Narrow Margin (1990)

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 2007 Filmcritic.com

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.

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Rating

3.0 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • 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