Gene Hackman Movie:

				Salesrank: 271504
		Used Price: $42.32
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Back in 1952, during the waning days of film noir, director Richard Fleischer made The Narrow Margin, a cheaply produced, tightly structured B movie thriller about a cop forced to protect a gangster's widow while on a train. While it's no work of art, Fleischer's noir features a shocking climax of mistaken identity, an ominous, claustrophobic atmosphere, and tough, nearly unlikable protagonists screwed by fate, who spout sharp-witted dialogue and feel little more than contempt for each other. When Hollywood remakes itself, all the understatement and charm is usually lost when the filmmakers try to "modernize" the subject matter. This is one of many problems with writer-director Peter Hyams's remake (given the slightly shorter title Narrow Margin). He's dumped the surprising plot twist (it's now an action set piece atop a moving train) and softened the characters (now played with sleepwalking intensity by Gene Hackman and Anne Archer) with preposterous motivations. All that seems to be intact is the train premise, but Hyams is more interested in its action potential than any kind of menacing atmosphere. He's dropped the ambiguous relationships and smart dialogue in favor of pumping up the action sequences and daredevil stunts to ridiculous levels. Instead of adding excitement, all Hyams's expensive tricks do is drain Narrow Margin of any tension it might've retained from the original. --Dave McCoy

Narrow Margin [Region 2] Reviews:
takes you to the edge of suspense (but no further)
2009-11-08 - I saw this in the theater whe it came out. The ads said "It takes you to the edge of suspense." And it did, just to the edge, not to actual suspense, just the edge. Stick to Fleicher's noir classic.

Lots To Like In This Updated Version
2009-03-26 - It's odd to like an original 1952 film and then like the re-make equally so, if not more, but that's the case with this film. I have viewed both versions of this film at least three times apiece and thoroughly enjoy both.

As is sometimes the case with remakes, some of the twists and turns of this thriller were also changed from the first film. They didn't spoil it, though. I have no objection to the changes made here because the bottom line is entertainment, and that's where this movie excels. Plausible? No, but neither was the original, for that matter, and neither are a lot of suspense/ crime films.

What makes this re-run good, in addition to the great suspense, are several other things: 1 - Gene Hackman, one of the best actors of his generation and often overlooked in discussions of great actors; 2 - nice photography featuring some great train shots and the scenic Canadian Rockies; 3 - an interesting assortment of characters, some of which keep you guessing whether they are the good guys or the bad guys; 4 - a dash of humor thrown in here and there to break the tension.

In addition to Hackman, we see the sexy Anne Archer, who gives a nice film noir feel to the movie and we get some good supporting performances including two from guys with the same last name: J.T. and Emmet Walsh and one from a guy who plays one of the hit men: James Sikking. That's a name I'm not familiar with, but he has a scene talking to Hackman that is riveting.

****possible spoilers**** The main fault of the movie at least to me, was the "Rambo" mentality in which I mean the villains have the good guy in point-blank, can't-miss range several times and....you guessed it: they miss. The action scenes in here are great but lack credibility, or this would be almost as good as it could ever get for a "thriller." I'm still giving it a "5" for the great entertainment value alone. It's always fun to watch.

DVD movie : Narrow Margin
2008-07-26 - Review of "Narrow Margin".
Who could'nt love the trains and the Canadian scenery?
But further I am a Hackman fan so for me it is easily worth
buying to watch and loan to family etc. The R must be for
violence but it not excessive compared to any ordinary day
of commercial TV.
Bad guys (hired killers) chase the seemingly inept Gene
and Anne Archer up and down the cross-Canada touring
type train, and at stations along the way. At some point
you start thinking ... this is familiar, I've seen this before.
Because the story is a re-use of a previous classic tale
involving a train. But that does'nt hurt this movie at all.
Buy it; Cheaper than going to movies nowadays!
Dick Norman

Quite a ride
2008-02-15 - 1990's Narrow Margin made a poor showing at the box-office, which is a pity because this is a thriller that really thrills. All too quickly dismissed by many critics for committing the cardinal sin of being a remake (in this case of Richard Fleischer's classic 1952 B-movie), it's a superbly paced example of pure commercial film-making at its most satisfying.

Intelligently scripted by director Peter Hyams (Capricorn One, Outland) with an admirable use of Scope that emphasises the claustrophobic nature of the game of cat-and-mouse, there are at least two genuinely breath-taking moments even before the inevitable train-top finale. Yet the film is always careful to maintain a semblance of credibility. As a result, it derives as much of its suspense from our involvement with the characters as from its bravura action sequences.

True, these are stereotypes - idealistic DA, frightened-but-honest witness, pragmatic killer - but they are believable stereotypes who behave logically, relying on their wits. If the watchword of Hyams' Outland was professionalism, in Narrow Margin it is self-reliance. Both sides have to make the most of what is to hand in a restrictive environment that works against them equally.

If this enclosed environment had been a spaceship and the killers aliens, Narrow Margin might have wowed them at the box-office. As it is, without an easily exploitable angle, it proved one of the most mystifying of Hyams' frequent financial disappointments: Hyams at his peak was the consummate commercial film-maker, yet paradoxically his films were never very commercially successful. With impressive performances from Hackman, Archer and Hyams' regular James B. Sikking as the businessman-like killer who prefers negotiation to coercion, Narrow Margin deserved much, much better. It's a good movie, and one you won't just watch once.

Unfortunately, the Region 1 DVD isn't particularly good - no real extras and an indifferent widescreen transfer. If you have a multi-region player you're much better off tracking down the Region 2 German PAL DVD, which comes with an exclusive audio commentary (in English) by Hyams, as well as brief featurette, behind-the-scenes footage and theatrical trailer.


Train to Asylum
2007-08-14 - This is one of the best movies Gene Hackman has made. An excellent thriller. He plays the part of a deputy D.A. trying to bring a witness back to court in the U.S. but is being tracked by killers. Some beautiful scenery in Canada as he spirits his witness from a cabin and takes her to the train that will wind through the countryside. The action is non-stop with a helicopter chasing them shooting machine guns to the men hunting them on the train. A game of cat and mouse aboard the train is tense. It has you wondering who exactly is after her, and who are just passengers. Great cast with many familiar faces. Reminds you a little of a Hitchock style like "The Lady Vanishes". I highly recommend it. The DVD doesn't have much in the way of features but subtitles. Good quality picture and sound. If you enjoyed this be sure to catch "The Package" and "Enemy of the State".