Narc (2002)
I didn't know Joe Carnahan directed
"Narc" until I saw his name in the opening credits
of the film. I noticed recently that cable channel
IFC was running his early film, "Blood, Guts, Bullets
and Octane," this month and calling it a "first film."
I didn't think he had a second. Anyway, Carnahan's
first film is a low-budg Tarantino rip-off that still
managed to make me like it. (My friend Tim, who saw
it with me, hated it). For some reason, thanks to
the exploitative title and Carnahan's name in he credits.
I was expecting the worst from "Narc" when it began
to unspool through the projector.
The film begins with a foot chase
utilizing herky-jerky hand- held camera movements
and pretentiously grainy cinematic images. Although
it looked beautiful, I thought it was a bit typical
and braced myself for a pompous, average, wannabee
film experience. Then things got interesting.
Jason Patric, unrecognizable in
the first chase scene, appears in a more sedate setting
and the film becomes much more slowly-paced, thoughtful
and introspective. Patric is the real key here. His
contemplative, deliberate, and controlled lead paces
the entire film. Carnahan may break off into amusing
moments, action moments, and a lot of gooey, red,
Caro-syrup-as-blood-drenched moments, but Patric's
center is never overwhelmed by all this. He holds
steady during the film and causes it to be one of
the most interesting and engrossing crime dramas to
appear in a number of years. Watching it, one often
thinks of it as a modern day "Serpico," but that's
due as much to Patric's scruffy physical appearance
as it is to the film itself.
Patric's Narc, a character named
Nick Tellis, slowly unfolds to us and we begin to
understand his personality and his history. The character
is quite nicely drawn (by Carnahan on paper and Patric
in the flesh) and we come to really be intrigued and
to really care about him. Even when the plot seems
to be developing massive holes in the final reel,
we are still interested. And then scripter Carnahan
pulls out some monumental plot twists that make everything
work at the wrap-up. Watching Patric, as Tellis, work
his way through this story is engrossing.
And there are excellent choices
in this character. One of the most amazing things,
again coming from both the page and the physical action
itself, is Patric's work with an infant child here.
Since he is married and a new father, and since this
is paramount (no pun intended, since that company
distributed the film) to the script, Patric's work
with the infant is as important as his work with the
actress who plays his wife. It's also as important
as his work with Ray Liotta, who provides the storm
to Patric's calm.
Like Patric, Liotta is simply perfect
here. His performance is so good that I can even forgive
the notion that his name is listed as one of the producers
on the flick. (Hey, so is Tom Cruise's). Liotta is
so bulky and so much a graybeard as Henry Oak, a volatile
and battle-scarred police vet, that we don't recognize
him for nearly 15 minutes. His performance is so perfect,
so focused and so forceful that it is no joke to call
it Oscar-worthy. This juxtaposition of Liotta's force
of nature against Patric's center of the storm is
fascinating. The two have a chemistry that drools
off the screen like the fake blood, slow and stringy,
drips off the broken lip of the beaten thugs here.
This film has everything going for
it. First and foremost, it has a title that is going
to put butts in the seats. The one- word, seemingly
truncated, slang for a DEA officer implies both action
and drama. I wanted to see the film simply for the
title alone. But the script is quite good, the acting
is award-worthy and the cinematic visuals are stunning.
Everything here works. Like the 300-plus people who
viewed the film with me, I came expecting something
action-oriented and intensely dramatic. I got that
and a whole lot more.
Note:
Score by Cliff Martinez.
Developed by Lion's Gate who released
Carnahan's first film. Distributed by Paramount. Both
companies have their logo on the film's front.
There was also a film named "Narc"
released in 1988.
Viewed in Austin at a promo screening
in November of 2002. The theater was also showing
a sneak of "The Grey Zone" at exactly the same time
at an adjoining theater. I wore my furry girl's jacket
vest, my spiked collar necklace and just a hint of
black lipstick.
I got there at around 6:45 and there
was already a few people around. My friend Jan was
talking to people in line. I didn't think she was
coming to see "Narc," since she had seen it at the
Austin Film Festival and that's when she told me about
the other screening. She took me to the Paramount
rep, a young lady who seemed extremely bored and disinterested.
She told me the theater wasn't clean yet and it had
350 seats. I assumed that everyone would probably
get in and didn't bother to get in line. I hate using
my "press" credential to hop in front of line, so
I decided to sit and wait for them to let the line
in. I like to sit towards the front anyway.
Anyway, "The Grey Zone" line goes
in at around 7:10 or so. The line for "Narc" keeps
getting longer and longer but my mental count only
seems like 250 people or so, so I still don't get
in line. I see the cute boy who does the Mirimax sneaks
(he's obviously gay) in the concession line and I
wanted to go say Hi to him but chickened out.
Eventually, around 7:28, the "Narc"
line starts to go in. I wait and wait and the line
moves as slowly as molasses. Finally at 7:40 or so,
I get into the tail of the line and I realize one
of the things that is holding us up is that they are
checking ID's because it is R rated. Jesus Fuck! These
people stood in line for 45 fucking minutes and no
one had the time to check their ID's until now? What
bullshit. Whoever Paramount hired to "run" this sneak
is a fucking idiot. These dumbass college girls working
for Paramount hold the line up forever hassling the
people who've waited patiently to get in. But then
we seem to be stalled for no reason and I finally
get one of the Paramount airheads' attention to ask
what the problem is. She tells me that there isn't
enough seats for everyone, so their checking on seating.
I know this must be horseshit because there's no way
that 350 people have went in. Then again, maybe the
bored and brain-dead rep I spoke with first was mistaken.
She certainly didn't look like she gave a fuck about
what was going on.
Eventually, they let us in and there
are still plenty of seats. It's almost 8 o'clock before
the film finally starts. No one does any sort of introduction
or anything. It just starts. Although the crowd, made
up mostly of young people, titters and chats a bit
through the early stages of the film, within 15 minutes
or so you could hear a pin drop. And it stayed that
way throughout the rest of the running. That's how
good this film is.
