A
throwback to the hardboiled police dramas of the past, Narc sustains the
gritty realness of beloved TV shows like Cops, only it has brains and a
riveting story to boot. Most of the film is shot with a steadicam, granting the
camera maximum mobility. In other words, we as an audience follow the main
characters step by step as they proceed in their investigation, which in turn
gives us a much more vivid and participatory experience. Narc is also one
of the best sensory experiences any police-thriller has been able to deliver.
Director Joe Carnahan, who also wrote the screenplay, brings a documentary feel
to his second feature that manages to warp the audience into its violent and
dilapidated Detroit setting.
The
film is about Nick Tellis (Jason Patrick), an undercover narcotics officer whose
career has been in hiatus ever since an unfortunate accident he had while
chasing a drug dealer. Narc’s headache-inducing opening shot (one long
and violently shaky take of Nick running after the suspect), in addition to
being both dizzying and ballsy, perfectly sets the tone for the rugged type of
filmmaking Carnahan has planned.
In
order for Nick to be given a desk job, a job that would certainly relieve the
worries oh his wife and infant son, he must solve one last cast: the mysterious
death of a slain narc officer. Nick is paired with Henry Oak (Ray Liotta), a
ruthless and out-of-control detective who has been working on this case for two
months and takes it very personally. Oak is determined to capture the killers no
matter how many rules he has to break.
On
the surface, Narc’s plot may sound basic and clichéd…but that is
only on the surface. Carnahan manages avoiding nearly every cliché in the book.
Just when the film starts to feel familiar, Carnahan turns the other direction
and presents something we have never seen in a police thriller. And keep in mind
that this is a film based on how we see situations more than the situations we
see.
The
violence in Narc is brutal, and it is made all the more real thanks to a
vicious performance by Ray Liotta; who hasn’t had a worthwhile role since
playing renowned mobster Henry Hill in Goodfellas. Liotta walks around
punching and shooting people as though these were forms of communication, like a
modern day handshake. Oak is a volcano constantly on the verge of erupting, and
Liotta expertly plays the part. I’m not sure whether it is the material or
Carnahan’s direction, but even supporting players like Busta Rhymes are
unexpectedly effective.
GRADE: A-
-Copyright 2002 by
Shaun
Sages