Narrow Margin - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Remakes often get a bad rap. Sure, there are some infamous duds out there but it’s the successes that don’t get enough attention. Peter Hyams didn’t need to remake Richard Fleischer’s The Narrow Margin but he did, and thanks to the terrific cast, it’s a great film. Gene Hackman, Anne Archer, and James Sikking, with great albeit brief appearances from J.T. Walsh and Harris Yulin light up this thriller. I’d probably lean on the 1952 film as the better offering, but there’s no denying the entertainment value of this slick update with one hell of an ending!  

Here's my 2020 Blu-ray Review for more thorough thoughts about the film: 

Carol Hunnicut (Anne Archer) needed to get out - so she accepted a blind date invitation with a lawyer Michael Tarlow (J.T. Walsh). A simple dinner and drinks turn deadly when Tarlow's key client, the mobster Leo Watts (Harris Yulin) murders him with Carol hiding in the closet. Witnessing everything, she goes on the run. But when Deputy District Attorney Caulfield (Gene Hackman) finds her hiding out in northern Canada to convince her to return and testify, the mob follows. As the pair run for their lives, they board a train unsure where they're going and who they can trust. 

The 1952 Richard Fleischer classic The Narrow Margin wasn't exactly a movie that called out to be remade. It's a fun thriller that still holds up. But leave it to Peter Hyams to deliver a worthwhile modernized remake with a great cast. Hyams may not have always made great movies - he made entertaining movies. With only a few stumbles, Narrow Margin holds up well to repeat viewings even after a number of the great twists and turns have been exposed. 

What makes this movie - as is the case with so many films - is Gene Hackman. He's the glue for this movie. His commanding presence, sarcastic wit, and reserved action hero make him a believable foil to the assassins. This isn't a Jack Reacher movie where Tom Cruise would just be endlessly punching guys in the crotch. This isn't a Schwarzenegger flick where the Austrian Oak would pull out a massive machine gun and the movie would be over inside of a few minutes. Hackman's Caulfield is a suit. Sure he was a marine, but that doesn't mean he's been in combat anytime recently. When the guns fire he gets Carol undercover and goes into survival mode. He uses his head first - and that's where the fun of this film comes from. The best scene of the movie isn't a gunfight or fisticuffs, it's Hackman sitting face-to-face with James Sikking's assassin in a battle of wills as they try to buy him off. 

I caught this movie sometime in the mid-90s when my Dad rented the tape and I remember being sucked in by it. My parents were always mystery/thriller fans so I got to see a lot of those at a young age. I came to appreciate early on the value of a potboiler where the excitement comes from the tension of a conversation - not a gunfight. That's the best aspect of Narrow Margin. Conversations with random characters who may or may not be so random is what makes a good thriller for me. 

Where this movie stumbles a bit early is the helicopter machine gun assault. When I was a kid I probably loved it but watching it today - it's a bit silly. I get it the mob doesn't want this woman to testify but how obvious do you want to be about it? Shooting up a remote cabin and blowing up another helicopter feels very "1980s" action movie and really is the only part that feels dated in this movie. Thankfully Hyams found a steadier footing and pace shortly after that sequence eschewing giant guns for cat and mouse hide and seek tension. That's where the movie works best. Thankfully most of the movie is Hackman being a cool clever cat outwitting his opponents.  

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Narrow Margin pulls into the physical media station with a new two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray release from KLSC. The 4K is pressed on a Region Free BD-100 disc and the included 1080p Region A BD-50 disc is identical to the disc that was released in 2020. Both discs are housed in a standard black two-disc 4K case with identical slipcover artwork. Both discs load to static-image main menus with basic navigation systems.

NOTE: Haven't been able to rip the 4K disc, all images are pulled from the 1080p disc. 

For this second trip with Narrow Margin, KLSC takes the transfer trip with the transfer supplied by Studio Canal and plops it onto a 4K disc giving us the full 2.35:1 2160p SDR experience. That is correct, there is no HDR grade for this release. And that may be the rub for some fans looking for a reason to update their collections. Out front, I’ll say the 2020 Blu-ray (also included in this set) is great. It holds up to this day and if you’re going to do some side-by-side disc flippies, it can give this 4K disc a run for its money. If you’re happy with that disc, this isn’t a reason to upgrade. 

That said, if you’re a first-time buyer, this 4K disc, even in SDR, is a treat. Uncompressed with bitrates that often double the 1080p output, the 4K refines the small facial feature details, clothing textures, and the tightly confined spaces of the train. Film grain is also appreciably more natural looking and rendered less noisily. Grain is still there, it’s still abundantly clear without any sign of smoothing, it just looks a little nicer now. Increased image depth is the biggest upgrade letting the tight narrow hallways of the train cars get a little distance. I gave the previous Blu-ray a 4.5/5 and I’d score this 4K disc the same. It’s a great 4K presentation, but without the aid of HDR, it’s a nice enhancement but not an earth-shattering upgrade.

The same audio options return. Here’s what I said back in 2020.

It's dealer's choice for the audio department - both the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix and the DTS-HD MA 2.0 track are great options for viewers. Personally, I liked the 2.0 track better simply for how tight the fix felt given the train setting, but the 5.1 mix offers its own bag of tricks as well. The 5.1 mix naturally opens things up a bit giving a decent amount of surround activity. The helicopter shootout is a highlight sequence. Once the movie moves inside the train there isn't a dramatic surround presence. The channels kick in here and there but for more incidental beats than something dynamic settling more for the atmosphere of the room. The final chase sequence is another highlight moment for this mix. Throughout both tracks, the dialog is clean and clear, scoring by Bruce Broughton is engaging adding tension without overpowering the other elements. As I said, pick either mix and you should be good to go!

Same extra features return:

• Audio Commentary featuring writer and director Peter Hyams
• Audio Commentary featuring Critic and film historian Peter Tonguette 
• Making Of Featurette (SD 5:09) - This is an older piece but the frame rate is a bit wonky.
• Sound Bites (SD 9:45) This is a collection of EPK talking head pieces that offers some fun info.
• B-Roll Footage (SD 9:35) So this is really cool seeing them shooting on top of a moving train! 
• Theatrical Trailer
• Prime Cut Trailer
• The Package Trailer
• Company Business Trailer

Peter Hyams’ Narrow Margin arrives for its second run on disc from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. It’s one of the rare remakes that works well standing on its own feet apart from the terrific 1952 original. Hackman and Archer’s antagonistic chemistry and James Sikking’s cold-as-ice assassin make for a damned exciting thriller. On 4K SDR, this new disc certainly does benefit from the extra bitrate space, but without HDR only enjoys nominal visual gains. With the same set of audio options and extra features, this edition is best suited for first-time buyers. Fans who have the 2020 disc are likely already best served with the disc on their shelves as the improvements are nominal. Ultimately, still calling this Recommended because it really is a great flick and a solid set of discs.