TRUE GRIT

'Narc' Combines '70s Crime Realism With Stylish TV Feel

"Narc" will blow you away.

That's immediately clear when the film opens smack dab in the middle of a
frenzied chase between two guys with guns blazing. We don't know what's
going on - don't even know who the "good" guy is. (Should we be rooting for
one of them?) It doesn't matter. We're riveted to the action.

Heavy breathing and jerky camera movements (about 75 percent of the movie
was shot with a hand-held camera) lend viewers the same perspective of the
running characters. The effect is taut, unsettling. When a playground
appears in the background, the sense of dread is stifling.

And when this scene is finished, we're not off the hook as viewers; not by
a long shot. There's a way to go yet.

"Narc" is an intelligent and brutal throwback to the gritty 1970s crime
dramas but with a modern stylistic repertoire that resembles television's
"24" and "CSI," including multiple-screen use and various scenarios played
out as clues unravel into an officer's death. (Just a note: If you ever
think you have it all figured out, you don't.)

Director and writer Joe Carnahan built "Narc" off his 1994 short, "Gun
Point." He expanded that story into an insanely intense movie dealing with
the war against drugs and crime happening on our home turf.

Carnahan has crafted a stylish film, but not a glossy one. It feels real.
It's bloody and violent, but not in a gratuitous manner. Scenes are not set
up, so you won't be warned, for instance, before a gun is pulled on
someone. It just happens. Characters go down, bleeding and probably dying.

The film is also heavy on solid acting with Jason Patric and Ray Liotta
(who put on 30 pounds for this role) both giving outstanding performances,
as well as strong supporting roles by Chi McBride ("Boston Public") and
rapper Busta Rhymes.

Patric, in his best screen performance, plays burned-out narcotics officer
Nick Tellis, the guy we see chasing the perp in the bloody opening. (Patric
could have easily made a career out of playing hunky leading man roles and
instead continues to go for interesting character studies.)

He was put on suspension after that day, one he is still serving 18 months
later when he's asked to help crack the case of a murdered officer. Seeking
a normal life for his family, Tellis makes a deal: He'll go in one last
time in exchange for a desk job.

Tellis is teamed with the dead officer's partner, Henry Oak (fiercely
played by Liotta in what deserves to be an award-winning performance). They
seek the truth despite their opposed styles and lives: Tellis, the family
man looking for sanity; Oak, a possibly unbalanced rogue cop out for revenge.

The humanity - tender moments of Tellis holding his infant son; glimpses of
the slain officer's belongings, including children's drawings and family
photos - smartly balances the film's violence and brutality.

"Narc" was the type of movie where people deferred salaries to keep
production going.

It's what the industry calls a "small film." What a misnomer for a movie
that's really as large as life.