A natural successor to the violent thrillers of the 70s, director Joe Carnahan’s breakthrough Narc brings the genre screaming into a new era, setting the standard for the modern cop drama with its gritty, unrelenting tone and style. In wintry Detroit, narcotics cop Nick Tellis (Jason Patric, The Lost Boys) is recovering from an undercover operation gone wrong. In the hopes of being assigned a quiet desk job, he agrees to return to active duty and partner up with Detective Henry Oak (Ray Liotta, Goodfellas) to investigate the apparent murder of Oak’s former partner. As both men become lost in the depths of the case, boundaries become blurred, and their relationship begins to vacillate between intensely personal and unsettlingly suspicious. One of the best crime films of the 21st century, Narc is back in an intense new filmmaker-approved 4K remaster, with brutally immersive Atmos audio, and featuring hours of previously unreleased on-set interviews and brand-new bonus features.

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Video Quality

Arrow Films presents Narc with a tremendous 2160p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 16-bit 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision. Arrow always kills it with their restorations, and it is all the sweeter to get this considering there was not even a Blu-Ray release in North America prior to this. This release comes from the label’s deal with Paramount, but thankfully Arrow was in charge of the remastering – and it shows. Fans who have been waiting for this to be upgraded are rewarded with a peerless presentation.

The presentation displays the perfect amount of natural film grain that helps bring out the grimy textural details of the decaying setting. The grain is heavy but never out of control or clumpy. Director Joe Carnahan establishes a gloomy sense of reality within his world even that suits the moral uncertainty at play. The subtle textures on display in the clothing and within the environments are unbelievable. This disc handles every location from the dingy apartment of certain suspects to the police station without fault. The black levels are perfectly deep with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights show no evidence of blooming even when they are pushed very hot for creative effect. The enhanced detail and clarity will allow you to pick up elements of the production design you likely never noticed before.

One of the most fetching aspects of the disc is the application of Dolby Vision for finessed color output that takes this visually suppressed film and allows it to look more impressive than you might imagine. The new restoration features colors from the dreary Detroit landscape that are generally presented with great complexity. Certain outfits and lighting choices saturate the screen without seeming artificially boosted. This new transfer features virtually nothing in the way of print damage. This 5-star presentation always appears natural with the added resolution bringing out more nuances within the environment. No disastrous digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or other such nuisances showed up. The good people at Arrow Video have put the utmost care into preserving this on physical media.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a new Dolby Atmos track along with the original DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio stereo track which both capture this film masterfully. We love that the label took the care to cater to audiophiles who want the most out of their sound systems along with purists. The track has a great sense of directionality with sounds always emanating from the appropriate channels. Even the new height channels are implemented tastefully as they support the environmental sounds rather than carry the main information. The film is not teeming with big action sequences, but numerous exchanges of gunfire really kick the low end into gear.

The dialogue comes through clearly in the front channel without being overshadowed by any sound effects or score. The soundtrack captures the vibe of the atmosphere which fills the speakers well. The music adds a formidable presence that works great. Throughout the investigation, there are no issues with fidelity or damage to the track. The movie is filled with a panoply of environmental sounds that come alive in the channels. This audio presentation is everything you could ask from this film. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

The first pressing of the Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Narc includes a 44-page booklet featuring new writing by Michelle Kisner, a new interview with producer Diane Nabatoff, and archival interviews and articles. These works provide a great analysis of the film and the talent at large in a thoughtfully written style. This package also includes a double-sided poster. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Disc One – Feature Film

Introduction: A 12-second introduction from director Joe Carnahan welcoming you to the new disc.

Audio Commentary: An archival feature commentary with director Joe Carnahan and editor John Gilroy in which they discuss their feelings behind opening credits, having to fire a three-year-old, the casting of the picture, working with the performers, issues that popped up during production, and more. This is a really entertaining track that keeps things lighthearted despite the heavy subject matter.

Disc Two – Bonus Features

New Interviews

- Shattering the Blue Line – Joe Carnahan on Narc: A 14-minute conversation with the filmmaker in which he discusses the genesis of Narc, working with Ray Liotta and Jason Patric, the morality of the film, working with the babies, the moments that stand out for him the most, the reaction to the film, and more

- Shooting Narc – Alex Nepomniaschy’s Vision: A 10-minute video essay with the cinematographer in which he discusses wanting to accomplish something personally new with this production, the influences on the aesthetic, the philosophy behind the lighting, the intentional color grading, the location shooting, his feelings on the film, and more.

- If You Live Another Day – An Interview with Krista Bridges: A nearly 17-minute conversation with the actress in which she discusses getting involved with the project, what she was going through personally at the time, memories of Jason Patric, thoughts on her character, the fast-paced nature of the indie production, working with Joe Carnahan, and more.

- The Journey of the Costume – An Interview with Gersha Phillips: A 19-minute conversation with the costume designer in which she discusses her inspiration to become a costume designer, her working relationship with Joe Carnahan, coming up with the thematic ideas behind each character’s look, memories of the performers, and more.

Archival Featurettes

- Making The Deal: A nearly 14-minute making-of featurette spotlighting interview with the cast and creative team that delves into the inspiration for the film, the development of the characters, the location shooting, and more.

- The Visual Trip: A 13-minute look at the visual aesthetic of the film, the very deliberate photographic choices, the work of Alex Nepomniaschy, and more.

- The Friedkin Connection: A ten-minute piece with director William Friedkin who discusses first watching Narc, his admiration for the picture, how the film works in conversation with The French Connection, and more.

- Shooting Up: A 20-minute exploration of some of the thematic material explored in the feature and how the film came to be.

EPK Interviews: A collection of archival interviews that provide great anecdotes, an overview of the production process, and more tidbits worth exploring.

- Joe Carnahan – Shoot Interview (31:41)

- Joe Carnahan – Edit Interview (1:11:09)

- Diane Nabatoff (21:52)

- Alex Nepomniaschy (18:03)

- Ray Liotta – Shoot Interview (28:30)

- Ray Liotta – Edit Interview (22:47)

- Jason Patric (15:31)

- William Friedkin (36:04)

Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.

Image Gallery: A collection of production still is provided.

Final Thoughts

Narc is a knockout early effort from Joe Carnahan that has never quite emerged in the same way from the filmmaker. The tone is serious and bleak with strong character dynamics and thematic content that stops you in your tracks. The performances are first-rate, including one of the best turns from Ray Liotta we have ever seen. The movie does not allow itself to get bogged down by extraneous threads, choosing instead to keep things spry and gripping. This is one that stands tall among the early 2000s output. Arrow Video has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and an avalanche of special features. If you are a fan of the film, this is the type of release you have been dreaming about for years. Recommended

Narc will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray on May 21, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.