Narrow Margin (1990)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers (WGA):

Martin Goldsmith (earlier story) &
Jack Leonard (earlier story) ...

Release Date:

21 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes the difference between life and death can be a Narrow Margin

Plot:

A woman secretly witnesses the murder of her blind date for the evening by a top Mafia boss. She immediately...

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Murder | Train | District Attorney | Blind Date

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Robert Caulfield
Anne Archer	...	Carol Hunnicut
James Sikking	...	Nelson (as James B. Sikking)
J.T. Walsh	...	Michael Tarlow
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Sergeant Dominick Benti
Susan Hogan	...	Kathryn Weller
Nigel Bennett	...	Jack Wootton
J.A. Preston	...	Martin Larner
B.A. 'Smitty' Smith	...	Keller
Codie Lucas Wilbee	...	Nicholas
Barbara Russell	...	Nicholas' Mother (as Barbara E. Russell)
Antony Holland	...	Elderly Man
Doreen Ramos	...	Elderly Woman
Kevin McNulty	...	James Dahlbeck
Andrew Rhodes	...	Sgt. Nigro

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

The cabin featured in the first act was specifically built for the movie. Peter Hyams decided to build it on top of a mountain in that particular spot while it was still covered in winter snow. When the snow melted it turned out that the spot was actually a dump and it took a short while to clear it out.

Goofs:

Continuity: The characters' shadows in the final showdown on the car roof are of different lengths in different shots. Most notably, in one shot the villain casts his shadow all the way onto the rocks that pass the train, while in the very next shot his shadow is short and stays entirely on the car roof.

Quotes:

Sergeant Dominick Benti: You wouldn't happen to have a drink in there, would you?
Carol Hunnicut: You're on duty.
Sergeant Dominick Benti: I only drink when I'm on duty.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Crash Point Zero (2000)

Gene Hackman makes a good picture even better

Gene Hackman and Anne Archer star in a good thriller that has tense moments and wonderful Canadian scenery. The story is of a frightened woman who sees a man killed and takes flight to avoid having to appear as a witness to a murder. Hackman is the resourceful district attorney who convinces Archer to return to Los Angeles and testify against the killers. The rest of the picture details a game of cat and mouse between Hackman, Archer and their pursuers who see Archer as a loose end and are determined to keep her from the courtroom. The scenes of pursuit atop the moving passenger train have been done in other films but is expertly done here without becoming a cliché. The picture does have its flaws but is a diverting film and any movie starring Hackman is certainly worth watching.