Narc
Lions Gate Films | Release Date: December 20, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
30
Mixed:
2
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Carnahan alternates gritty neo-realism with bursts of extreme stylization -- most notably in a breathless opening chase filmed with handheld cameras -- but thankfully, his stylistic flourishes are in the service of the film's story, not the other way around. Read full review
90
The New YorkerDavid Denby
A blood-soaked, hellish experience -- a midnight special for lovers of a violent genre -- yet it has been made with a mixture of ferocity and sweetness which leaves one exhausted but at peace. [27 January 2003, p. 94] Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Fresh and raw like a blown-out vein, Narc takes a walking-dead, cop-flick subgenre and beats new life into it. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Narc is as cop movie as a cop movie can be. Read full review
80
VarietyDavid Rooney
A darkly textured, powerfully suspenseful genre piece. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Narc is convincing, an entertaining, grimy view of the traps of machismo tucked inside a cop thriller. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyDaniel Fienberg
Taut and well-acted, faltering only when the filmmaker loses faith in the power of his story. Read full review
80
Film ThreatK.J. Doughton
It joins “Rush,” “The Onion Field,” “Serpico,” “Seven,” “The French Connection,” Traffic, and “Prince of the City” as a grimy, hyper-real exploration of the emotional and psychological prices paid by cops. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
As a director Carnahan definitely has the goods: the opening foot chase, a sequence that's been done to death, is genuinely terrifying. Read full review
80
Film ThreatRon Wells
Patric and Liotta are as tense and great as they've ever been. Read full review
75
USA TodayMike Clark
This may be the most uncompromisingly raw police drama since "Across 110th Street," starring Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
With such skilled filmmaking and committed acting on display, Narc is far more a score than a bust. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
A no-bull throwback to 1970s action films. It zips along with B-movie verve while adding the rich details and go-for-broke acting that heralds something special. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Without a hint of regret, the filmmaker freely borrows from such diverse sources as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone, and the TV program "C.S.I." Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The investigation itself must remain undescribed here. But its ending is a neat and ironic exercise in poetic justice. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
An unusually vicious and unforgiving study of police corruption, Narc is a stylistic throwback to such classic 1970s cop dramas as "The French Connection" and "Serpico," with a 21st century helping of the old ultra-violence. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Makes "Training Day" -- which was admittedly pretty tough -- seem like a Disney cartoon by comparison. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
What could have been a run-of-the- mill story becomes a superb policier in the hands of writerdirector Joe Carnahan. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
It's a cop movie that refuses to cop out in the usual way. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Patric and Liotta get the chance to do some heavy riffing on themes of honor, sacrifice, selling out and self-destructing, and the bleak, smeared world of drugs and violence is brought to the fore with feverish style. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Hardly a scene goes by without a digitally fractured flashback or spasm of editing punctuation, rupturing the movie's otherwise carefully wrought sense of authenticity. Read full review
70
SalonJeff Stark
The direction of Joe Carnahan, who also wrote the script, is stylish without being overbearing, the actors look comfortable in their roles and the modest twists unfold at a pace that doesn't seem ridiculous. The film would probably make a good episode of "Homicide: Life on the Streets." Read full review
70
Washington PostStephen Hunter
It's a stunner that sadly grows tiresome at the end. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
This is a stirring movie, if relentless intensity, handheld camera work, cover-your-eyes violence and ear-splitting yelling matches are what you're craving.
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Familiar story, electrifying execution. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
As the most diabolically focused and politically incorrect cop this side of Popeye Doyle, Liotta is a hot prospect for this year's supporting-actor Oscar. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Beneath its frantic surfaces, Narc is terribly ordinary, built on a mystery that will puzzle only those who have never watched a TV cop drama. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Some might find the whole thing exhilarating, but exhausting is more the word that comes to this man's mind. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Frustratingly, Carnahan barely trusts his storytelling to keep our attention long enough to get through a scene without some grisly cutaway -- a gun to the head, the writhing wounded. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Ray Liotta and Jason Patric do some of their best work in their underwritten roles, but don't be fooled: Nobody deserves any prizes here. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
Authenticity and plausibility get gunned down from the get-go, but if explosive shaky-cam ultraviolence and frequent extreme close-ups of greasy whiskers are your bag, this hyperactive wannabe may count as something of a score. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
To transcend cliché, movies like Narc need the passion of a heretic who can take stock characters with their stock predicaments and turn them inside out, the way Curtis Hanson and Quentin Tarantino do. Blood, guts and flash aren't enough. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The movie is designed to show off Liotta's acting skills, but pointless mayhem and sheer nastiness crowd out any virtues it might have had. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Liotta's acting can't redeem senseless violence. Read full review
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