip, which in real life would have allowed the decoy to escape and kill both witness and the main character, but of course it doesn't, since the screenwriter couldn't let that happen, so it didn't, but only through brute force, wrestling a happy ending out of a bloody mash-up.I don't mind a little suspension of disbelief, but I prefer honest slapstick to whatever the heck this was.

This tense,taut thriller deals about a D.A. protecting a witness(Anne Archer) on a train journey throughout the wilderness Canadian Rockies back to Los Angeles.He must save her from deadly killers (Nigel Bennet, James B. Sikking). Hackman fights to keep them both safe from the hard-boiled hit-men in some exciting pursuits such as helicopters and aboard and in top train .Well made film full of noisy action, tension , suspense, breathtaking stunts and spectacular set pieces. A real cat and mouse game between Hackman-Archer and heavies Sikking-Bennet. Gene Hackman is splendid as two-fisted deputy prosecutor who is in charge of transporting a widow and he must attempt to keep her safe from the murderous who would kill her to testify against a mobster played by Harris Yulin. Relieable Anne Archer is first rate as reluctant and long-suffering witness . Lavishly produced cost 20 millions of dollar by today disappeared Carolco created by the famous producers, Mario Kassar and Andrew G Vajna. Moving and stirring musical score by Bruce Broughton, fitting perfectly to action. This thrilling motion picture is finely photographed and stunningly directed by Peter Hyams . However it results to be an inferior remake of its predecessor, a noir classic directed by Richard Fleischer with Mary Windsor and Charles McGraw, one of the best films of the 50s and one of the most successful in the story of RKO.

Much has been made here of the fact that this is yet another remake of a film widely considered to be a classic. On the whole I am not sympathetic to remakes of even non-classics simply because most of the films that inspire fond memories reflected that period in which they were made - how would Laura or Ninotchka for example look if remade today - and it is totally impossible to replicate 'feel'. On the face of it this remake is absurd: The black-and-white original made a virtue of necessity; it was a 'B' picture with a 'B' budget so Fleisher shot it all in a confined space and juggled the camera angles to great effect. The woman (Marie Windsor) was the wife of the gangster and hard as nails, not, as here, a more or less innocent bystander who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. By opening it out, creating a whole new exposition about the blind date we just lose valuable time that could have been concentrated - as in the original version - on the claustrophobic laced with danger train journey. The remake is not without the odd thrill but if both versions are freely available I can't see anyone settling for the remake.

Cinematographers have loved trains since their very beginning (in 1896, L'arrivée d'un train à La Ciotat.. 1903, The Great Train Robbery, ...) I love movies, I love trains, so I'm of course very fond of movies that feature trains prominently: Keaton's General, La bête humaine, Murder on the Orient Express, Silver Streak, Under Siege 2, Train de vie, and a number of lesser ones.Narrow Margin is a nice addition to this collection. It presents views of West Canadian railroading, in good style, even though it doesn't offer spectacular stunts, like people or vehicles falling from high bridges, or crashing into some Union Station :^) The classic elements of running on cars' roofs, ducking before tunnels are included though. An off-train prelude builds up the situation, just to put all major players on the train, into the claustrophobic atmosphere, contrasted with wide landscape shots.Of course there's more plot etc., and nice details, like the water-pistol and the (too) tall bad lady. Nothing spectacular, but a pleasing experience all in all.