Narc

Review by Clint Morris

There's a scene early on in Narc when the lead characters wife - the long-suffering wife of a narcotics cop - goes ballistic fearing her recently rehabilitated husband (whose just accepted another tough gig on the streets) will reform into the descending mess she just saw him out of.

Clutching their newborn baby in her arms, it's a scene that so dearly needed to happen, because from here on, we realise the importance of Nick Tellis's career decisions, and just how they're affecting him, his family and others in his line of business.

It's that credibility that makes Narc the remarkable, highly plausible, insight into police work that it is, forfeiting formulaic thrills and car-chases for the human element.

Nick Tellis (Patric) has been suspended from his undercover narcotics job for shooting a psychotic druggie and accidentally hitting a pregnant woman.

The force now needs his help again though - a fellow officer has been found shot and dead, and they've run out of leads.

Despite his reluctance and his wife's exasperation, Tellis agrees to take a look at the case, and in turn, is handed new partner, tough-talking Henry Oak (Liotta), the dead man's former partner.

Together, they hit the seedy backstreets of Detroit begging and - in Oak's case - bashing information out of pushers, pimps and prostitutes.

I'm seeing Narc upon it's recommendation from director William Friedkin (The Exorcist), who assures me it's one of the best cop films he's seen in a long time. He even compared it to his own masterpiece, The French Connection.

Friedkin was correct, this is a good cop film, but Connection it isn't.

For all its grit, stellar turns (Liotta and Patric are a great double act) and credible moments, Narc seems a little indecisive of its direction. It's first half plays out as a character piece, in the tradition of say, Rush (1991) or Donnie Brasco (1994), where our titular law enforcers get in over their heads and can't get out - but then, about the three-quarter mark it turns into a mystery movie, and lays the 'whodunit' phase of the film on thick.

Don't get me wrong: the last part of the film is actually terrific. It's an ending a little too Hollywood for the sceptics, but it's very entertaining and also clever.

Yet despite the sting at the end, a lot of Narc is vacillating, and that's what'll ultimately demote it from something 'excellent' to something 'very good'.

3.5 out of 5

Narc
Australian release: Thursday August 14th
Cast: Jason Patric, Ray Liotta, Busta Rhymes, Chi McBride.
Director: Joe Carnahan.
Website: Click Here

Brought to you by MovieHole