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"Narc" is the little cop movie that could Some material may be inappropriate for young children Three and a half stars out of four Taken on its own terms, it's nearly perfect If anything, Liotta has grown more menacing with age; his once piercing blue eyes are duller, more sinister With leads in the case drying up, desperate police officials turn to Nick, baiting him with the cushy job of his choice if he consults on the murder investigation He understands both the damage bullets can do to bodies and the toll police work takes on family life "Narc," a Paramount Pictures release, is rated R for strong, brutal violence, drug content and pervasive language It's a genre film, and a harrowing one, made with the confidence of a born filmmaker With the paunch he packed on for this film and thick goatee, he's beefy and frightening At the Movies: 'Narc' Dec 20, 9:51 AM EST Amid the spectacle and sentimentality that overwhelm the multiplexes every holiday season, the gaudy prestige pictures meant to win over audiences and Oscar voters alike, "Narc" arrives like a piece of cold steel smacked against your unsuspecting temple Here, the specter of past drug use haunts Tellis, and his wife, adding another layer of danger to his return to active duty (When we meet him, he's pummeling a handcuffed suspect with a billiard ball inside a sock While arguing persuasively that investigating a comrade's death brings out the worst in police officers, Carnahan remains sympathetic to law enforcement "Narc" is small, smart and ââ‚¬â€? well, it's still loud PG ââ‚¬â€? Parental guidance suggested R ââ‚¬â€? Restricted The aesthetic: big, dumb and loud All ages admitted Eighteen months later, the furor over Nick's actions has been replaced by another outrage: the unsolved slaying of another undercover narc Taste the blood The question is whether to believe him The pressure grows for Tellis as he blasphemously suggests that the dead cop may not have been a saint or a martyr Patric has been down this road before too, in "Rush," as a narc who succumbs to addiction Since Liotta's breakthrough role in "Something Wild," he has made a living playing psychos, villains and ordinary men driven to violent extremes Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian Despite Liotta's looming presence, this is Patric's movie, and he carries it with wisdom, confidence and intensity By the final act, the movie feels as if it's directing itself As the case inches forward, Carnahan creates a mood of gloomy foreboding, with a few stylistic nods to Steven Soderbergh ââ‚¬â€? the stark, blue-tinged cinematography that also gave Detroit a steely chill in "Out of Sight," and a tremulous, nearly tuneless score from Soderbergh's regular composer, Cliff Martinez Set in Detroit, the movie opens with undercover narcotics officer Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) chasing down a suspected dealer But among the steely of constitution ââ‚¬â€? those who don't mind violence and bleakness as long as they serve a story worth telling ââ‚¬â€? this one's going to be talked about NC-17 ââ‚¬â€? No one under 17 admitted The young director has done his homework; he trades brilliantly on the cinematic past of his stars ââ‚¬â€?ââ‚¬â€?ââ‚¬â€? Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions: G ââ‚¬â€? General audiences The audience has a history with him; we love watching him tick, knowing he'll explode eventually Henry Oak (Ray Liotta), the slain officer's former partner, who has been pulled off the case because of his volatility In turning for his inspiration to cop movies of the '70s, such as "The French Connection" and "Serpico," 32-year-old writer-director Joe Carnahan turns the recent formula on its ear You feel Carnahan's passion for the material in the brutal momentum of his storytelling Some material may not be suitable for children Carnahan gets his arty flourishes out of the way early, knowing that once the investigation picks up steam, the best thing he can do is stay out of the way Carnahan shows us Liotta's explosiveness right away, then applies it to a dedicated, grief-stricken cop who says all he's after is justice ) In the conflict between Tellis and Oak, "Narc" dramatizes the difficulty of getting to the truth when the circumstances surrounding a policeman's death are in doubt If you can't stomach it, "Narc" is not for you Nick quickly realizes that if he's going to get anywhere, he'll have to work with Lt PG-13 ââ‚¬â€? Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13 Running time: 107 minutes It defies the formula that's governed cop movies for the last 20 years or so: Two partners, one straight man and one live wire, trading barbs and jibes, breaking the rules, exasperating their superiors and hauling in the bad guys in spectacular fashion Feel the sting Nick, who's been using drugs to maintain his cover, shoots a pregnant woman, who subsequently loses her baby