The Narrow Margin is a 1952 American thriller film noir directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, and Jacqueline White. The RKO picture was written by Earl Felton, based on an unpublished story by Martin Goldsmith and Jack Leonard. In the film, Detective Sergeant Walter Brown (McGraw) plays a deadly game of cat-and-mouse aboard a train with mob assassins out to stop Frankie Neall (Windsor), a slain gangster's widow, before she can testify before a grand jury.
The film was released by RKO on May 2, 1952. Though originally produced as a B movie, it was a surprise critical and commercial success, Work began under that title. Scenes aboard the train were shot on a soundstage at RKO Studios, using rear projection for backgrounds seen through train windows. The film was shot in just 13 days, and made extensive use of a handheld camera to film within the confined sets without having to remove their walls, an innovative practice at the time. While a few instances of diegetic music can be heard in the movie, it is notable for the absence of a traditional score.
The Narrow Margin release was held up for two years after its completion. Reasons given for the delay have varied from Hughes' indecision to coaxing the in-demand Fleischer into doing more work for the mogul. Hughes did assign Fleischer to reshoot sections of the Mitchum–Russell film, His Kind of Woman, with the screenwriter of Margin, Earl Felton, providing uncredited rewrites for the latter picture.</blockquote>
In 2005, Dennis Schwartz wrote: "A breathtakingly suspenseful low-budget crime thriller that is flawlessly directed ... The fast-paced pulpish taut story is filled with tense incidents and a well-executed twist."
As of 2020, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 100% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 10 reviews.
Awards and nominations
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! Award
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| Academy Awards
| Best Motion Picture Story
| Martin Goldsmith, Jack Leonard
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Remake
The film was remade in 1990 as Narrow Margin with Anne Archer and Gene Hackman, and direction by Peter Hyams. Hackman's performance was praised, but the later version is generally considered a lesser work compared to the original.
See also
- List of cult films