Narrow Margin

Directed by Peter Hyams, Narrow Margin follows Gene Hackman’s Robert Caulfield as he attempts to protect the sole witness (Anne Archer’s Carol) to a mob hit while on board a cross-country passenger train. Filmmaker Hyams, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a solid (albeit erratic) endeavor that benefits substantially from the top-notch work of its various performers, with Hackman’s predictably stellar, engrossing turn matched by a first-class assortment of such familiar periphery players as J.T. Walsh, M. Emmet Walsh, and James B. Sikking. (The latter is especially captivating as a merciless yet charming assassin, to be sure.) And although the movie’s midsection is periodically a little slower and talkier than one might’ve preferred, Narrow Margin, buoyed by Hyams’ persistently compelling visuals, builds towards an unexpectedly (and impressively) electrifying climax set atop the aforementioned train – which, when coupled with a terrific confrontation between Hackman and Sikking’s respective characters and Bruce Broughton’s memorable score, ultimately does cement the picture’s place as a first-class ’90s thriller.

*** out of ****