Clocking in at 70 minutes, without a star, and set mostly on a train, The Narrow Margin manages to accomplish a fair amount with minimal resources. The film's protagonist, Sgt. Walter Brown (Charles McGraw), is assigned to protect a mob boss' wife, Mrs. Frankie Neal (Marie Windsor). When Brown and his partner pick up Mrs. Neal, Brown's partner is killed by waiting gangsters before Brown manages to get Mrs. Neal onto a train out of town. And so begins the tense relationship between Brown and Mrs. Neal that plays out on in a tight cabin on a claustrophobic train set.
While he's still reeling from the death of his partner, she tactlessly needles him and he increasingly resents her convenient snitching. Meanwhile, he becomes acquainted with two other passengers - Ann Sinclair (Jacqueline White) and her young son Tommy (Gordon Gebert) - and they threaten to become collateral damage when the mobsters believe that Ann is Mrs. Neal. This further escalates the conflict between Brown and Mrs. Neal as he is forced to protect both Mrs. Neal and Ms. Sinclair. "Sister," Brown tells her, "I've known some pretty hard cases in my time; you make 'em all look like putty. You're not talking about a sack of gumdrops that's gonna be smashed - you're talking about a dame's life! You may think it's a funny idea for a woman with a kid to stop a bullet for you, only I'm not laughing!" "Why shouldn't I take advantage of her - I want to live," Mrs. Neal replies, "If you had to step on someone to get something you wanted real bad, would you think twice about it?"
The concept of duty is central to The Narrow Margin, as it essentially shows each character sticking rigidly to their duty despite the consequences they're bound to suffer . The gangsters are single-minded in their attempts to eliminate Mrs. Neal. Brown's partner loses his life in the line of duty. The fake Mrs. Neal calls attention to herself, tests Brown, and ultimately sacrifices herself to fulfill her assignment. Brown, despite gangster bribes and harassment from Mrs. Neal, still protects her as well as the defenseless Sinclairs. "Ann Sinclair" keeps herself alive and her son safe, satisfying her requirements as both an informant and a mother. Each chess piece knows how they must move. There might be a clever en passant or an unsuspected knight maneuver, but no piece escapes the board.
Crew & Cast
Directed by Richard Fleischer (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Soylent Green, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Conan the Destroyer)
Written by Earl Felton (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend)
Cast
Charles McGraw - Sgt. Walter Brown
Marie Windsor - Mrs. Frankie Neal
Jacqueline White - Ann Sinclair
Gordon Gebert - Tommy Sinclair