Narrow Margin (1990)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

21 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | 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 | Blind Date | District Attorney | Murder | Train

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
Lon Katzman	...	Det. Loughlin
Dana Still	...	Bellman with Message
Lesley Ewen	...	Larner's Secretary
Barney O'Sullivan	...	Ticket Agent
Natino Bellantoni	...	Bartender
Ted Stidder	...	Conductor #1
Lindsay Bourne	...	Club Car Waiter
Robert Rozen	...	Dining Car Waiter
Tom McBeath	...	Conductor #2
Ron Cummins	...	Hotel Valet
Harris Yulin	...	Leo Watts

Directed by
Peter Hyams

Writing credits (WGA)
Martin Goldsmith		(earlier story) &
Jack Leonard		(earlier story)
Earl Felton		(earlier screenplay)
Peter Hyams		(screenplay)

Produced by
Mary Eilts	....	associate producer
Mario Kassar	....	executive producer
Jerry Offsay	....	co-producer
Andrew G. Vajna	....	executive producer (as Andrew Vajna)
Jonathan A. Zimbert	....	producer

Original Music by
Bruce Broughton

Cinematography by
Peter Hyams

Film Editing by
Beau Barthel		(as Beau Barthel-Blair)
James Mitchell

Casting by
Lynne Carrow

Production Design by
Joel Schiller

Art Direction by
Kim Mooney
Eric Orbom
David Willson		(supervising art director)

Set Decoration by
Kim MacKenzie

Makeup Department
Leslie Ann Anderson	....	hair stylist: Ms. Archer (as Leslie Anderson)
Pat Gerhardt	....	makeup artist: Ms. Archer
Roy Sidick	....	hair stylist
Margaret Solomon	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Mary Eilts	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Lee	....	second assistant director
Mike Rohl	....	dgc trainee (as Michael J. Rohl)
Jack Frost Sanders	....	first assistant director
Lisa Weinstein	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Gary Brooks	....	head greensman
Phil Gough	....	assistant property master
Wayne McLaughlin	....	property master
Mike Rennison	....	construction foreman (as Michael Rennison)
Ken Wells	....	head painter (as Kenneth Wells)
Charles Breen	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Karen M. Baker	....	assistant sound editor
Tom Bellfort	....	supervising sound editor
Bill W. Benton	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Brilhante	....	sound recordist (as John W. Brilhante)
Donald D. Brown	....	boom operator (as Don Brown)
Neal Burger	....	sound editor (as Neal R. Burger)
Carlos Delarios	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Carlos deLarios)
Scott Martin Gershin	....	sound editor
Douglas Greenfield	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Per Hallberg	....	assistant sound editor
Kevin Hearst	....	sound editor (as Raoul)
Gary A. Hecker	....	foley artist (as Gary Hecker)
Doc Kane	....	foley mixer
Michael J. Kohut	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Lanza	....	additional sound (as Mark A. Lanza)
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Ralph Parker	....	production sound mixer
Dan M. Rich	....	sound editor (as Dan Rich)
Bill Rojas	....	recording facility supervisor
Dan Sharp	....	sound recordist (as Daniel Sharp)
Wylie Stateman	....	supervising sound editor
Kim Waugh	....	additional sound
Steve Mann	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Glenn T. Morgan	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Guy Faria	....	special effects assistant
Roger Lifsey	....	special effects assistant
Stan Parks	....	special effects coordinator
Kevin Quibell	....	special effects assistant
Steve Wolke	....	special effects assistant

Stunts
Denny Arnold	....	stunts
Doc Duhame	....	stunts (as Ronald 'Doc' Duhame)
Lon Katzman	....	stunts
Curtis Lupo	....	stunts
Scott Nicholson	....	stunts
Peter Reynolds	....	stunts
Gar Stephen	....	stunts
Amy Stephen Wilder	....	stunts (as Amy Wilder)
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunt coordinator (as Glenn Wilder)
Melissa R. Stubbs	....	stunt double: Anne Archer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
David L. Butler	....	aerial camera operator (as David Butler)
Les Erskine	....	chief lighting technician
Dale Garrison	....	rigging gaffer (as Dale 'Tiny' Garrison)
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator
John Hyams	....	company grip
Robin Jobin	....	best boy grip
Nick Kuchera	....	key grip
Nathaniel Massey	....	Steadicam operator
Daniel P. Moore	....	video assist operator
Steve Peterson	....	first assistant camera
Jack Rowand	....	still photographer
Adam Sliwinski	....	camera trainee
Rick Stadder	....	dolly grip
Pat Williams	....	second assistant camera
John Rigg	....	grip (uncredited)
Brian Thurston	....	camera remote technician (uncredited)

Casting Department
James Forsyth	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jerry R. Allen	....	costumer (as Jerry Allen)
Dolores C. Burke	....	costumer (as Dolores Burke)
Ellen Mirojnick	....	costumes: Ms. Archer

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Bob Kaiser	....	color timer
Stephanie Mitchell	....	apprentice film editor
Beverly Pinnas	....	first assistant film editor

Music Department
Mark McKenzie	....	orchestrator
Don Nemitz	....	orchestrator
Curt Sobel	....	music editor
Armin Steiner	....	scoring mixer
Ken Watson	....	music contractor

Transportation Department
Fred Moroz	....	transportation captain
Alois Stranan	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Terry Benson	....	pilot
Adam Druxman	....	production assistant
Lara P. Fox	....	script supervisor (as Lara Fox)
Barney France	....	pilot
Judith French	....	assistant production accountant (as Judy French)
Penny Gibbs	....	production office coordinator
Bill Hansard	....	process coordinator
Don Hansard	....	process projectionist (as Don Hansard Jr.)
Robert C. Hansard	....	process projectionist (as Bob Hansard)
Donald Hansard Sr.	....	process projectionist (as Don Hansard Sr.)
Nick Hyams	....	quality control
Steven Jongeward	....	assistant: Mr. Zimbert
Mario Kassar	....	presenter
Roberta Lewis	....	assistant: Mr. Hyams
Yvonne Melville	....	assistant production office coordinator
Don Orlando	....	production accountant (as Donald Orlando)
Brigitte Prochaska	....	unit publicist
James Sallis	....	location manager
René Simoneau	....	process projectionist
Mike Solecki	....	train movement supervisor
Andrew G. Vajna	....	presenter (as Andrew Vajna)
Jeff Wagner	....	gun handler
Steve Wright	....	helicopter coordinator
Steve Wright	....	pilot
Michael Barnes	....	legal attorney (uncredited)
Greg Jackson	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)
Todd Lester	....	security officer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Carolco Pictures

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
• Scotia International Filmverleih (1991) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (1991) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• LK-TEL (1991) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Pioneer (1991) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Live Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Artisan Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Avid Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Maple Pictures (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Optimum Releasing (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Finnkino (1991) (Finland) (theatrical)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1995) (Finland) (TV)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1991) (Finland) (VHS)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Video Film Express (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1993) (2002) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• 20th Century Fox Studios  music recorded at
• Cinema Research  opticals
• Columbia Studios  music re-recorded at
• Intrada  score album released by (Special Collection)
• Lloyd-Levin Casting  casting: los angeles
• R/Greenberg Associates  title design

Also Known As:

Le seul témoin (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Canadian Express (Japan: English title) [en]
De Frente Para o Perigo (Brazil) [pt]
Doruktaki kadin (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
En hårsbredd fra døden (Norway) [no]
Farligt möte (Sweden) [sv]
Freniris apodrasi (Greece) [el]
Lähellä kuolemaa (Finland) [fi]
Nära döden (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Narrow Margin - 12 Stunden Angst (Germany) [de]
Niewygodny swiadek (Poland) [pl]
O Expresso dos Malditos (Portugal) [pt]
På et hængende hår (Denmark) [da]
Rischio totale (Italy) [it]
Testigo accidental (Spain) [es]
Uski prolaz (Serbia) [sr]

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (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:

As with Elliott Gould's character in Capricorn One (1978), Gene Hackman's Robert Caulfield is named after Peter Hyams' old boss from his days as working as a TV reporter.

Goofs:

Continuity: State of repair of windshield after car hits a low branch.

Quotes:

Nicholas: This guy's lying - he's a train robber!
Caulfield: What would I want with a train?

Movie Connections:

Edited into Crash Point Zero (2000)

Decent remake, though still no match for the original

Narrow Margin (1990) is a remake of a fondly remembered B-movie that became a real sleeper hit. It does not match the original for suspense or excitement, but it does boast a truly towering performance by Gene Hackman who takes the Charles MacGraw role and gives it everything he's got.

The story is about a DA from L.A, who travels to a mountain cabin in Canada to pick up a female murder witness. Some baddies follow him (because they want to kill the witness), but he manages to escape with her as far as the local railway station. They board an overnight train, bound for Vancouver, and spend the next day or so evading the killers on the train.

Hackman is quite brilliant, whether delivering panicky dialogue in a whisper or indulging in some violent action atop the speeding express. James B. Sikking makes a chilling assassin. Anne Archer is convincing as the vulnerable and terrified witness who would rather be anywhere other than where she is. Director Peter Hyams packs in some solid action sequences, such as a nerve-jangling car chase through a forest, and a savage fight on the roof of the train.

Where this film falls short is in the suspense department and the pacing. There are moments where Hackman and Archer are allowed to relax too much. One scene in particular involves Hackman and Sikking having a lengthy conversation at a dinner table; when Hackman leaves, you'd expect them to follow him to her, but they don't. There's another bit where the action jumps from about 1 a.m. to the next morning, without any indication of what kind of events have taken place during the night. There's also a lot of long shots of the lovely scenery, but to get the claustrophobic atmosphere the maker's needed to emphasise the inside of the train, not the outside landscapes. It's a pretty good film, but there are just a few things about it which drag it down a peg or two.