The Narrow Margin (1952)

December 3, 2024 7:55 AM

[TRAILER] 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.

Starring Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White, Gordon Gebert, Queenie Leonard, David Clarke, Peter Virgo, Don Beddoe.

Directed by Richard Fleischer. Screenplay by Earl Felton, based on an unpublished short story by Martin Goldsmith and Jack Leonard. Produced by Stanley Rubin for RKO Radio Pictures. Cinematography by George E. Diskant. Edited by Robert Swink.

100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently available for digital rental and purchase in the US. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (2 comments total)

Another less than 75 minute long banger from RKO. A noir classic.

Marie Windsor looks shockingly like Allison Janney.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:08 AM on December 3 [1 favorite]

This one has no fat - lean and direct with an excellent Charles McGraw performance. Journeyman director Richard Fleischer, probably better known for his later films like 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, was an underrated director of Noir I think. This one and the loopy His Kind of Woman are probably my favourites but Trapped (1949) and Armored Car Robbery are worth a look.
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:25 AM on December 3 [3 favorites]