The Narrow Margin

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The Narrow Margin

1952,

1h 11m,

Crime/

Drama

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100%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Tense story of a tough cop attempting to transport the widow of a gangster to the trial in which she'll testify. They undertake a rail journey from Chicago to Los Angeles with their lives constantly under threat from hit men on the train, who will stop at nothing to prevent her from testifying.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Feb 16, 2026

3.5/4

Both a quintessential "B" flick and an essential film noir.

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Francois Truffaut

Cahiers du Cinéma

May 10, 2022

The Narrow Margin... is charged with very moral nitroglycerine but confers a grace that any sweaty driver of a heavy, slow-moving vehicle might envy.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 23, 2020

7/10

Surprisingly, there are a few lulls, and the closing moments lack the zest seen in these edgier films noir, even though the screenplay holds more than one brilliant twist.

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Geoffrey O'Brien

The New York Review of Books

Aug 13, 2018

Rapid, concise, and beautifully photographed, The Narrow Margin is an exercise in craft with few reverberations beyond the fascination of its technological exactness.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Mar 21, 2018

2.5/4

...a stripped-down premise that's employed to watchable yet far-from-enthralling effect...

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Feb 18, 2011

A-

The cast may be B-level, but the sharp writing, taut direction, and production values of the Richard Fleischer's noir thriller (which is superior to the 1990 remake) are not.

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Anakin W

Mar 1, 2019

When a mobster's widow decides to testify and provide names of others involved in evil deeds, she goes undercover to avoid being killed. She is being escorted across country by train in order to testify. Cop Walter Brown and his partner are assigned the task, but the mob are on their trail. The Narrow Margin is generally considered a "model" B picture; some film buffs go farther than that, labelling this 1952 RKO suspenser as the best low-budget studio production ever made. A hard-as-nails, noir-ish thriller from the often underrated Richard Fleischer. The crackling dialogue between Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor is consistently sharp. I've always considered a train as an ideal geography for suspense. A claustrophobic spot where a cat-and-mouse game seems edgier than usual, and this was no exception. The cast may be B-level, but the sharp writing, taut direction, and production values are not . Great film noir .

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George W

Jun 20, 2018

Good plot. Good locale. Good film noir.

Hagrid G

May 6, 2018

Lots of little things to like about this Noir pic, but there's too many missing pieces to love the entire movie.

Draco W

Feb 12, 2017

Amazing movie. The atmosphere builds at the perfect pace. A must see for any film noir fan.

Leia G

Jan 14, 2016

saw part of the 1990 remake on tv. looked great.

Abraham S

Dec 9, 2015

Great for what it had to work with.

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Richard Fleischer

Director

Charles McGraw

Detective Sgt. Walter Brown

Marie Windsor

Mrs. Frankie Neal

Jacqueline White

Ann Sinclair

Gordon Gebert

Tommy Sinclair

Queenie Leonard

Mrs. Troll

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Synopsis

Tense story of a tough cop attempting to transport the widow of a gangster to the trial in which she'll testify. They undertake a rail journey from Chicago to Los Angeles with their lives constantly under threat from hit men on the train, who will stop at nothing to prevent her from testifying.

Director: Richard Fleischer
Producer: Stanley Rubin
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 4, 1952, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 11m

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