Product Details

• Actors: Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, James Sikking, J.T. Walsh, M. Emmet Walsh
• Directors: Peter Hyams
• Writers: Peter Hyams, Earl Felton, Jack Leonard, Martin Goldsmith
• Producers: Andrew G. Vajna, Jerry Offsay, Jonathan A. Zimbert
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Live / Artisan
• VHS Release Date: December 14, 1993
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000I1KM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,566 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A DEFINITE NAIL BITER..., September 17, 2001

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Narrow Margin [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a terrific thriller with excellent performances by Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, J.T. Walsh, James B. Sikking, M. Emmett Walsh, and Susan Hogan. There are also some terrific action scenes. This film is guaranteed to keep the viewer on the edge of one's seat.

The plot is simple. A woman, Carol Hunnicutt (Anne Archer), goes on a blind date with an attorney (J.T. Walsh) with whom a well meaning friend has set her up. He gets a business call that he needs to return, as soon as possible. She accompanies him to his apartment. She excuses herself, while he makes his call, and goes to use the bathroom. In the meantime, he is visited by one of his clients, Leo Watts, and another man. Watts confronts the lawyer with the fact that he knows that the lawyer has gotten himself into a financial hole and has, consequently, stolen a lot of money from him. The lawyer, knowing Watts to be a ruthless mobster, begins to cry. Carol, overhearing the commotion, cautiously opens the door, only to see the other man with Watts execute her blind date.

Terror stricken, she sits mute for some time and then disappears to a remote Canadian location, where she is ulimately tracked down by Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Robert Caulfield (Gene Hackman) and a Los Angeles Police Department Detective, who has accompanied him. They are working on the case involving the death of the attorney, and they believe that she may have some relevant information, as her fingerprints were discovered at the crime scene and traced back to her via an old anti-war protest arrest.

Unfortunately, Watts' men also find her, almost simultaneously, and the games begin in earnest with the detective killed in the process. Robert and Carol make a run for it and board a train headed towards Vancouver. Right behind them are the hit men, who also board the same train, hot on their heels. A life or death cat and mouse game commences. What happens on that train will keep the viewer riveted to the screen. This is, without a doubt, a well executed thriller.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pure Gene., April 21, 2001

By 

SCOTT W COOPER (Rochester. United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Narrow Margin (DVD)

An otherwise run of the mill thriller is made into something rather special,courtesy of an excellent performance from Gene Hackman.A simple plot outline sees Gene as a District Attorney who takes it upon himself to protect a murder witness (Anne Archer) and escort her to safety,to testify agianst the mobsters responsible.The Couple decide to board on a train,soon to discover that a pair of professional killers are stalking them.Some good Cinematography,great plot twist's and action scenes,and Gene's performance make this a very entertaining film. Artisan have transferred this film to DVD in it's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1,which is enhanced for 16x9 T.V.'s.The transfer is very good throughout,edge enhancement is evident,as is the occasional grainy scene,but this never distracts.The sound quality on this DVD is 2.0 Channel Dolby Surround.It is very clear,defined,and has no hissing,drop-out/background noise,or distortion related problems.This disc has only one Theatrical trailer as an extra,plus some production notes and cast and crew information.Overall,because this disc was so cheap,the lack of extras was somewhat inevitable,but, it's a very good film,the picture quality is better than average,so it was well worth the price.A must for any Gene Hackman fan.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An atmospheric thriller quickie, September 16, 2004

By 

Inspector Gadget "Go Go Gadget Reviews" (On the trail of Doctor Claw) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Narrow Margin (DVD)

Peter Hyams' remake of Richard Fleisher's 1952 The Narrow Margin focuses more on atmosphere and scenery than it does film noir. It does make for a cool, if a bit too short, movie.

Gene Hackman is the loudmouth Deputy DA desperate to get a big daddy mob boss behind bars. And when a shy book editor witnesses a mob assassination he treks out to Middleofnowhere, Canada to drag her into court to testify. Problem's arise when the bad guys show up in the wilderness and blow the crap out of her cabin.

A brilliant, rustic car/chopper chase down the sheer slopes of a mountain forest follows. It's a great scene with some cool shots and sharp editing. Once they reach the bottom of the mountain they find a train station and board the train for a private cabin. The bad guys follow, only they still don't know what their witness looks like.

Many scenes of hiding and seeking make up the rest of the movie. It doesn't sound like much but Peter Hyams' widescreen photography is used to the max to promote a sense of claustrophobia and even the quieter scenes are dominated by the sound of the train charging through the dark Canadian wilderness. One particular scene at Monashee Station really does take advantage of the 'middle of nowhere' feeling.

Bruce Broughton's score is kind of okay, but nothing as loud and exciting as the score he originally created. Peter Hyams disagreed (as he often does with his composers) and chopped up Broughton's work in post-production. Thus, the music in the movie is more of an underscore with much of the more action-based cues missing.

I wish it did last longer and with more scenes on the train (coz trains are cool) but, for what it is, Narrow Margin is a tightly wrought thriller with Gene Hackman on top form as always and having fun playing the older guy in the suit who can still get into fights and car chases as if it were his everyday job.

Filmed in Panavision the DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Dolby 2.0 soundtrack. Though 5.1 would have been better there is still some surround use. The R2 DVD by Universal also has better cover art than the R1.