Narrow Margin (1990)
It was an odd choice to remake a mediocre 1950s noir, but at least Gene Hackman is engaging as ever in the leading role, however slightly written it is. The cat-and-mouse game of the original is largely intact, with mobsters chasing after a woman (Anne Archer) who witnessed a murder, but whom they've never actually seen. Oh... and it's all on a train bound for Vancouver, which is, I guess, what the title vaguely alludes to. The film tragically never generates a lot of suspense, and Hackman and Archer never really generate much chemistry. The best part of the film is the very beginning, when Archer witnesses the murder of an all-too-briefly-appearing J.T. Walsh.
Rating
3.0 out of 5 Stars
- Director: Peter Hyams
- Producer: Jonathan A. Zimbert
- Screenwriter: Peter Hyams
- Stars: Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, James Sikking, J.T. Walsh, M. Emmet Walsh
- MPAA Rating: R
- Year of Release: 1990
- Released on Video: 02/01/1991
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