It was based upon a previous movie of the same name, made in 1952, which starred charles mcgraw. It was essentially a reimagining of the original and, in my opinion, an entirely valid film. Gene hackman mississippi burning, the package, and the academy award winner the french connection stars as an l. Carol anne archer is in the bathroom of the hotel room of her blind date when he is murdered by mobsters for stealing money. The movie was very unknown, and broughtons score became a rarity in of itself. Nov 02, 2017 a great scene with gene hackman and james sikking. District attorney attempting to take an unwilling murder witness anne archer. The story revolves around carol hunnicut, a woman who accepts a blind. Finally, the the narrow margin script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the film noir movie. Carol anne archer is in the bathroom of the hotel room. Film music site narrow margin soundtrack bruce broughton. They are essentially the same film, although the twists are slightly different at the end, and the setup in the beginning is more suspenseful and much more plausible. She is found by the police, but refuses to tell them what she saw.
And rarely has there been a film in which more idiots make more mistakes than in this one. The key witness just happens to be the gangsters girlfriend. Narrow margin by peter hyams gene hackman, anne archer. In 1990 the film narrow margin gave broughton a chance to delve into the contemporary thriller genre, with gene hackman playing a deputy district attorney protecting a woman witness to a murder. Carol anne archer is a shy book editor who is set up on a blind date with an attorney j. Narrow margin 1990 guild film with gene hackman and anne archer. Neithernors rating of the film the narrow margin neithernor white middleclass conformist without a family vacillates between an incorruptibility restricted to the pristine 1950s suburbs and the ripping denotations of movement in modern existence, the narrow margin being both the heuristic system of the trains spaces and itinerary and the. The film is a remake of the 1952 film of the same name the following weapons were used in the film narrow margin. Bruce broughtons penchant for scoring obscure films hit a peak with the 1990 thriller, narrow margin. Narrow margin is a taut and effective thriller made in 1990, starring gene hackman as deputy district attorney robert caulfield and anne archer as carol hunnicut. Neall marie windsor as she rides the train from chicago to. When she witnesses her date murdered by the mob, a woman goes into hiding without telling the authorities what she saw. A deputy district attorney played by gene hackman is assigned to protect a book editor anne archer who is the only witness of a mob assassination. The project was set to be gene hackmans feature film directorial debut, with.
Rather than his usual bombastic orchestral scores, narrow margin is more ambient. Narrow margin internet movie firearms database guns in. A deputy district attorney played by gene hackman is assigned to protect a book editor anne archer who is the only witness. The narrow margin script transcript from the screenplay. Overview of narrow margin, 1990, directed by peter hyams, with gene hackman, anne archer, james sikking, at turner classic movies. The screenplay by earl felton was nominated for an academy award the picture stars charles mcgraw, marie windsor, and jacqueline white in her last film role. Theres always something happening and it advances the plot nicely as well as gives a sense that once aboard this train, the audience has no idea which direction. The narrow margin is generally considered a model b picture. Narrow margin is a 1990 american crime thriller film directed by peter hyams and released by tristar pictures, loosely based on the 1952 film noir the narrow margin.
This movie succeeds on the talent of gene hackman and his costars especially anne archer and james sikking. Get narrow margin dvd and bluray release date, trailer and movie stats. Narrow margin, directed by peter hyams and loosely based on the classic film noir of the same title, tells the story of a resourceful district attorney who must return a witness to san francisco. Narrow margin on dvd 012236048404 from lions gate films. While they are being shot at, the windshield gets smashed, and is in pieces.
New audio commentary by film historian and critic peter tonguette. Narrow margin 1990 cast and crew when carol hunnicut anne archer witnesses a brutal murder by mobsters, she decides to hide in a remote cabin in the canadian tundra. When carols date gets an important business call he says they must return to his apartment. The remake, narrow margin, did not arouse much enthusiasm when it first came out, but i enjoyed it a lot.
Narrow margin 1990 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. Information and translations of narrow margin in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Narrow margin 1990 when carol hunnicut anne archer witnesses a brutal murder by mobsters, she decides to hide in a remote cabin in the canadian tundra. The original film, the narrow margin with charles mcgraw and marie windsor, is commonly recognised as a classic crime film made on a small budget. Yes, in the hitchcock sense, his films are pure cinema in their own grungy way. Bruce broughton among the better forgotten thrillers of the 1990s is narrow margin, a harrowing tale of witness protection from director peter hyams that was inspired by its 1950s film noir predecessor. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the. Most of narrow margin takes place on a train, with hackman and the woman and the assassins. Intrada special collection volume 14 country united states format cd release date 25may2004 limited to 1,500 copies. District attorney is attempting to take an unwilling murder witness. A top notch thriller from 1990, based on a 1952 rko radio picture of the same name. Narrow margin, directed by peter hyams and loosely based on the classic film noir of the same title, tells the story of a resourceful district attorney who must. Peter hyams has that unique knack for the midbudget, blue collar hollywood film. On a scale of excellent, good, fair, and poor, the narrow margin rates.
In space 79 movie clip flattening harold 1997 hd duration. Although ingenious and suspenseful in its own right, many of the plot details were substantially changed, and the action was opened up to set more of the story outside the train. The theme from narrow margin sets a tone of dark hued suspense, with ominous piano and bells supported by clarinets and heavy strings. After excusing herself to the bathroom, the attorney is confronted in his apartment by two of his clients. Nailhard detective walter brown charles mcgraw is assigned to protect gangsters widow mrs. In a film that couldve been easily named twists on a rail, the narrow margin has just that and fills in enough information to get everything going in its very short time frame. Anne archer, on the other hand, was simply not her best in this film and phoned in her performance. The narrow margin is considered by critics and film historians to be a classic example of film noir. Spectacular stunt work and canadian locations punch up the train thriller narrow margin, but feature remake is too cool and remote to grab the viewer. The narrow margin is a 1952 american film noir directed by richard fleischer and written by earl felton, based on an unpublished story written by martin goldsmith and jack leonard.
As i said if gene hackman was not in this film or someone to. The silence of the lambs 1991 aficatalog american film. The narrow margin was remade under the same title in 1990 with gene hackman and anne archer. Nov 17, 2011 an original television trailer for the 1990 peter hyams thriller, starring gene hackman and anne archer. Narrow margin 12 stunden angst originaltitel narrow margin ist ein us amerikanischer actionfilm aus dem jahr 1990. Well received at the time of its release, the production was made as a model b movie. Bruce broughton among the better forgotten thrillers of the 1990s is narrow margin, a harrowing tale of witness protection from. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of the narrow margin. An original television trailer for the 1990 peter hyams thriller, starring gene hackman and anne archer. Find release information for narrow margin 1990 peter hyams on allmovie.
The following scenes show the windshield intact one minute and smashed the next. The narrow margin script transcript from the screenplay and. Bruce broughton among the better forgotten thrillers of the 1990 s is narrow margin, a harrowing tale of witness protection from director peter hyams that was inspired by its 1950s film noir predecessor. Plot synopsis narrow margin is a taut and effective thriller made in 1990, starring gene hackman as deputy district attorney robert caulfield and anne archer as carol hunnicut. His score for the film noir is fairly unique when compared to his other projects. Narrow margin is a clumsy version of the idiot plot, dressed up as a highgloss chase thriller. Dagostino, jack okey film editor robert swink original music union pacific written by earl felton, martin goldsmith, jack leonard. About 20 minutes into the film gene hackman and his witness drives a big 4x4 through the mountains of british colombia, trying to evade being shot at by gunmen in a helicopter. The film is a remake of the 1952 film of the same name.
The idiot plot, of course, is any plot that would be resolved in five minutes if everyone in the story were not an idiot. Financial analysis of narrow margin 1990 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. Narrow margin, directed by peter hyams and loosely based on the classic film noir of the same title, tells the story of a resourceful district attorney who must return a witness to san francisco alive so she can testify in a trial. The narrow margin 1952 rko film with marie windsor directed by robert. The story is fair perhaps a bit simple but i suppose most films revolving around a train chase are. They are essentially the same film, although the twists are slightly different at the end, and the setup in the beginning is more suspenseful and much more. Narrow margin is a 1990 american crime thriller film directed by peter hyams and released by tristar pictures, loosely based on the 1952 film noir the narrow.