You are here:

Narrow Margin

Name: Narrow Margin
Director: Peter Hyams
Released: 1990
Duration: 97 min

Representation Score

1.1/10

Minimal

1990

Director

Peter Hyams

Runtime

97 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Narrow Margin is a traditional action-thriller that emphasizes high-stakes tension over social subversion. It relies on established genre clichés, centering the narrative on a masculine protector and a reactive female counterpart. The film's world is largely homogeneous, lacking racial or LGBTQ+ diversity. While it offers a critique of systemic corruption, this is framed through individualist morality rather than an exploration of identity politics. Ultimately, the production reinforces conventional social and gendered structures, making it a quintessential product of its era's cinematic conventions.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Narrow Margin have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film adheres to an assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender, with no depictions of non-traditional gender identities or same-sex relationships.

How does Narrow Margin portray gender?

Limited

The male protagonist drives the plot, while the female lead plays a more reactive role, primarily serving as a catalyst for his actions.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Narrow Margin?

Minimal

The cast is predominantly white, with no non-white characters to provide diverse representation or challenge the status quo.

How does Narrow Margin represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story critiques institutional corruption and political integrity, focusing on a struggle for justice within a fractured authority.

Does Narrow Margin include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no visible or invisible disabilities portrayed. The narrative does not address neurodivergence or physical disability in character development.

Present on Screen

Provides a focused critique of institutional corruption and political integrity.
Offers a clear, high-stakes narrative driven by a struggle for justice.

Limited or Absent

Lacks racial and ethnic diversity, relying on a homogeneous Western ensemble.
Features a gender hierarchy where female characters have limited autonomy.
Provides no representation for LGBTQ+ identities or individuals with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

An L.A. District Attorney attempts to take an unwilling murder witness back to the United States to testify against a top-level mob boss. Frantically attempting to escape two deadly hitmen sent to silence her, they board a Vancouver-bound train only to discover that the killers are onboard with them. For the next 20 hours, as the train hurls through the beautiful but isolated Canadian wilderness, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues in which their ability to tell friend from foe is a matter of life and death.

How are these scores produced? →