The Narrow Margin Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Narrow Margin Blu-ray Movie Review

Strangers on a train.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 25, 2026

One of the finest noirs of 1952 or any year, Richard Fleischer's The Narrow Margin is a great example of lean and efficient filmmaking done right. Clocking in at just 71 minutes, it's an absolutely fat-free production with an excellent cast, terrific characters, strong technical merits, and the accessible atmosphere of a B-movie with A-grade efforts all around. Remade in 1990 as a solid runner-up that disappointed at the box office, the original and best now earns a well-deserved third life on home video thanks to Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray edition.

Its story is lean enough to warrant the most basic of summaries. We're introduced to LA detectives Sgt. Walter Brown (Charles McGraw) and his affable partner of six years, Sgt. Gus Forbes (Don Beddoe), who have travelled to Chicago by train to retrieve Frankie Neall (Marie Windsor), the widow of a recently slain mob boss. Tasked with returning her to a grand jury trial in LA, the detectives run into trouble right away but Walter and Frankie return to the train separately; it's a good move, since the men after her -- who have already identified Walter -- don't know what she looks like. They board safely and stay in adjacent cabins but are followed by mobster Joseph Kemp (David Clarke), who uses "missing luggage" as an excuse to search the train freely. From there, it's a tense game of cat-and-mouse that also involves a woman and her son (Jacqueline White and Gordon Gebert), an overweight man (Paul Maxey), new threats including a familiar face from Chicago (Peter Virgo), and the organic suspense of tight, inescapable quarters.

The Narrow Margin belongs on a very short list of films that would be fantastic entry points to film noir or "old movies" in general; it's simple, unflashy, and character-driven, but armed with a simple hook and an extremely tight pace that makes its already-brisk running time absolutely fly by. There are some first-time viewers who may correctly predict a few twists and turns along the way, yet they'll still be on the receiving end of a few solid surprises. And while it's easy to praise the film's rock-solid fundamentals, which were executed on a shoestring budget, the fact that everything was reportedly shot in less than two weeks makes The Narrow Margin an absolute marvel of 1950s filmmaking that strongly endures today. Aside from a somewhat rushed closing scene and a few slight lapses in logic, it feels like a perfectly polished effort where adding or subtracting a single scene would hurt the production as a whole.

This is the kind of rare "total package" film that feels even better than the sum of its parts and, for that reason, The Narrow Margin is one of the strongest RKO catalog films recued by Warner Archive in recent memory. Their 2014 DVD earned decent marks for its time, but there's no doubt that the boutique label's striking new 4K-sourced restoration beats it from every perspective. Add in solid lossless audio and a few great bonus features and you've got one of the best releases of 2026 thus far, one that may have very well secured a Top 10 spot on my 2026 list already.

The Narrow Margin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative, Warner Archive's new 1080p transfer of The Narrow Margin impresses at every turn. Outside of a few exterior stock shots (since after all, absolutely none of it was shot on board an actual moving train), what we have here is as clean, precise, and film-like a presentation as we've all learned to expect from the boutique label, who as usual have polished it to a shine while preserving almost every ounce of organic film grain. Fine detail, textures, black levels, and those crucial amounts of deep shadow detail are all nicely rendered, while the image as a whole looks totally secure and stable even when the camera jostles around to simulate a bumpy ride. Disc encoding is also great as usual, showing no signs of banding, posterization, or macro blocking, even during dark scenes heavy with fog or cigarette smoke. All things considered, this is a perfect presentation and a fine example of how great a Blu-ray transfer can look when it's handled correctly.

The Narrow Margin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track follows suit, solidly repurposing The Narrow Margin's original mono mix into a split two-channel presentation for wider but still authentic playback. This is a curious film in that it's not always dialogue-heavy and there's no traditional score, just occasional bits of digetic music and the pervasive rumble and clatter of a train in motion to set the tone. What's here sounds largely crisp and clear, albeit with trace amounts of hiss and occasional sibilance issues, but it's absolutely nothing out of bounds for a film recorded during this era. Given their excellent track record, I'd imagine that Warner Archive did what they could with the source material... and for that reason I sincerely doubt there's much room for tangible improvement here.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

The Narrow Margin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed artwork and several enjoyable extras.

• Audio Commentary - This DVD-era track features late, great director William Friedkin, who as usual is ready with vintage audio interview excerpts featuring director Richard Fleischer speaking about The Narrow Margin, its characters, and film noir in general. This being a personal favorite of Friedkin, he's not shy about heaping praise on the film but also speaks at length about its characters, themes, visual motifs, music, social commentary, and much more. It's obviously a recommended listen for fans of the film and genre as a whole.

• So You Never Tell A Lie (10:52) - Written and directed by Richard L. Bare, this 1952 Joe McDoakes short follows its "behind the 8-ball" title character (George O'Hanlon) as a workplace reward is assumed to be a gift for his wife (an uncredited Phyllis Coates, best known as Lois Lane from Adventures of Superman).

• The Super Snooper (7:11) - This 1952 Looney Tunes short was directed by Robert McKimson and stars Daffy Duck as "Duck Drake", who's investigating a murder at the J. Cleaver Axe-Handle Estate. This one's new to Blu-ray, which is always a cause for celebration, and looks to be in pretty decent condition.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:56) - Given the rarity of surviving RKO trailers, this one's especially nice to have.

The Narrow Margin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Richard Fleischer (son of the great animator Max) directed several great films during a career that lasted almost 50 years, but The Narrow Margin might be his best work. It's a tight and well-crafted effort with solid performances and characters, near-constant tension, and outstanding noir cinematography on a low budget, reminding us that films don't need six-month shooting schedules and deep pockets to be great. A fine example of accessible 1950s entertainment, The Narrow Margin has been resurrected on Blu-ray by Warner Archive, whose usual white-glove treatment results in yet another fine package for die-hard fans and newcomers alike. Highly Recommended at any price.