(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.”
The chief complaint often railed against seminal Film Noirs and their hard-boiled prose is that – in the real world – people just don’t talk like this.
Well, the truth is they’re films anyway. On that level, fans show up with full knowledge that while these stories are sometimes based on real events the pictures have no doubt been jazzed up a bit here and there to make them cinematic. Generally, the characters are archetypes; and though many of them might be more than a bit cynical they help establish a recognizable foundation around which tales of not-necessarily-good versus evil can unfold. The private eyes pursue justice more than they do adhere coldly to the law. The femme fatales will stop at nothing to see their desires satiated. The corrupted hordes rarely give an honest impulse a second thought. Such is the world in which these players come together. It’s vivid. It’s theatrical. And it’s damned interesting.
1952’s The Narrow Margin might be one of the finest examples of noir done to perfection, especially given the fact that it does contain one reasonably uncharacteristic addition: Ann Sinclair (played by Jacqueline White in her final screen role) arguably comes across as being a bit too far beyond ‘pure as the wind-driven snow,’ what with her on-the-run former mob moll who came to her senses once she realized what her husband did occupying to much of the film’s central premise. Thankfully, director Richard Fleischer rarely allows the story (credited to Earl Felton, Martin Goldsmith, and Jack Leonard) to slow down long enough for viewers to give such innocence a second thought. Margin hums wonderfully the entire length of its seventy-minute running time, only allowing watchers to catch their breath in a sequence or two.
Cops Brown (Charles McGraw) and Forbes (Don Beddoe) are tasked with transporting a witness – Mrs. Frankie Neall (Marie Windsor) – in federal custody from Chicago to Los Angeles via train. It’s rumored that the lady carries with her a list of all her dead ex-husband’s cronies and collaborators, and there are those who would stop at nothing to see the woman and her list eliminated. In fact, before the trio can reach the departing train, Forbes is shot dead, leaving Brown the last man standing between the former moll and an entire criminal syndicate. Even though the two remaining don’t trust one another, they’re committed to seeing the mission through to the end, so that chase is on.
Essentially, what plays out is a sometimes elaborate cat-and-mouse affair on the rails. When hoping to conceal their identities runs afoul, Brown is left with constantly distracting operatives of ill pursuits from uncovering precisely where he’s hidden the lady Neall in the several cars. In his attempt to keep the lady safe, he swaps blows and barbs with some nefarious characters, all the while unaware that there’s another plot afoot, one privately hatched by his superiors to even account for greater distraction. In the end, it’ll come down to some fast thinking that spares both his and her lives from a bullet; but – rest assured – there’s a surprise reveal nestled in the film that keeps viewers guessing up until the last reel.
On one level, Margin shouldn’t work.
It’s a story that relies heavily on the convention of locking the cast aboard a barreling train from start to finish, so everyone likely expected few narrative twists along the way. Its tight and cramped spaces don’t leave room for a great amount of action, nor are its sets all that riveting or artistic enough to give audiences all that much to ogle. But – rather deceptively – Fleischer uses these weaknesses to help bring the world alive, trapping men, women, and children alike within such claustrophobic confines with the suggestion that perhaps even a few innocents might not get out alive. Where can you go when there’s literally nowhere to run? It’s these tight quarters that help make Margin tick, giving new life to noir’s most predictable shadows.
The Narrow Margin (1952) was produced by RKO Radio Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Warner Archive. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are exceptional. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? The disc boasts an audio commentary from director William Friedkin that’s pretty solid – it’s intercut with interview segments featuring director Fleischer – along with some other theatrical fodder from the era. It’s a good assortment.
Highest Recommendation Possible.
Rarely does hard-boiled hum as so criminally well as it does with The Narrow Margin (1952). McGraw is a delight, chewing scenery the way only a jilted and tired knight does in Film Noir; and Windsor proves herself a capable foil throughout so much of the story. They practically spit insults at one another, never allowing their characters so much as a rest stop over the rails from Chicago to L.A. White – for what it’s worth – has one of the sexiest voices ever to grace noir – odd given the fact that her character is portrayed so Puritanically – and the setting aboard a streaming locomotive helps keep the pace almost at a fever pitch when needed. It’s easy to see why the film is one of the most fondly regarded flicks of the genre if for no other reason than the fact it can be viewed over and over and over again. A true undisputable classic.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Warner Archive (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of The Narrow Margin (1952) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.”
The chief complaint often railed against seminal Film Noirs and their hard-boiled prose is that – in the real world – people just don’t talk like this.
Well, the truth is they’re films anyway. On that level, fans show up with full knowledge that while these stories are sometimes based on real events the pictures have no doubt been jazzed up a bit here and there to make them cinematic. Generally, the characters are archetypes; and though many of them might be more than a bit cynical they help establish a recognizable foundation around which tales of not-necessarily-good versus evil can unfold. The private eyes pursue justice more than they do adhere coldly to the law. The femme fatales will stop at nothing to see their desires satiated. The corrupted hordes rarely give an honest impulse a second thought. Such is the world in which these players come together. It’s vivid. It’s theatrical. And it’s damned interesting.
1952’s The Narrow Margin might be one of the finest examples of noir done to perfection, especially given the fact that it does contain one reasonably uncharacteristic addition: Ann Sinclair (played by Jacqueline White in her final screen role) arguably comes across as being a bit too far beyond ‘pure as the wind-driven snow,’ what with her on-the-run former mob moll who came to her senses once she realized what her husband did occupying to much of the film’s central premise. Thankfully, director Richard Fleischer rarely allows the story (credited to Earl Felton, Martin Goldsmith, and Jack Leonard) to slow down long enough for viewers to give such innocence a second thought. Margin hums wonderfully the entire length of its seventy-minute running time, only allowing watchers to catch their breath in a sequence or two.
Cops Brown (Charles McGraw) and Forbes (Don Beddoe) are tasked with transporting a witness – Mrs. Frankie Neall (Marie Windsor) – in federal custody from Chicago to Los Angeles via train. It’s rumored that the lady carries with her a list of all her dead ex-husband’s cronies and collaborators, and there are those who would stop at nothing to see the woman and her list eliminated. In fact, before the trio can reach the departing train, Forbes is shot dead, leaving Brown the last man standing between the former moll and an entire criminal syndicate. Even though the two remaining don’t trust one another, they’re committed to seeing the mission through to the end, so that chase is on.
Essentially, what plays out is a sometimes elaborate cat-and-mouse affair on the rails. When hoping to conceal their identities runs afoul, Brown is left with constantly distracting operatives of ill pursuits from uncovering precisely where he’s hidden the lady Neall in the several cars. In his attempt to keep the lady safe, he swaps blows and barbs with some nefarious characters, all the while unaware that there’s another plot afoot, one privately hatched by his superiors to even account for greater distraction. In the end, it’ll come down to some fast thinking that spares both his and her lives from a bullet; but – rest assured – there’s a surprise reveal nestled in the film that keeps viewers guessing up until the last reel.
On one level, Margin shouldn’t work.
It’s a story that relies heavily on the convention of locking the cast aboard a barreling train from start to finish, so everyone likely expected few narrative twists along the way. Its tight and cramped spaces don’t leave room for a great amount of action, nor are its sets all that riveting or artistic enough to give audiences all that much to ogle. But – rather deceptively – Fleischer uses these weaknesses to help bring the world alive, trapping men, women, and children alike within such claustrophobic confines with the suggestion that perhaps even a few innocents might not get out alive. Where can you go when there’s literally nowhere to run? It’s these tight quarters that help make Margin tick, giving new life to noir’s most predictable shadows.
The Narrow Margin (1952) was produced by RKO Radio Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Warner Archive. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are exceptional. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? The disc boasts an audio commentary from director William Friedkin that’s pretty solid – it’s intercut with interview segments featuring director Fleischer – along with some other theatrical fodder from the era. It’s a good assortment.
Highest Recommendation Possible.
Rarely does hard-boiled hum as so criminally well as it does with The Narrow Margin (1952). McGraw is a delight, chewing scenery the way only a jilted and tired knight does in Film Noir; and Windsor proves herself a capable foil throughout so much of the story. They practically spit insults at one another, never allowing their characters so much as a rest stop over the rails from Chicago to L.A. White – for what it’s worth – has one of the sexiest voices ever to grace noir – odd given the fact that her character is portrayed so Puritanically – and the setting aboard a streaming locomotive helps keep the pace almost at a fever pitch when needed. It’s easy to see why the film is one of the most fondly regarded flicks of the genre if for no other reason than the fact it can be viewed over and over and over again. A true undisputable classic.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Warner Archive (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of The Narrow Margin (1952) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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