Narrow Margin [Blu-ray]

Overview

Narrow Margin, directed by Peter Hyams and loosely based on the classic film noir of the same title, tells the story of a resourceful District Attorney who must return a witness to San Francisco alive so she can testify in a trial. Carol (Anne Archer) is in the bathroom of the hotel room of her blind date when he is murdered by mobsters for stealing money. Knowing she is the only witness, Carol flees to an isolated Canadian mountain home to hide out. She is followed by Caulfield (Gene Hackman) who knows that she is a witness and wants to make her testify. When the mobsters track Caulfield to the cabin, Carol must join him in a run for her life on a Canadian train. This film, while it is somewhat uneven, is a tour de force for director/writer/cinematographer Peter Hyams, who delivers a fast-paced, action-packed chase through the Canadian mountains, stunningly photographed and well acted by both Hackman and Archer.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/30/2020
UPC:	0738329247508
Original Release:	1990
Rating:	R
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Language:	English
Time:	1:37:00
Sales rank:	23,195

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Gene Hackman	Robert Caulfield
Anne Archer	Carol Hunnicut
James B. Sikking	Actor,Nelson
J.T. Walsh	Michael Tarlow,Sgt. Dominick Benti
Susan Hogan	Kathryn Weller
Nigel Bennett	Jack Wootton
J.A. Preston	Martin Larner
B.A. 'Smitty' Smith	Keller
Codie Lucas Wilbee	Nicholas
Barbara E. Russell	Nicholas' Mother,Nicholas' Mother
Antony Holland	Elderly Man
Doreen Ramos	Elderly Woman
Kevin McNulty	James Dahlbeck
Andrew Rhodes	Nigro
Lon Katzman	Loughlin
Dana Still	Bellman with Message
Lesley Ewen	Larner's Secretary
Barney O'Sullivan	Ticket Agent
Natino Bellantoni	Bartender
Lindsay Bourne	Club Car Waiter
Robert Rozen	Dining Car Waiter
Ron Cummins	Hotel Valet
Harris Yulin	Leo Watts
Ted Stidder	Conductor #1
John Michael Quinn	Criminal Attorney
Tom McBeath	Conductor
Lesley Ewan	Larner's Secretary
Bruce Broughton	Composer

Technical Credits

Peter Hyams

Earl Felton

Peter Hyams	Director,Screenwriter
Jonathan A. Zimbert	Producer
Mario Kassar	Executive Producer,Producer
Andrew Vajna	Executive Producer,Producer,Executive Producer
Stan Parks	Special Effects
Glenn Wilder	Stunts
Earl Felton	Screenwriter
Mary Eilts	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Narrow Margin presents a hackneyed story line: A woman witnesses a murder, the perpetrators finger her for a hit, and she goes on the lam. But this film has Gene Hackman. It also has suspense and a speeding train on which Hackman plays Spiderman. As a result, the dimwitted plot -- which unabashedly resorts to wizened clichés and contrivances -- turns into a tolerably decent nail-biter. It all starts when Carol Hunicutt (Anne Archer) witnesses mobsters whacking a hapless sap in a Los Angeles hotel room. To escape their wrath, she holes up in a cabin in the Canadian outback. The pace quickens when a Los Angeles deputy, DA Robert Caulfield (Hackman), tracks down Hunicutt to get her to testify against the killers. Mob helicopter hit men hot on the trail shoot the cabin into a honeycomb, but Caulfield and Hunicutt (who are apparently immortal) escape unscathed and race through the wilds. When all seems lost, Caulfield pulls a Chingachgook: He throws a stone to rustle the bushes and the villains turn tail. All right, original and uplifting the film is not, but after Caulfield and Hunicutt hop a train populated by mob strongarm men and spies (in this film, the mob has more resources than the CIA), the plot takes on an Agatha Christie flavor with a twist of Ian Fleming. It's all good fun. No, the film has no redeeming artistic value and no profound message. But once the action starts, it's hard to stop watching it. Be sure to stick around for the final scene when the hero confronts a tall evildoer on the top of a passenger car as the train approaches a tunnel.

All Movie Guide - Mike Cummings