Narrow Margin (1990)

Overrated

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

(Credit IMDb) A woman secretly witnesses the murder of her blind date for the evening by a top Mafia boss. She immediately goes into hiding without informing the authorities. When they finally catch up with her, she is unwilling to testify to what she has seen, but the Mafia are on her trail. Accompanied by a deputy district attorney, the woman boards a train travelling through a remote part of Canada. The Mafia know him but they have never seen her.Come on! It's Gene Hackman. Do you really need much more of a recommendation? It's rather derivative and nothing all that special, but Hackman can make the dullest of things come to life. With any other lead actor, this movie would have probably been very mediocre. With his presence, it becomes above average. I was surprised about the decent amount of suspense as well. Anne Archer makes for a great heroine, while the two Walsh's are solid as well. I've never seen the original, but I personally enjoyed this6.3/10

If your memory is good, you'll recall that this is a remake of the B&W sleeper classic starring Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor called "The Narrow Margin," with most of the action taking place aboard the confinement of a speeding train. Their tough chemistry throughout made it very watchable indeed.The remake has made a few minor changes in the story and expanded the scenery to include some lush images of Canadian forests and countryside to give credit to some photogenic Canadian wilderness from various angles. The expansions mean the film isn't quite as taut as the '52 thriller with occasional dull stretches of talk, but the performances are so good that it doesn't matter too much. It still contains a spellbinding climax aboard the top of the train that includes some dangerous stunt work and a nice twist, as well as spectacular moments involving a helicopter.Not bad at all, passes the time quickly and once the suspense aboard the train starts there's no turning away.Perhaps not as good as the original, but still worth watching. Gene Hackman and Anne Archer do fine work at the head of a competent cast.

This tense,taut thriller deals about a D.A. protecting a witness(Anne Archer) on a train journey throughout the wilderness Canadian Rockies back to Los Angeles.He must save her from deadly killers (Nigel Bennet, James B. Sikking). Hackman fights to keep them both safe from the hard-boiled hit-men in some exciting pursuits such as helicopters and aboard and in top train .Well made film full of noisy action, tension , suspense, breathtaking stunts and spectacular set pieces. A real cat and mouse game between Hackman-Archer and heavies Sikking-Bennet. Gene Hackman is splendid as two-fisted deputy prosecutor who is in charge of transporting a widow and he must attempt to keep her safe from the murderous who would kill her to testify against a mobster played by Harris Yulin. Relieable Anne Archer is first rate as reluctant and long-suffering witness . Lavishly produced cost 20 millions of dollar by today disappeared Carolco created by the famous producers, Mario Kassar and Andrew G Vajna. Moving and stirring musical score by Bruce Broughton, fitting perfectly to action. This thrilling motion picture is finely photographed and stunningly directed by Peter Hyams . However it results to be an inferior remake of its predecessor, a noir classic directed by Richard Fleischer with Mary Windsor and Charles McGraw, one of the best films of the 50s and one of the most successful in the story of RKO.

Much has been made here of the fact that this is yet another remake of a film widely considered to be a classic. On the whole I am not sympathetic to remakes of even non-classics simply because most of the films that inspire fond memories reflected that period in which they were made - how would Laura or Ninotchka for example look if remade today - and it is totally impossible to replicate 'feel'. On the face of it this remake is absurd: The black-and-white original made a virtue of necessity; it was a 'B' picture with a 'B' budget so Fleisher shot it all in a confined space and juggled the camera angles to great effect. The woman (Marie Windsor) was the wife of the gangster and hard as nails, not, as here, a more or less innocent bystander who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. By opening it out, creating a whole new exposition about the blind date we just lose valuable time that could have been concentrated - as in the original version - on the claustrophobic laced with danger train journey. The remake is not without the odd thrill but if both versions are freely available I can't see anyone settling for the remake.