The Big Picture

Though the genre of crime movies with undercover cops is a popular one,
Narc
turned it on its head in 2002.
Director Joe Carnahan’s passion project
Narc
subverts typical cop thriller tropes with gritty realism and procedural storytelling.
Narc blurs lines between good and evil, delving into the psychological toll of undercover work and complex family dynamics.

The subgenre of crime movies focused on undercover cops and informants is certainly not a new invention; classics like John Ford’s 1935 thriller The Informer managed to be surprisingly gritty in an era of more restricted content, and the 1970s saw the resurgence of the formula in the New Hollywood era thanks to the success of cop thrillers like Serpico and The French Connection. Nonetheless, the genre was at risk of being deemed irrelevant at the turn of the century, as the most interesting cop stories were being told on television thanks to programs like NYPD Blue and Law & Order. However, Joe Carnahan managed to turn the neon-noir genre on its head with his groundbreaking 2002 crime film Narc.

Narc was a passion project for Carnahan that was inspired by a short film he had developed while studying film at San Francisco State University. Carnahan had intended to make a film that served as a homage to the works of William Friedkin and Sidney Lumet. His desire to make the film independently ended up yielding him more opportunities, as the project earned many investors as it shot on location in Detroit. Eventually, Tom Cruise signed on to produce the film after loving the film at a screening at the Sundance Film Festival. Although it was initially a project that no studio would touch, Narc was immediately recognized as a game-changing evolution to the crime genre, with Roger Ebert praising it as “a new level of grittiness.”

What Is ‘Narc’ About?
Image via Paramount Pictures

Narc centers on a troubled undercover police officer in Detroit who is struggling with post traumatic stress disorder after an assignment ended in violence. Officer Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) had been attempting to chase down a drug dealer, but a firefight broke out that resulted in the shooting of a pregnant woman and the death of her unborn child. Despite his caginess about ever going down a similar path on a subsequent assignment, Nick is recruited by his Police Captain Cheevers (Chi McBride) to investigate the murder of Detective Michael Calvess (Alan van Sprang), who was deep undercover trying to root out a crime conspiracy. While Nick had his hesitations about the ordeal, his anxieties grow even more extreme when he discovers that he’s been paired alongside Detective Henry Oak (Ray Liotta), an officer known for breaking out into frequent bouts of anger. Oak, a personal friend of Calvess’ before his death, intends on completing the mission as a matter of revenge.

Narc succeeds in subverting expectations of what a cop thriller should look like because it is inherently procedural. Carnahan does not attempt to throw in action scenes purely to escalate the tension; rather, Narc is able to establish an aura of suspense by showing just how mundane it is for Nick and Oak to rummage through evidence and interview dealers, users, and suppliers about their connection to the murder investigation. While Nick’s connections to the criminal underworld made him well-suited for the assignment, Carnahan is keen to note the damaging effects that the entire operation has on his mental health. After pretending to be a more violent, erratic version of himself in order to attain sensitive information, Nick begins to question where his loyalties lie, and what he could be turning into.

‘Narc’ Is a Deeply Unsettling Film

Narc is a unique entry in the neo-noir canon because it constantly blurs the lines between good and evil. After investigating several crime scenes and badgering witnesses, Nick comes to the conclusion that many of the “users” that he has been trained to think of as enemies are simply victims of the opioid crisis who have no control over their own desire to indulge. Comparatively, Oak is so blindsided by rage that he often escalates situations into moments of violence that are unnecessary, which again forces Nick to question what his actual motivations are. Carnahan doesn’t make any clear indications that would ruin the twist for the audience, but the brilliant performance by Liotta is what ensures that the viewer is always on the edge of their seat. Liotta joined the project early on as a producer after being impressed with Carnahan’s script; considering that Patric was by no means a major star at the time the film was going into production, it’s unlikely that Narc would have been made without Liotta’s involvement.

Narc also highlights the aspects of family drama that are often left out in crime stories. Focusing on the hero’s love interest may feel like an unnecessary subplot in a film that is intent on setting up mysteries, but Narc includes scenes between Nick and his wife Audrey (Krista Bridges) that show how challenging it is for him to return to a “normal” life after experiencing so much bloodshed on the streets. Nick realizes that the work he does is important, as he does not want his daughter to grow up in a world where drug dealers are able to take out law enforcement officers without ever facing the consequences for their actions. However, Audrey is keen to note that Nick’s obsessions does no one any good, and that he is steadily transforming into the same bitter avenger that he had accused Oak of being. It comes as no surprise that a movie as bold as this would impress critics, including the famed Ebert.

‘Narc’ Turned Joe Carnahan Into an Influential Storyteller
Image via Paramount Pictures

Although it sadly failed to attain any award season traction after Paramount Pictures set an “Oscar friendly” release date in December, the acclaim for Narc allowed Carnahan to continue to make uncompromising crime movies that featured graphic content and psychologically disturbing ideas. Between the harrowing survival The Grey, the erratic heist thriller Smokin’ Aces, the twisty sci-fi adventure Boss Level, and the underrated John Carpenter homage Copshop, Carnahan has ensured that Narc is not an outlier within his filmography.

Narc is currently available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.

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