Narc (2002)

Release date: 2003-01-10
Country: USA|Canada
Language: English|Spanish
Director: Joe Carnahan
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Lions Gate Films, Cruise/Wagner Productions
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 7.1/10
Length: 1h 45min

Storyline

An undercover narc dies, the investigation stalls, so the Detroit P.D. brings back Nick Tellis, fired 18-months ago when a stray bullet hits a pregnant woman. Tellis teams with Henry Oak, a friend of the dead narc and an aggressive cop constantly under the scrutiny of internal affairs. They follow leads, informants turn up dead, Nick's wife is unhappy he's back on the street, Henry's protective of the dead cop's wife. Nick reads and re-reads the case file, broods, watches Oak's heavy-handed style, sometimes joining in. The brass want to close out the case, Nick and Henry stay on it, and bits of evidence point them to an auto body shop. What actually happened; will Nick ever know?

Plot Keywords

accidental death, photograph, pistol, planting evidence, punched in the face, raised middle finger, revelation, shootout, shot in the chest, undercover cop, bare chested male, morality, marijuana, male rear nudity, beating, breaking a car window, child abuse, child in peril, corpse, death of husband

Short Review

As a director Carnahan definitely has the goods... Unfortunately the script is your basic renegade-cop narrative, with the usual hoo-ha about justice versus the law.