An aggressive chase and a stray bullet nearly ends the career of undercover narcotics agent Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) whose job is tearing apart his life and his family. Tellis dreams of working a less stressful desk job, and he knows that a conviction in an upcoming case will land him the job. So he accepts an assignment assisting the overlong investigation of a slain officer, hoping it will be his last experience of street work. Tellis is partnered with Lt. Henry Oak (Ray Liotta) whose unorthodox methods are part of the reason the case is still unsolved.
Strict attention to police procedure and cop lingo lift writer-director Joe Carnahan's (BLOOD, GUTS, BULLETS AND OCTANE) gritty, violent film above the cliches of the typical police thriller. NARC is fueled by impassioned performances from leads Patrick, a wary officer who seeks the truth as a means to his own psychological redemption; and Liotta (who also produced), as a broken cop with sadistic, rule-breaking tendencies. The film's grimy immediacy is to the credit of cinematographer Alex Nepomniaschy.
theatrical Release: DECEMBER 20, 2002 (NY/LA)
JANUARY 10, 2002 (NATIONAL)
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Pan & Scan
Audio:
Dolby Digital Stereo - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. Joe Carnahan - Writer/Director, John Gilroy - Editor
Trailer - 1. Theatrical
Featurettes - 1. MAKING THE DEAL
2. SHOOTING UP
3. THE VISUAL TRIP
4. THE FREIDKIN CONNECTION
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection
Director of Photography
Alex Nepomniaschy: Director of Photography, HARD LUCK (2006)
Review 1:
"...A believable, fleshed-out film....NARC is convincing, an entertaining, grimy view of the traps of machismo tucked inside a cop thriller..."
Source: New York Times
p.E19 12/20/2002
Review 2:
"...Cinematographer Alex Nepomniaschy, sometimes using hand-held shots, establishes a jittery tone that works..."
Source: USA Today
p.6E 12/20/2002
Review 3:
"...The characters, and Carnahan's shades-of-gray FRENCH CONNECTION-style action, inspire the actors -- they play off one another with blazing skill..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.45 01/03/2003
Review 4:
"...An impressively edgy piece of genre film-making....One of Carnahan's achievements is to maintain a persuasively dark vision throughout..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.55-6 02/01/2003
Review 5:
"...It works and is backed up by a skintight plot, a snappy script and a duo of brilliant performances....It's a two-man show and Liotta and Patric form a praiseworthy double act..."
Source: Total Film
p.104 03/01/2003