Narc

Narc (2002) This independently shot police thriller is one of my faves so far this year. Directed by Joe Carnahan and starring Jason Patrick and Ray Liotta, this flick should have made a much bigger splash at the big screen circuit than it did. It is a realistic looking tale about police work in Detroit. It is also a tale about moral relativity, that is, where do different people’s morals overlap or go beyond the other’s pale. The story is about an undercover cop (Patrick) who shot a bystander while pursuing a wanted drug dealer. He is brought off suspension onto a case to help solve the murder of another cop’s (Liotta) undercover partner. They work their way through the case, bump up against a number of unsavory characters and Liotta frequently appears to be out of control and perhaps not completely forthcoming at all times. One of the strengths of the movie is the way their family lives are inter-cut with the main story line. You get to see the impact on their home lives that police work can have and to feel the losses they take along the way. This can be a bit of a brutal experience as there is a lot of fighting, bloodletting, and general all around nasty business but if you can hang on to the end, you will be rewarded with an excellent story. The movie does not have a typical Hollywood ending and will be subject to some interpretation by the viewer. The DVD comes with several shorts about making the movie and an excellent commentary track by Director Carnahan and his editor. The movie is rated R for: Blood curdling violence, curdling blood, missing teeth in a wall, bathtub you really don’t want to see, and for a wee bit of excessive oath hurling (swearing) and projectile vomiting.