The Narrow Margin
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Movie Reviews of The Narrow Margin
Movie Review: Classic tough guy film noir from 1952
Summary: 5 Stars
Some time ago, I saw the remake of this film with Gene Hackman. I wasn't much impressed. Recently, I stumbled on a DVD version of the remake and decided to compare it with this 1952 classic.
Let me now be perfectly clear. If you have any wish to retain even a vestige of respect for the remake, DO NOT view it in conjunction with this brilliant original! With the single exception of Gene Hackman (who at least struggled to make some bricks, despite an acute lack of straw), the remake was lame in every possible respect. Every line of dialogue, every plot point, every set-up, every individual frame was not only inferior to the original but clearly designed to be so by the writers, technical staff, director and producer. The single-minded crumminess of the 1990 effort can only have arisen from some shared, manic delusion that they, each and all of them, were making improvements on the old film noir thriller. Hooboy, were they wrong!
How does this sort of thing happen? Exactly why does someone who has chosen to spend millions of dollars on remaking a movie decide to scrap everything that was good in the original and replace it with intellectually and artistically shabby merchandise? Why, in short, would anybody exchange a taut, tense little thriller on a train with a big, dumb, clumsy action flick that largely takes place ON TOP of a train?
After venting on the iniquities of the recent generation of film makers, I shall now turn to an absolutely more congenial subject, an excellent film noir. This is the twenty-sixth Amazon review. Twenty-four earlier reviewers have described the merits of the film (and one bozo has scattered spoilers, each with a dull thud.) I commend readers who wish information on the plot set-up and cast of "The Narrow Margin" to those twenty-four earlier reviews. As for myself, I'll add only that this film is one of those low-budget, program pieces that sometimes popped out of the American studio system and unexpectedly committed real and unquestionable art.
Even though it originates somewhat late in the era of the film noir, "The Narrow Margin" is one of its finest exemplars. It is taut, intense, single-minded, ruthless, and just a bit grimy--everything, in short, that a film noir ought to be. Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor are just about perfect in their roles: all tough, hard surface and, appropriately, neither one of them obviously trustworthy.
This film is 72 minutes of pointed, lean, mean drama that covers about as much ground as one today's bloated two-and-a-half hour epics. Every shot in it is a testimonial to what was good about the old studio system.
For those in any doubt whatsoever about the true nature of film noir, the magnificently planned, lit and shot sequences in the grungy Chicago apartment building will serve at once as an introductory seminar and as a master class.
The quality of the print is first-rate, particularly when compared with the fuzzy, darkened, nth-generation trailer.
The commentary track is good on the effect "The Narrow Margin" had on the following generation of film makers, but a bit generic in regard to the film itself. Still, I've experienced far worse with other DVDs.
This is a small classic: five hard-edged stars.
Movie Review: McGraw and Windsor, The Natural Noir Pair
Summary: 5 Stars
Some film historians call the 1952 release "The Narrow Margin" the finest low budget noir triumph ever. Others opt for "Detour" and Martin Goldsmith was involved in the writing of both.
"The Narrow Margin" provided Richard Fleischer with an opportunity to strike out into the ranks of up and coming young directors and he took advantage of his opportunity, moving on from there to direct such memorable high budget films as "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing", "Compulsion" and "The Boston Strangler."
In this brilliant 72-minute classic two of the truly memorable film noir performers were united and viewers emerge as the winners. Charles McGraw, who was under contract to Howard Hughes for some time before getting his break at RKO, had the no nonsense expression and manner, rugged build, and gravelly voice to make a hit in noir films. While appearing often as a gangster, McGraw made the transition to tough, incorruptible, no nonsense cop in "The Narrow Margin."
The acid-tongue one-liners flow like vintage wine when McGraw is entrusted to guard tough noir veteran Marie Windsor to Chicago, where she is needed to testify in a trial that figures to blow open a major crime syndicate.
Windsor, who was tough as nails as the woman who belittles and bullies her loving husband Elisha Cook in Stanley Kurbrick's "The Killing", is perfectly matched in toughness and determination with McGraw as they hurl verbal darts while he does his best to protect her from mob guns hired to kill her on the train back to Los Angeles.
McGraw is rendered in an even more nasty and angry, albeit controlled, mood after his partner is gunned down at the Chicago apartment building where the Los Angeles detectives have gone to pick up Windsor.
An ingenious element of the story involves the use of scores of chase sequences in which McGraw and the mob hired guns seek to perform the jobs for which they were hired in the confined area of a train. The confinement is further enhanced by McGraw constantly having to squeeze past an obese Paul Maxey, who turns out to be a train detective.
A fierce fistfight between McGraw and well-dressed hoodlum Gordon Gebert is masterfully done. Despite the narrow confinement in which they battle, the combatants stage a tough and believable donnybrook.
Tired of Windsor's complaints and sarcasm, McGraw is delighted to meet passenger Jacqueline White, a well-dressed, lovely, ladylike blonde. He soon learns that conversing with White has made her a target, as the mobsters believe her to be the woman McGraw is entrusted to guard.
When the well-crafted story spins toward its conclusion Goldsmith and the remainder of the writing team consisting of Earl Felton, Jack Leonard and Stanley Rubin throw a surprise twist in the audience's direction. The film never deviates from its breakneck pacing.
"The Narrow Margin" was remade with successful results in a 1990 release starring talented cinema veteran Gene Hackman.
Movie Review: A Tense Ride From Chicago to LA
Summary: 5 Stars
The Narrow Margin is another taught and exciting crime film from director Richard Fleischer. Based on a story written by Jack Leonard and Martin Goldsmith, Earl Felton's tight screenplay is executed with nail-biting flair by director Fleischer. Suspense builds, and a twist is thrown at the viewer before it is finally over, making this "B" sleeper one of RKO's best from this period. A thriller set on a train bound for California, the viewer is aboard for a tense and action-filled ride they won't soon forget.
His partner killed while picking up the wife of a mob boss set to testify before a Grand Jury, Sgt. Walter Brown (Charles McGraw) is determined to get her from Chicago to Los Angeles by train in one piece. He knows he has been followed, however, his only advantage being the killers sent after his charge, don't know what she looks like. Not enamored of the kind of woman who would hook up with a gangster, he is a by-the-book cop, and keeps the somewhat trampy wife (Marie Windsor) stashed in his compartment while he plays cat and mouse with at least two men sent to kill her, and take the list of names she has. He is impeded along the way by a bratty kid named Tommy (Gordon Gebert), who turns out to be not so bad after all. Tensions escalate, however, when Tommy's pretty mother, Ann (Jacqueline White), is mistaken for their target, and Brown must now protect her as well.
Though the film is shot nearly entirely aboard a train, the interiors work in the film's favor, adding a claustrophobic feel as Brown must stay alive so he can protect someone for whom he doesn't have much use. Marie Windsor is excellent as Mrs. Neall, who may have a few tricks up her own sleeve, and a secret. Jacqueline White, so pretty opposite William Lundigan in Mystery in Mexico, another solid RKO "B" entry, is very nice as Tommy's mother. Brown turns down a bribe to look the other way, and it is unclear just who the honest cop can trust. A fat man who always seems to slow him down and a car shadowing the train keeps the viewer guessing, and a twist comes when he appears to have failed you won't see coming. To reveal anything more would itself be a crime for those who haven't seen this one.
Moving as quickly as the train it is set on, Fleischer's film is a bona fide classic in the suspense and crime thriller genre. Shot on a meager budget, it packs a bigger wallop than many films with a better pedigree, proving that money alone does not a good film make. A fun ride.
Movie Review: Widely - and Wildly - Entertaining!
Summary: 5 Stars
Movie: ***** DVD Transfer: ****1/2 Extras: *****
A superb little "B" film noir which deservedly has developed a cult following, "The Narrow Margin" is sure to delight viewers who enjoy thrilling plots that twist and turn in unpredictable - but convincing - ways. It begins fairly routinely: two cops are going to escort a female stool pigeon on a train ride from Chicago to Los Angeles, where she is expected to testify in front of a grand jury; naturally, the underworld has sent a couple of thugs to prevent her from arriving at her destination. The lines between the good and the bad seem clearly defined ... but then - just a few minutes into the film - a major character is unexpectedly killed, throwing the audience off balance, and very soon after it becomes evident that not everyone is who he or she claims to be! What is really going on here?! Clocking in at a short 71 minute running time, "The Narrow Margin" barrels forward toward its thrilling conclusion at the breakneck pace of a runaway train. Great fun, with taut performances all the way around, highlighted by some truly stunning cinematography and a few amazingly creative sound effects.
The Warner Brothers DVD presentation of this classic gem is completely satisfying in terms of both quality and bonus features. The film-to-video transfer is sharp and clear with only a few very minor defects; the picture contrast, so critical to the "look" of the film, is particularly praiseworthy. The DVD includes the Original Theatrical Trailer, as well as an audio commentary by director William ("The Exorcist") Friedkin, who also introduces excerpts of an interview with the film's director, Richard Fleischer. What makes Friedkin such a perfect choice to contribute his critical comments on the making of "The Narrow Margin" is his obvious love for films noir in general, and his enthusiastic endorsement of this movie in particular. Friedkin's insights are fascinating, and his admiration is infectious. Truly an outstanding example of how a classic film should be presented on DVD, "The Narrow Margin" is one disc that is most highly recommended, without any reservations.
Movie Review: Claustrophobic, Suspenseful Noir Classic...
Summary: 5 Stars
Richard Fleischer's 1952 "The Narrow Margin" takes classic "Film Noir" elements (unusual camera angles and lighting, deep shadows, ambiguous characters in jeopardy), and moves everything into the tight confines of a train, creating a cramped suspense classic that never 'lets up'. While the film is, unabashedly, a 'B' movie, few films could match it's unrelenting tension, visual style, and surprising plot-twists...in a feature only 71 minutes long!
The basic plot is simple; L.A. cops Charles McGraw and Don Beddoe arrive in Chicago to escort crime boss widow Marie Windsor, holding essential evidence for a Grand Jury investigation, back to L.A. When Beddoe is shot and killed at her apartment building, McGraw must protect her, alone, against the contract killers on board their L.A.-bound train...But this is Noir, so nothing is necessarily as it seems!
Director Fleischer made some brilliant choices in making the film, beginning with his decision not to use a musical score; by relying on the 'natural' sounds of trains and stations, he gives the film a sense of urgency, and forces the viewer to 'pay attention', without the crutch of musical climaxes to single out 'important' moments. Also, his decision to cast McGraw as the lead was inspired; the gravelly-voiced character actor was as familiar to audiences playing a villain as a hero, and his hard-boiled persona, in the 'traditional' Noir 'look' of a fedora and trench coat, with a cigarette in his mouth, offers an ambiguity that holds viewers' attention.
The train is as important a character in the story as the heroes and villains; with narrow passageways, tiny compartments, large windows offering dramatic reflections, and it's isolation from outside communication, each moment on board increases the potential for disaster.
Needless to say, "The Narrow Margin" is among my favorite films, one that I've watched dozens of times, and still get a kick out of! It has a legion of fans (and has influenced two generations of film directors), and if you've never seen it, you have a real treat ahead of you!
This movie is a 'keeper'!