Narrow Margin (1990)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers (WGA):

Martin Goldsmith (earlier story) &
Jack Leonard (earlier story) ...

Release Date:

21 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes the difference between life and death can be a Narrow Margin

Plot:

A woman secretly witnesses the murder of her blind date for the evening by a top Mafia boss. She immediately...

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Murder | Train | District Attorney | Blind Date

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Robert Caulfield
Anne Archer	...	Carol Hunnicut
James Sikking	...	Nelson (as James B. Sikking)
J.T. Walsh	...	Michael Tarlow
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Sergeant 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 Russell	...	Nicholas' Mother (as Barbara E. Russell)
Antony Holland	...	Elderly Man
Doreen Ramos	...	Elderly Woman
Kevin McNulty	...	James Dahlbeck
Andrew Rhodes	...	Sgt. Nigro

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

It was Gene Hackman's idea that his character wear glasses.

Goofs:

Continuity: The characters' shadows in the final showdown on the car roof are of different lengths in different shots. Most notably, in one shot the villain casts his shadow all the way onto the rocks that pass the train, while in the very next shot his shadow is short and stays entirely on the car roof.

Quotes:

Caulfield: I feel like Phil Donahue.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Crash Point Zero (2000)

Enjoyable suspenser remake that could have been better!

This movie succeeds on the talent of Gene Hackman and his co-stars especially Anne Archer and James Sikking. The story is as follows Carol Hunnicutt (Archer) is a witness to a mob killing, so she hides in a remote part of Canada. los Angeles Deputy D.A Robert Caulfield (Hackman)is given the task of finding her to bring her back to L.A to testify at a Mob trial, but he accidently tells the Hit-men out to silence her - her whereabouts, so when he arrives at her remote cabin, there a helicopter full of bad guys waiting for them - so begins a enjoyably suspense chase through remote Canada, they decide to get on a Cross-Country train.. but the bad guys are also on board, so theyt spend the night trying to avoid a bullet. If it sounds familiar it's because the movie's a remake of the 1950'S RKO Picture of the same name starring Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor.

Double crosses,dirty cops and tension throughout but the script could have been better and the movie (just over 90 mins) could have been longer and the climax is slightly disappointing

otherwise it's a good early 1990's movie from Peter Hyams who's had a bit of a hit and miss career since,HIT:- Timecop (1994) and The Relic (1997) and Sudden Death (1995) - MISS:- Stay Tuned (1992) and End of days (1999)

My rating 8/10