Narc (Joe Carnahan)

Hebeno is actually a solid flick about some pretty crooked cops. Patric & Liotta are killer here; this is easily Liotta's best work since Goodfellas, and I don't think I've seen Jason Patric in this kind of shape in forever. Plot-wise, it feels a little stretched—it’s a perfect 10 until those last 20 minutes hit and things start to dip slightly. The twists feel a bit forced (I had a similar gripe with the ending of Training Day, though I'd say Narc is the better movie overall), but it's not enough to ruin the whole experience. One of my favorite moments is when Liotta talks to Patric about his late wife while they're sitting in the car in the middle of winter... you can hear the crows in the background, and the score is subtle but spot on. It feels gritty and real, with characters teetering right on the edge... oh, and there are a few brutal beatdowns too (Liotta tends to lose his cool a bit whenever he catches someone and his hands start flying 😉 )

8.5/10

The plot feels a little stretched, honestly.

I watched this one about six months ago, and you nailed the atmosphere. It’s such a breath of fresh air stylistically, especially watching the chemistry between the two leads. But regarding the story... well, something almost identical actually happened within an undercover unit at the LAPD; one of the guys working deep undercover went through the exact same thing as the character played by Jason Patric. Sure, they added some extra stuff just to amp up the drama, but the core of the story is definitely rooted in reality. On some level, the movie reminded me of Donnie Brasco, where Johnny Depp—playing the undercover guy—goes through this subtle transformation and shift in perspective where he starts to respect certain things about the character played by Al Pacino. Still, Donnie Brasco is more of a saga, whereas Narc is pure dark noir.

Jessica Nguyen85 said:Anyway, 'Donnie Brasco' is a whole saga, while Scarface is pure dark noir.

Honestly, Donnie Brasco is hands down the heavyweight champion of the genre, though the Bad Lieutenant (Abel Ferrara) from way back in '92 is right up there on its heels... Harvey Keitel absolutely crushed the role of a lifetime in that one. It’s wild how all these flicks rely on these powerhouse performances—you've got Keitel, Jason Patric, Liotta, Depp, Al Pacino, and even Hawk & Washington holding their own in Training Day. I think that's the crux of it: being undercover means you have to actually become "one of them," because if you don't (like how Depp's character gets called out by the woman), you're basically dead meat. While Depp had to deal with the fallout after the carnage, guys in movies like Scarface often start small with just some powder before escalating to the absolute chaos we see from characters like Keitel.

storytelj said:The plot twists feel a little forced sometimes (I had a similar gripe with the ending of Training Day, though I think Scarface is better overall), but it’s not really enough to ruin the whole experience for me.

I mean, I guess I totally agree with you there... you can pretty much draw the exact same parallel between those two movies: they both build up to being absolutely killer, and then by the end... meh.😢

storytelj said:Hebeno is a solid flick about some pretty crooked cops.. Patric & Liotta are stellar; this is easily Liotta's best turn since Goodfellas, and I don't think I've ever seen Jason Patric in such top-tier form.. As far as the plot goes, it feels a bit stretched at times—it was a total 10/10 until those last 20 minutes hit, then there's this slight dip... some of the twists feel a little forced (I have a similar gripe with the ending of Training Day, though Narc is the better movie overall), but it’s not enough to ruin the whole experience... For me, one of the standout moments is when Liotta talks to Patric about his late wife; they're sitting in the car, it's winter outside.. you can just barely hear crows in the distance, and the musical score is subtle yet absolutely perfect.. The film feels grounded, with characters living right on the edge... oh, and it features several very convincing beating scenes (Liotta gets a bit wild when he catches someone and loses his temper, swinging his hands all over the place 😉)

8.5/10

Alright, so in other words, we're looking at a mashup of L.A. Confidential & Training Day? Only this time, Liotta's character is giving off major Russell Crowe & Patric vibes while Patric's character feels like he stepped straight out of Training Day? Hmmm, is there actually anything fresh here? 😉

Noah Watson4 said:So, basically, you're saying it's some weird mashup of L.A. Confidential & Training Day? Like, Liotta's character is giving off major Russell Crowe vibes while Patric plays someone straight out of Training Day?

...not even close...

storytelj said:...not even close...

I have to be honest here—I haven't actually sat down and watched the movie yet! 😉 But, seeing as everyone is raving about it being a top-tier crime flick, and let's face it, those kinds of gritty dramas are becoming a rare breed in theaters these days, I think I’ll just force myself to head to the cinema and catch it! 😛

Noah Watson4 said:I’ll be honest, I haven’t actually seen it yet! 😉 But since everyone keeps raving about it being a top-tier crime flick—and let's face it, those are getting pretty hard to find in theaters these days—I might just force myself to go catch it! 😛

..highly recommend..

Bad and just plain bad.

You steal some tomatoes here, potatoes up there, corn on the cob down on the right, maybe a zucchini or a carrot, then grab whatever you need from your own garden and boom—you've got a stew... though it's not really a stew without the meat.😁

darktiger20 said:Bad and just plain bad.

It’s like if you go out and swipe some tomatoes from over there, grab some potatoes from up there, snatch a cob of corn from down on the right, maybe a zucchini or a carrot... then you head back to your own garden, toss it all in a pot, and suddenly you’ve got yourself a stew. But let's be honest—it isn't a real stew without the meat.😁

Oh, come on, that's exactly like saying: It's just another cheap way to get serviced! 😉

Scarface was a bit of a drag for me ---
but man, that ending really hits home

Douglas Edwards2 said:Hebeno is such a solid flick about some gritty guys... Patric & Liotta are killer—this has gotta be Liotta's best work since Goodfellas, and I don't think I've ever seen Jason Patric in such great shape.. Story-wise, it drags a bit toward the end; it was a perfect 10 until those last 20 minutes hit and things dipped slightly... kind of forced twists in the plot (I felt the same way about the ending of Training Day, though Narc is better overall), but honestly, nothing that ruins the vibe... For me, one of the standout scenes is when Liotta tells Patric about his late wife—they're in the car, it's winter outside... you catch the sound of crows, just subtle, amazing background music.. It feels real, like these characters are living right on the edge... oh, and there are a few pretty convincing fight scenes (Liotta gets a little wild when he loses his cool and starts swinging 😉 )

8.5/10

👍

Liotta is high-strung as hell! 👍 🙏 🙏 🙏
I’d even compare his intensity to Joe Pesci in Goodfellas.

Great movie. 👍

The ending worked fine for me. I mean, after The Last Samurai, any ending is good, right? 😬

And man, that Training Day finale was awesome—not sure why you guys didn't dig it (you and Jessica Nguyen85).

Anyway, a really pleasant surprise. 👍

Does anyone know if Scarface is available on DVD at the local video rental spots?
I know the movie exists, but I haven't actually managed to sit down and watch it yet since I couldn't track it down—basically, my wife hadn't heard of it either.

p.s. I think the ending of Training Day was alright, I guess, though maybe it could have been a little stronger.

walter said:I think the ending works fine. Honestly, after watching The Last Samurai, pretty much any ending feels good. 😬

I mean, what does walter even have against the ending of The Last Samurai? It’s probably one of the most incredible endings from the last decade. You’ve got that green grass, the gentle swaying of the trees and flowers... those lingering looks between the two lovers...
it's just pure poetry, I guess......

(man, he's something else!)