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Narc (Widescreen Edition)

Narc (Widescreen Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best "cop" film since French Connection
Review: This is by far one of the best cop movies I've ever seen. From the opening burst of high octane; a foot chase through the slums of Detroit, (actually filmed in Canada) the film maintains the crescendo until the explosive and volatile end. The film stars Ray Liotta (Henry Oak) as the partner of a murdered Narc (an undercover narcotics officer) Liotta carries such force and weight throughout the film that you can't help but love his dirty and gritty tactics. Jason Patric plays Nick Tellis, a Narc himself until a botched drug bust (which is the opening scene) leaves him suspended. Patric plays Tellis with such depth that the viewer soon feels empathetic towards Tellis' agonizing turmoil and revisiting of his past.

With Oak's partner's case still unsolved, the powers that be decide to combine Tellis' street connections and Oak's "investigative" techniques to close the case once in for all. This is where the movie gets interesting...I won't tell you any more. There's a solid performance given by Busta Rhymes. The cinematography is some of the most "real" I've ever seen, Combining handhelds and a multi-screen shot, a la Time Code. The script is strong and both Liotta and Patric give SOLID SOLID performances. It's one of those movies that doesn't leave you feeling cheated, it works perfectly in and of itself, it doesn't try to be anything else than what it is. This is a must-see film for those who can appreciate a low budget film's exponential potential.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Solid Cop Movie
Review: I heard soo little about this movie, I almost didn't go see it. I wasn't disappointed at all. A movie like this hasn't kept my interest in a long time. I highly recommend it.Excellent acting and a great script.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great cop movie.
Review: "Narc," which made no money and received little major notice when it was released theatrically, was a great movie, a cop thriller full of shady characters and a twisted plot.

Ray Liotta and Jason Patric, both great character actors who deserve an even higher level of fame, create well-drawn yet haunted characters in the film.

Director Joe Carnahan is great with the mood of the piece, using bleak-looking lighting, hand-held camera work and use of harsh locations for shoots. The film is tense, dark and suspenseful. And the surprise ending, regarding the plot of who killed a cop and why, is a treat.

The film embraces and then rejects all the cop movie cliches you would expect, but the film is a rousing success for the genre.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Gritty and Engrossing thriller
Review: Perhaps Narc's biggest flaw is that despite a powerful and shocking opening scene, it quickly goes downhill in the middle, becoming boring and typical, before picking itself up again for a gut-wrenching and suspenseful finale. It's not a great movie, but it sure as hell is a good one. Ray Liotta and Jason Patric are superb, and Busta Rhymes proves himself to be a worthy actor (as he did in Halloween: Resurrection, as ashamed as I am to admit that). The plot, about undercover cop Nick Tellis (Patric), who he is summoned onto the case of a murdered unercover naroctics officer because of his invaluable understanding of the streets, is captivating. Teamed with Lt. Harry Oak (Liotta), the slain cop's partner known for his unconventional administration of justice, Tellis slips into old patterns as the underworld he knows too well ultimately sucks him in. It's a film that uses surprising twists and turns to tell its story, and even if you think you know where it will lead, you ultimately find out how wrong you are. And that alone is what makes Narc so powerful and engrossing, not to mention shocking. There are the typical formula signs -- the unhappy wife, the black superior with his hands tied -- but director Carnahan tends to keep it fresh either through creative direction and spare dialogue, or by expanding a character in a way we didn't see coming. As Nick and Henry take part in a meticulous game of search-and-destroy with possible suspects, Carnahan amps up the tension, getting us to a relentless conclusion full of bone-cracking violence and heartbreaking truth. While getting there, the director falters once in awhile -- most notably with a split-screen sequence (think Time Code) -- but even in the slip-ups, the effort is still apparent. Carnahan's energy combined with the standout performances of his stars make Narc a cut above your run-of-the-mill cop drama clones.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Ray Liotta in his best performance since Goodfellas!!!!! NArc is dark and violent but i loved it!! if u like cop dramas this is the movie for you!!! NArc gets a 10!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best films of the year!
Review: NARC will leave you emotionally drained, exhilarating, and in a curious way... uplifted. It has a strong moral message about police corruption and Ray Liotta gives a great performance as a shotgun-weilding cop who likes to do things "his way", and Jason Patric is excellent too.

That image of the two hypedermic needles held over the flame will stay in my mind for years to come.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Waste of Good Acting
Review: I had high hopes for "Narc" after hearing rave reviews from friends, but (and perhaps this is because I am not a fan of the cop-drama genre) I didn't really find this film interesting or original. Although the film was well-shot and well-acted, and was more visually captivating than your run-of-the-mill cop flick, the directing was a bit heavy-handed and the plot was formulaic and beyond predictable. Viewers are beaten over the head with cues to the characters' emotional states about as brutally as the villains roughed up by Liotta's character. "Narc" really crosses over into melodramatic bathos at times, which ruins what could have been a great film. I also wasn't quite as impressed as most people seem to be with the opening chase footage. The jerky camerawork that lets the viewer see through they eyes of Patric's character as he chases the baddie is NOT all that original. I would have enjoyed it a lot more had it not been done to death in "Blair Witch Project," which I hold to be the worst movie ever made, including home videos by people who put their thumbs over the lens. Granted, that shooting style was much more appropriate in the "Narc" chase scene -- it's just unfortunate that, several years earlier, it was featured very prominently in a famously ... film. I would, however, like to give the filmmakers props for using subdued lighting and muted colors to augment "Narc"s air of despair, personal tragedy and futility. The atmosphere-setting use of color and light helped determine the emotional tone of the movie and heighten the taut drama between Patric and Liotta, but was subtle enough that it didn't interfere with the realistic feel of the film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Tough, Gritty Thriller In The Tradition Of Training Day
Review: I was hooked right from the opening sequence: Undercover Narcotics Officer Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) pursues a suspect armed with two syringes of tainted Heroin....He stabs an innocent bystander with one, killing him, then takes a young child hostage. This must be every Cop's worst nightmare...

Things don't end well, and Tellis is put through the wringer. He's given one of those "Only in the movies" chances to redeem himself, though: Partner up with the thuggish Henry Oak, a Detective Lieutenant trying to solve the murder of his friend, Michael Calvess, an undercover Cop found killed execution-style. The good-cop/bad cop dichotomy is in full effect, as we see the contrast between Tellis (Who needs to stay by-the-book to redeem himself and get his coveted desk job) and Oak (Who will do anything to see justice done).

The movie delivers some neat twists, and the final showdown is a real heart-pounder. I did find some of the revelations (I won't spoil them!) a little far-fetched, but hey, it's not a documentary. Jason Patric delivers a fine performance, but Ray Liotta steals the show as Oak. He deserves an Oscar nomination for his rich, layered performance. Oak is a scary guy, but he's not a psychopath; He has reasons for what he does, and I found myself feeling conflicted in my opinions about him when the film ended. This is, without a doubt, Liotta's best performance ever.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: woah mama
Review: To call this movie realistic is an understatement, because while your watching it, this movie is real. The directing style is one never before seen in modern day, hollywood cinema, at least not in a way that is presented here. Joe Carnahan makes every noise, every detail matter, so that, for example when they are driving a car and tellis is talking on his cell phone, you can hear the outside noises, the car wheels against the pavement, the hum of the engine, at the exact same level and intensity as you would in real life. Thats this movies real strength; the spellbinding ability to craft scenes that are dramatic in a passerby sense; no music, no structured dialouge, lots of other noise. The performances are also excellent, and the several plot twists that this movie offers at the end will keep you on the edge of your seat. It doesnt even matter that the actual plot is generally run-of-the mill. In Narc, its not what is said, but how its said.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ray liotta + shotgun = great movie
Review: ray liotta should get the russell crowe anger award of the year for this one, his best performance ever, hands down, blows his goodfellas performance away, blows washington's in training day away. just leaves your trembling and wanting to see it again.
partick is a great counter to his character his best work in awahile, this is just a great movie!


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