A very good grade B film noir. No major stars, but good direction by Richard Fleischer. Lots of shadows and nifty camera shots. Charles McGraw plays a hard-boiled police detective trying to deliver a witness from Chicago to L.A. Relatively short at 71 minutes, but well worth the time. Made in 1952 and then remade in 1990 with Gene Hackman.

Consider a) that this is a 1942 noir and b) it's a B-budget RKO film, nothing more: though the actors are known faces that have appeared here and there, there are no big Names to speak of. So, coming to this with appropriate expectations, I was surprised by the snappy dialogue, good direction and interesting twist to the plot. The action takes place mostly on a train, and of course will not compare with Strangers on a Train or Ripley's Game. Still, the characters are better than standard, and the action moves along nicely. In sumptuous black and white. *Captions for the hearing impaired are included **The added directorial feature isn't worth bothering with: it must be from the inception of the idea of providing comments, and is limited to unenlightening narrative, rather than observations by insiders. Recommended.

The Narrow Margin is an excellent example of early 1950s Film Noir.... About 90% of The Narrow Margin's breath-taking action takes place upon the speeding locomotive train called the Superchief, which is heading on its overnight trip from Chicago to L.A..... It's here aboard the Superchief that all of the thrills and excitement really shifts into high gear..... As the unrelenting suspense rises to a fever-pitch, Sgt. Brown plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with a pack of slimy thugs who will stop at nothing the eliminate Mrs. Neal, the star witness who he's been assigned to protect.... At only 70 minutes in length, The Narrow Margin packs one hell of a wallop that races along at break-neck speed..... This is pure, satisfying entertainment from the glorious 1950s that doesn't let up its pace from start to finish.