An overlooked gritty realistic police drama. Phenomenal acting with stylistic violence all wrapped up in a package that daringly blurs the line of right and wrong in regards to law enforcement. An engrossing thriller that keeps your eyes glued to the screen. Unique and engrossing visual style helps to escalate it even more.

As other reviews have pointed out, in a sea of American cop dramas that end up on screen, Narc stands out in the overcrowded pack as one of the most under rated police films of all time. I rate the film so highly because of a superb script written by Joe Carnahan, Carnahan's unique direction, incredible cinematography by Alex Nepomniaschy, naturalistic and seemingly improvisational acting, especially by the films stars Jason Patrick and Ray Liotta, groundbreaking editing by Joh Gilroy and a relentless dedication to the project by Joe Carnahan and those involved with the project to bring it to life .The script, written by Director Joe Carnahan, has dialogue that is natural, gritty, and shows a detailed intricate knowledge of the lives of undercover Detroit police officers and the toll those lives take on the officers themselves, their families and the communities they work in. An interesting point about the film is the Directors choice, along with the actors, to stray from what Carnahan had penned and allow for the actors to improvise several sequences in the film. Without detailing every scene of the film, I will pick those that stand out to me and review the aspects of the film that I listed above.The opening scene of the film shows Jason Patrick, Detective Nick Tellis, in a park looking out at the city of Detroit. After seeing the film (God only knows how many times) Patricks "thousand yard stare" makes me wonder if this scene is actually Tellis thinking about turning over or not turning over the tape of Ray Liottas character, Detective Henry Oak's confession at the end of the film. This scene is followed by one of the most realistic, shocking and violent introductions to a film. Just in the same way Nicolas Winding Refn places you directly into the violent, ancient and primal world of Valhalla Rising, Carnahan thrusts you into the one of the worst days of an undercover officers life and makes you an active participant in that day. It is emotional, shocking, thrilling and heart wrenching as the chase involves two casualties, a male civilian who is injected with a lethal dose of of drugs, and a pregnant woman who is struck by a stray bullet fired from Tellis's gun. Tellis kills the suspect who was holding the pregnant woman's little daughter hostage but the woman loses her unborn child as a result of her injury. Hands down, this opening chase sequence is one of the memorable scenes put to film and one of the best openings to a film...ever. (Just my opinion. Feel free to disagree...even though you would be wrong.) :)This film stands alone from other films of the same genre, (Training Day, End of Watch) largely from Carnahan's unique vision and Alex Nepomniaschy incredibly raw cinematography. The two combined places you visually in the front seat. You are a partner to Tellis, a member of his family, a part of the investigation and a participant in his decisions that ultimately lead to the death of his partner at Tellis's hand. Which leads me to the other scene which is Tellis and Oak's final confrontation at the end of the movie. From the interrogation of a suspect, played surprisingly truthful and real by Busta Rhymes, to Tellis making the decision to shoot Oaks to save the suspects, the last 10 minutes of the film leaves you the same way it opened, heart pumping, out of breath and questioning your own beliefs about right and wrong.Jason Patrick and Ray Liotta deliver performances that are Oscar worthy. Tellis is the tortured undercover cop who is too close to his work. With little to no dialogue we see exactly how much he cares for his wife and child, and how fragile his family unit is. He is a man desperately trying to hold on to the life he wants to have, while struggling to survive the life he actually has.Ray Liotta's performance is exquisite. He shoulders the heavy burden of the secrets he keeps to protect the ones he loves. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and relieves that pressure by exercising brutal police judgment on the criminals of the city. Both actors are vulnerable and haunting in their own unique way. This film is incredible and should be included as a regular study for film makers. With a record number of producers, Narc found a way to fight through budget problems, lack of funds and resources, production concerns and other issues to be brought to life and stand as one of the greatest films in its genre.

This film has a lot of clichés but it uses them quite well.The pace is quick, there is plenty of action and violence.The acting is good; Patric and Liotta deliver excellent performances are are convincing and believable.There is a very annoying and completely unnecessary three minute section where we are subjected to a baby screaming, and although this is believable in terms of the plot and it wasn't required, I am glad I didn't have to sit through that in a cinema. The relationship side of things isn't very convincing in general but it isn't very important to the plot either.The ending is good, it has a some predictable bits but also a little twist.

What makes this movie so good, is the way in which it is shot. While watching it you can almost feel the icy winds in your face and sense the cold. This 'unpleasant' atmosphere has been brilliantly captured throughout the entire movie, by using the non-sugarcoated scenery of Detroit's lesser areas. The story is about Nick, a former undercover narcotics agent who has been put on non-active duty because internal affairs is investigating a shooting case he got involved with. After spending about a year with his family, the force needs his help again with a case that turned 'cold' concerning a killed undercover cop. Solving this case means he has to work with a gun-ho, no-holding-back Ray Liotta and it requires him to get back out on the street and look for leads among his previously established contacts in Detroit's meth- world. Slowly they acquire some leads but those leads only seem to further complicate the case. Although the story isn't all that original, it basically shows how tough it is for undercover cops to combine being the nice and tender family man and a devoted narcotics detective, this movie is still very unique. It provides a combination of great acting and impressive camera work in scenes varying from harsh violence to gripping dialogues shot in the unpolished surroundings of mid-winter, downtown Detroit.