Narc (2002)

When the trail goes cold on a murder investigation of a policeman an undercover narcotics officer is lured back to the force to help solve the case.

Director:

Joe Carnahan

Writer:

Joe Carnahan

Stars:

Ray Liotta, Jason Patric, Chi McBride

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Leis	...	Elvin Dowd
Jason Patric	...	Nick Tellis
Lloyd Adams	...	Walter Dandridge
Meagan Issa	...	Little Girl
Lina Giornofelice	...	Jeanine Mueller (as Lina Felice)
A.C. Peterson	...	Freeman Franks (as Alan C. Peterson)
Karen Robinson	...	Liz Detmer
Chi McBride	...	Captain Cheevers
Booth Savage	...	Cecil Mitchum
Alan Van Sprang	...	Michael Calvess
Gavyn Donaldson	...	Tellis' Infant Son
Myles Donaldson	...	Tellis' Infant Son
Krista Bridges	...	Audrey Tellis
Ray Liotta	...	Henry Oak
Thomas Patrice	...	Officer Marcotte

Storyline

An undercover narc dies, the investigation stalls, so the Detroit P.D. brings back Nick Tellis, fired 18-months ago when a stray bullet hits a pregnant woman. Tellis teams with Henry Oak, a friend of the dead narc and an aggressive cop constantly under the scrutiny of internal affairs. They follow leads, informants turn up dead, Nick's wife is unhappy he's back on the street, Henry's protective of the dead cop's wife. Nick reads and re-reads the case file, broods, watches Oak's heavy-handed style, sometimes joining in. The brass want to close out the case, Nick and Henry stay on it, and bits of evidence point them to an auto body shop. What actually happened; will Nick ever know?

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Plot Keywords:

undercover | murder | opening action scene | blood splatter | police shootout | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, drug content and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount [United States]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

10 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Narc: Calles peligrosas

Filming Locations:

Regent Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$63,303, 22 December 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$10,460,089, 16 March 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lions Gate Films, Cruise/Wagner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Cruise was so impressed after seeing the movie that he took on the role of executive producer, and made sure the movie got a wider release than originally planned. He also convinced director Joe Carnahan to take the director's chair for Cruise's upcoming Mission: Impossible III (2006). However, not long after production started, Carnahan left the set due to creative differences with Cruise.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the movie, Jason Patric breaks open the car window and, when he opens the door, the legs of several crewmembers are visible through the door's rearview mirror.

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Quotes

Henry Oak: Come on! Say "fuck you" again!

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Connections

Referenced in Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers (2007)

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Soundtracks

Mind Playin' Tricks on Me
Performed by Geto Boys
Courtesy of Virgin Records America, Inc./Rap-A-Lot Records
Written by Willie Dennis, Scarface (as Brad Jordan) and Doug King

User Reviews

An overlooked gem

Narc is an overlooked gem, a superb cop movie that delivers excellent characters at the expense of needless action.

Jason Patric is an actor I never really rated but he blew me away in this he looks haggard and haunted, you can understand his character completely just from one look in his eyes. Despite Patric's efforts he is surpassed by a career best turn from Ray Liotta, who is menacing and cool at the same time.

Kudos for Joe Carnahan for balancing style with substance perfectly, and the opening to the film is one of the best i've ever seen. This film exudes purity and class, and Carnahan directs with no pressure. I look forward to his next film.

I don't wish to reveal anything on this film because it's best that you just see it cold but fans of Copland or Dark Blue should love this. 9/10