"NARC"
(2002) (Jason Patric, Ray Liotta) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Heavy	Extreme	Extreme	Moderate	Extreme
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	Minor	Heavy	Heavy	Extreme
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	Moderate	Moderate	Extreme

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QUICK TAKE:

Drama: A former undercover narcotics detective returns to active duty and joins a hard-nosed cop to help solve a fellow undercover cop's murder.

PLOT:

It's been 18 months since Sgt. Nick Tellis (JASON PATRIC) worked as an undercover narcotics detective. His last operation resulted in tragedy, but the forces that be, including Captain Cheevers (CHI McBRIDE), want him to use his still intact contacts to solve the murder of fellow undercover cop, Michael Calvess (ALAN VAN SPRANG).

Nick is initially reluctant, and his wife, Audrey (KRISTA BRIDGES), isn't pleased at all by his thoughts of returning to active duty. Nevertheless, he's drawn back in and partnered with detective. Lt. Henry Oak (RAY LIOTTA), Calvess' former partner who's known as a bit of a loose cannon.

The two begin working Nick's various contacts, hoping that someone knows something about Calves and his murder. That eventually leads them to thugs Beery (BUSTA RHYMES) and Steeds (RICHARD CHEVOLLEAU) who appear to have information about the murder. Yet, as Henry proceeds in trying to beat it out of them, they instill doubts in Nick's mind about their guilt as well as Henry's integrity. When push comes to shove, Nick must figure out who to believe as he tries to solve the case.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're fans of anyone in the cast or gritty cop dramas, they might, but this one doesn't otherwise seem too enticing to most other kids.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R

For strong brutal violence, drug content and pervasive language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

JASON PATRIC plays a former undercover narcotics agent who returns to active duty to try to find a cop killer. He uses violence and strong profanity.

RAY LIOTTA plays a violent, lose cannon of a cop who isn't above roughing up suspects to get the job done. He uses strong profanity and arouses Nick's suspicions about his integrity.

KRISTA BRIDGES plays Nick's wife who can't stand the fact that he's returned to active duty after the problems of the past.

BUSTA RHYMES plays a thug who may or may not know and/or be responsible for a cop's death. He uses strong profanity.

RICHARD CHEVOLLEAU plays his partner in crime who also uses strong profanity.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated drama. Profanity consists of at least 242 uses of the "f" word, while many other expletives and colorful phrases are also used. Some brief, sexually related dialogue is present, a man appears to be doing something with his hand to a woman under the covers and a man's bare butt is seen several times.

Violence consists of various people being shot (and wounded or killed) or beat up, both with extremely bloody results. Other fighting, struggling and threatening is present, all of which might be tense, unsettling or suspenseful to viewers (as might various other scenes). Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes.

Drugs are seen and used, while talk about them and their use is present. Meanwhile, some tense family moments occur between a husband and wife (with her eventually leaving). Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those prone to motion sickness, the opening chase scene on foot features extremely jumpy camerawork.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

We see a flashback of syringes being filled with what's presumably some sort of drug.

A suspect wants a quick hit (of drugs from freebasing). He then smokes from a bong. There's talk about a nickel-bagger and ganja.

We see drug paraphernalia on the floor and table next to a dead man. We then see a flashback to the guy trying to smoke drugs from the barrel of the gun (since his bong was broken) that ended up killing him (we don't see the impact).

There are various conversations about drug use and we learn that Nick used to do drugs while undercover.

BLOOD/GORE

A man is shot in the head (with blood) and we then see lots of blood pouring out onto the ground from a bystander who was also shot (in the leg that's also very bloody).

We then see a black and white photo of a dead man with blood on his face and on the street. We later see more such photos.

We see some blood from a person's ear and down onto their clothes.

A suspect is bloody and Henry has some blood on the side of his head from striking that man.

Nick vomits from the sight and/or smell of a decomposed man in a bathtub (only briefly seen). We also see blood on the wall from the gunshot that killed the man.

Nick has some blood on his hand, while a man he and Henry shot is bloody.

We see blood squirt out in a flashback view of an execution style murder.

Two bound suspects have very bloody faces (and blood on their clothes) after they're pummeled.

Nick's face is rather bloody after being hit there.

A man is bloody after being shot.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Those responsible for killing a cop obviously have extreme cases of bad attitudes (depending on which version of the truth is to be believed), as do various criminals.

Henry says he'll break every rule to catch the above person and we see him rough up various suspects.

We hear that a young girl's stepfather was pimping her out.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Scenes listed under "Violence" or "Blood/Gore" may also be unsettling/disturbing and/or suspenseful/tense.

Henry and Nick approach and enter a warehouse with their guns drawn. They then slowly make their way through it and are fired upon by others.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Handguns/Shotgun/Machine guns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details.

Assault weapon: Used by a man in the past to try to smoke drugs, but it ended up firing and killing him (we don't see the impact, but do see the results several weeks later).

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "F*cking waste of time," "Get the f*ck off of me," "I'm f*cking beat," "What the f*ck's the matter with you?" "F*ck this," "Shut the f*ck up," "Let the f*ck go of me," "I'm f*cked," "Don't f*ck with us," "Don't be f*cking with me," "F*ck you," "Don't get f*cking cute with me," "F*ck that sh*t," "You dumb f*ck," "This is un-f*cking believable," "F*cked up," "F*cking bullsh*t," "Do not f*cking move," "What the f*ck /are you talking about/are you doing?" "F*ck off," "You must be out of your f*cking mind," "You don't know sh*t what you're talking about," "Bullsh*t," "Knock that sh*t off," "Dipsh*t," "I don't give a sh*t," "Piece of sh*t," "Half ass," "Take a piss," "Bitch," "Nigger(s)," "Lazy ass," "Pissed off," "Bitch ass," "Punk," "Nut sack" (scrotum), "Dumb ass," "Smart ass," "Balls" (testicles) and "Pissed away."

JUMP SCENES

The sudden sound of gunfire might startle some viewers.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A heavy amount of suspenseful music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

We heard 1 use each of the "f" and "s" words in a song, but other lyrics were present that couldn't be understood (thus offering the possibility of potentially objectionable lyrics).

PROFANITY

At least 242 "f" words (23 used with "mother"), 72 "s" words, 4 slang terms using male genitals ("d*ck," "c*ck" and "pr*ck"), 2 slang terms using female genitals ("p*ssy" and "sn*tch"), 14 asses (3 used with "hole"), 5 hells, 1 crap, 1 damn, 8 uses of "Oh my God," 5 of "G-damn," 3 of "Jesus Christ" and 1 use each of "God" and "Swear to God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

Nick's wife shows some cleavage in her nightgown.

A man appears to be doing something under the covers to a woman with his hand (but only seen in a head and shoulders shot).

We see a man's bare butt in a nonsexual context, but he's upset about some venereal disease and/or rash that he claims some woman has given him. He tells Nick and Henry to look at it, but we don't see anything. We see the man's bare butt again.

We see an out of focus shot of Audrey in her panties in the background.

A suspect says something about, "I might let him suck on my d*ck once or twice," but that appears to be more of a derogatory comment rather than purely sexual.

SMOKING

A miscellaneous man smokes.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

Nick's decision to return to active duty puts a strain on his marriage and we see several scenes of marital arguments (and Audrey finally leaves).

Henry states that his wife died of cancer.

Nick goes to visit the widow of a recently killed cop.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

Undercover narcotics detectives, their work, and their lives.

Drug use.

Being a cop and breaking/bending the rules to get the job done.

VD.

VIOLENCE

During a chase on foot, we hear sounds of things and/or people being knocked down inside a house. Once outside, a syringe is stabbed into a person's neck and Nick fires several shots at the suspect. The suspect then picks up a kid as a hostage and Nick shoots the suspect in the head, but we then see that he also hit a pregnant woman in the leg and there's lot of blood and screaming (we hear that the woman lost the child from that). There's a later flashback to some of that footage.

We see an out of focus and mostly silhouetted shot from a distance of two men hitting and kicking another person. We then see some quick shots of that impact and then one pulling out a gun and repeatedly shooting the victim (we don't see the impact). We then see a black and white photo of the dead man with blood on his face and on the street.

We see a flashback of a handgun being held to a man's head and then shooting from point blank range (but no impact is seen).

Henry puts a hard ball into a sock and then repeatedly uses that to strike a suspect on the head (with bloody results).

A guy pushes Nick and he's grabbed and cuffed.

A man struggles with a woman and reportedly tried to set her hair on fire.

Henry and Nick break into a house with their guns drawn.

We see a flashback to a guy trying to smoke drugs from the barrel of the gun that ended up killing him (we don't see the impact).

We see a flashback of Henry kneeing a cuffed man, knocking him back through a door and then repeatedly punching him (we don't see the final impact).

Nick violently knocks items off a table.

A man throws something at Henry who grabs and pushes him down to the floor. He also pours something into the man's eyes. Nick then slaps that man on the head. Henry then slams the man's head back into the wall and smacks him several times. The two cops then ransack the man's place. He then pulls a gun and fires several times at Henry. He and Nick then shoot this man many times.

A cop breaks a window to enter a warehouse.

Henry shoots a suspect with a shotgun. Another man then shoots a machine gun at him and someone fires at Nick. Henry shoots a man in the leg and then steps down onto his crotch.

Nick drags a man by his dreadlocks and Henry punches that man in the face. We then see that they have two men tied up.

Nick and Henry ransack a place (and tear up some cars with a crowbar) looking for evidence.

Henry hits a suspect on the head.

A cop shoots a car with his shotgun.

We see a flashback to a cop being beaten on the ground. We then see blood squirt out in the flashback view of an execution style murder.

Henry repeatedly punches and pummels two bound suspects (we don't see the full impact but do see the bloody results).

We see a flashback to a man punching a cop and another man kicking him. We then see a cop shooting at them (with one possibly being hit).

Nick punches a man in the face.

A cop pushes another cop. After some yelling, he then holds his gun to the other cop's face. He then hits him on the face with his shotgun. He then punches and kicks him.

A cop breaks a window to get inside a car.

A cop shoots around two suspects' heads to intimidate them. The other cop then holds a gun on him.

A cop shoots another cop.

We see a flashback to guys beating a cop who then shoots several times. Another cop then shows up and punches that injured cop.

A man shoots himself in the head in a flashback.

Reviewed October 31, 2002 / Posted January 10, 2003

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