1952: The Narrow Margin

The Narrow Margin (Fleischer, 1952) 8/10

"What kind of a dish?" (Forbes)
"A sixty cent special: cheap, flashy, strictly poison under the gravy" (Brown on Mrs. Neall)

In the annals of B-movie history, there is often a debate among critics and scholars as to what is the greatest low-budget production of Hollywood's Golden era. Generally, two films come up within this discourse. The first is Edgar G. Ullmer's 1946 film Detour; the second is Richard Fleischer's incomparable 1952 masterstroke The Narrow Margin.

Like Detour, Fleischer's film operates in the hard-boiled cynical world of Film Noir; but while Ullmer's film was financed by forgotten Poverty Row studio PMC, Fleischer had the benefit at working at RKO: a studio which, albeit was no longer the dynamic force it had been two decades earlier, was still among Hollywood's classic brand.

While film critics and cultists have often placed Detour on an unfounded critical plateau, The Narrow Margin often gets lost in the critical mix. Yet with its taut, economical pace, razor sharp dialogue and coiled narrative, the film is an exemplary showcase of how to construct a "B" picture. The high esteem for The Narrow Margin both then and now, can be seen in its 1952 Academy Award nomination for Best Story and its later unsuccessful 1990 remake with Gene Hackman in the starring role.

Set almost entirely on a train, The Narrow Margin begins at Chicago's Union Station were L.A. detective Walter Brown (Charles McGraw) and his partner Gus Forbes (Don Beddoe) arrive to collect Mrs. Neall (Marie Windsor) a saucy widowed gangster's moll. Brown's job is to protect Mrs. Neall en route to Los Angeles were she is to testify before a grand jury. Almost immediately, the vitrolic relationship between Brown and Neall is born; after the cigar-chomping Forbes is mercilessly gunned down as the pair attempt to secretly whisk Neall out of town.

However to Brown's good fortune, the fleeing assassin fails to catch a glimpse of Mrs Neall descending the staircase. After scampering onboard a train, Brown begins a game of cat and mouse with a string of mysterious men all out to silence Neall before she reaches California: including a bulging obese man named Jennings (Paul Maxey), a wiry moustached hired-hand (David Clarke) and a small-time businessman named Yost (Peter Brocco). Each uses different methods ranging from intimidation to bribery in order to ensnare Neall into their oily palms; but despite his gritty stare Brown does not bite, as he affirms his duty to protect the venemous Mrs. Neall, as well a group of innocent passengers who unknowingly become a part of this case of hidden identity.

One of the late entries into the classic Noir period, The Narrow Margin is a smart, nimble thriller which snarls through its 71 minute running time. Notable for its use of handheld cameras, Fleischer's film is a claustrophobic exploration of themes of identity, duty and corporate crime. One can find traces of its brooding malevolence in later films such as Peter Yates' Bullitt, Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest and John Boorman's Point Blank. Yet what separates Fleischer's film from the former two in particular is the intense atmosphere of seething contempt-similar to that found in Fritz Lang's The Big Heat from the same year.

Featuring "the King and Queen of the B's" in Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor respectively, Fleischer utilizes their sneering and conniving personas to great effect. McGraw's Brown predates the type of bitter cops which would be seen in films such as Dirty Harry. There is not much really likeable about Brown in his brooding, caustic approach to social interaction and life in general.

But underneath his hard exterior, there is a man who feels anguish about the death of his partner and the effect it will have on others. The smoky-voiced Brown may not be able to relate or confer with others on a human platform, but this arguably due to his nature as a bitter and underpaid law enforcement officer. Brown's approach to ethical procedure is acidic, but his response to duty and preserving the safety of others is altruistic and paramount.

The selflessness of Brown's work is magnified by the ambigious notion of Neall's identity. Locked in Forbes' cabin, Neall remains hidden to the crooks and criminals who are lusting for her blood outside. But since the hitmen are unaware of what Neall looks like, this becomes a problematic situation for Brown. The detective's repeated interactions with a likeable blonde woman named Mrs. Sinclair begins to arouse suspiscion that perhaps she is the mysterious Neall: extending Brown's need to protect multiple passengers.

The enigmatic nature of identity also amplifies the suspense of Fleischer's film. Since the assassins are unaware of Neall's whereabouts and Brown is unable to discern who is and isn't a possible threat, Fleischer's film aggressively plays with the concept of identity. Everyone in The Narrow Margin from the hefty man who continually blocks the corridors to the conductor is a possible suspect.

Snaking through corridors, George E. Diskant's expressionist and abrasive camera captures the claustrophobic intensity of The Narrow Margin's closed quarters, which intensifies Brown's need to remain alert at all times: as characters disappear and reappear into frame at the blink of an eye. Furthermore, Fleischer maximizes the nature of train travel by making every possible layover and stop a dangerous situation. The repeated taps on doors and the need to remain silent, also heighten the film's suspense and the weariness of McGraw's volatile sub-Kirk Douglas persona.

Like Boorman's Point Blank almost fifteen years later, The Narrow Margin explores the sophistication of modern crime. The organization which is keen to silence Mrs. Neall is headed by Brocco's Yost-incidentally also the name of a similarly ambigious character in Boorman's film- who offers Brown $30,000 in return for Neall's head. The mild-mannered Yost is not a typical criminal.

Balding and short, Yost is employed as a equipment salesmen in Chicago and refuses to carry a gun as he abhors them Yost talks to Brown about Neall in the language of modern business. He refers to his employer as a respected company and sees any compromise the pair can arrange as a viable business deal. In Yost, Fleischer thus demonstrates the multi-faceted nature of modern crime: as organizations working under respectable pretences and preferring to use diplomacy first and force second in order to achieve their means.

Cheaply crafted, yet aesthetically sharp Richard Fleischer's 1952 film The Narrow Margin is a dark biting thriller which fleshes out its intensions almost immediately. Using rapid-fire editing and ingenious sound design, Fleischer's film is able to turn small gems out of silent glances between characters and almost meaningless effects such as the sound of Neall's scratchy nail file turning into a pacy train wheel. Although Fleischer was to go on to creating illustrious A-pictures such as 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and The Vikings, he rarely ever came close to capturing the raw fury, excitement and intensity contained in this ultimate "Killer B."

* The Narrow Margin is available on Warner Home Video in their Film Noir Collection V2 boxset

Other Richard Fleischer Films Reviewed:
Compulsion (1959) 6/10

Copyright 2007 8½ Cinematheque