Common Sense Media Review
Intense cop movie for adults.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
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NARC
What's the Story?
Against the backdrop of Detroit's industrial rot, the film (actually shot in Toronto) follows narcotics officer Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) as he is reluctantly partnered with Henry Oak (Ray Liotta) to find who killed Oak's former partner, an undercover narcotics officer.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of this genre will find that NARC provides a tightly edited, intense story with good dialogue and standout performances by both Patric and Liotta. Tellis' repressed electricity provides a good counterpoint to Liotta's plodding Oak, who emanates a protective paternalism for his partner(s) and their families. Oak, as solid as his name, is blankly brutal toward anyone who stands in his way and clearly doesn't trust his superiors, who sway to the political pressure to pin the crime on a white suspect. Suspects Beery (Busta Rhymes) and Steeds (Richard Chevolleau) are brutally beaten as he seeks something more than retribution.
Narc is very bloody and violent, with an adrenaline-pumping opening sequence that evokes the unblinking carnage of the beach scene from Saving Private Ryan. From the first jolting shots of the hand-held camera following the escaping drug dealer in his sprint for freedom, you know that there will be no day-saving heroics and that the protagonists are as scarred as a junkie's arm.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the end ever justifies the means. Each character here has a very different idea of what "justice" means, but they'll all go to great personal lengths and endanger themselves (and others) in order to pursue what they see as the necessary course of action. What are the consequences of Tellis' actions?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 27, 2002
- On DVD or streaming : June 17, 2003
- Cast : Busta Rhymes , Jason Patric , Ray Liotta
- Director : Joe Carnahan
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 107 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : extreme violence
- Last updated : March 14, 2020
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