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| DIRECTED BY |
| Joe Carnahan |
| STARRING |
| Ray Liotta |
| Jason Patric |
| Lloyd Adams |
| Krista Bridges |
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The premise is simple; even the characters are simple, or at least they would seem that way on the written page. However, Ray Liotta and Jason Patric managed to turn an otherwise simple, unchallenging, and conventional film into a reasonably compelling character study. Director Joe Carnahan and his cinematographer Alex Nepomniaschy also deserve some major props for achieving a gritty, �in your face� ambience for their film by employing both hand-held shooting techniques and �close-up and personal� cinematography that never seems distracting. Perhaps it�s good though that Carnahan never did try to get too complex with his script here; he kept it simple with the idea that he - somehow - would find a way for it to be interesting. And he did find that way.
From the beginning, �Narc� begins to take on an all-too-familiar premise where a mislead, emotionally disturbed cop finds himself out of work, only to have an opportunity to return again in order to take on a new, tough job. And of course, there�s his new partner who he doesn�t get along with very well. Quickly enough, however, it progresses into a slightly more original viewpoint, but, as aforementioned, it�s truly the stellar acting from the reserved-yet-intense Patric and the unreserved-and-intense Liotta that simultaneously steals and saves this show.
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