Narc
An undercover narc dies, the investigation stalls, so the Detroit P.D. brings back Nick Tellis, fired 18-months ago when a stray bullet hits a pregnant woman. Tellis teams with Henry Oak, a friend of the dead narc and an aggressive cop constantly under the scrutiny of internal affairs. They follow leads, informants turn up dead, Nick's wife is unhappy he's back on the street, Henry's protective of the dead cop's wife. Nick reads and re-reads the case file, broods, watches Oak's heavy-handed style, sometimes joining in. The brass want to close out the case, Nick and Henry stay on it, and bits of evidence point them to an auto body shop. What actually happened; will Nick ever know?
Working with a limited budget of $6.5M, the film achieved a modest success with $12.6M in global revenue (+94% profit margin).
1 win & 9 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Narc (2002) demonstrates deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Joe Carnahan's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 45 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Nick Tellis chases a suspect through Detroit streets in a brutal foot pursuit that ends with him shooting a pregnant woman with a stray bullet. He's suspended, broken, living in guilt-ridden exile from the force.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Captain Cheevers offers Tellis a deal: solve the Calvess murder and he can have his badge back with a desk job. It's the only path to redemption, but it means diving back into the darkness he tried to escape.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Tellis accepts the assignment and meets his new partner: Henry Oak, Calvess's former partner, a volatile and obsessive detective who has been hunting the killers for 18 months. Tellis enters Oak's dark world., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat They identify the primary suspects: Dowd and his crew. Evidence suggests Calvess was executed during a drug deal gone wrong. But Tellis begins noticing inconsistencies in Oak's account and the physical evidence., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 79 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, During a confrontation with suspects, Oak's rage explodes. Tellis realizes Oak has been lying about the case. The investigation they've built may be corrupted. Everything Tellis believed about the case crumbles., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Tellis chooses truth over loyalty. He forces Oak to confront what really happened to Calvess, synthesizing all the evidence contradictions into a terrible realization about that day., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Narc's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Narc against these established plot points, we can identify how Joe Carnahan utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Narc within the crime genre.
Joe Carnahan's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Joe Carnahan films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Narc takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Joe Carnahan filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Rustom and The Whole Ten Yards. For more Joe Carnahan analyses, see Smokin' Aces, Copshop and The A-Team.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Nick Tellis chases a suspect through Detroit streets in a brutal foot pursuit that ends with him shooting a pregnant woman with a stray bullet. He's suspended, broken, living in guilt-ridden exile from the force.
Theme
Internal Affairs officer tells Tellis: "The question is, can you live with what you did?" This establishes the film's central theme about moral compromise and the cost of justice.
Worldbuilding
We see Tellis's damaged life at home with his wife and child. He's desperate to work again but his wife wants him out of police work. The department needs him for a cold case: murdered undercover officer Michael Calvess.
Disruption
Captain Cheevers offers Tellis a deal: solve the Calvess murder and he can have his badge back with a desk job. It's the only path to redemption, but it means diving back into the darkness he tried to escape.
Resistance
Tellis reluctantly reviews the case files and crime scene evidence. His wife opposes his return to active duty. He debates whether he can handle going back undercover, knowing the psychological toll.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Tellis accepts the assignment and meets his new partner: Henry Oak, Calvess's former partner, a volatile and obsessive detective who has been hunting the killers for 18 months. Tellis enters Oak's dark world.
Mirror World
Oak takes Tellis to meet Calvess's widow Kathryn and their children. Oak's devotion to the fallen officer and his family reveals his obsessive nature. This relationship embodies the theme of loyalty versus truth.
Premise
Tellis and Oak investigate together, tracking leads through Detroit's drug underworld. They interrogate suspects violently, raid locations, and follow the trail of Calvess's final days. Oak's brutal methods disturb Tellis, but they're effective.
Midpoint
They identify the primary suspects: Dowd and his crew. Evidence suggests Calvess was executed during a drug deal gone wrong. But Tellis begins noticing inconsistencies in Oak's account and the physical evidence.
Opposition
The investigation intensifies as Oak becomes more violent and unstable. Tellis discovers Oak may have planted evidence. Internal Affairs warns Tellis that Oak is obsessed. The line between justice and vengeance blurs.
Collapse
During a confrontation with suspects, Oak's rage explodes. Tellis realizes Oak has been lying about the case. The investigation they've built may be corrupted. Everything Tellis believed about the case crumbles.
Crisis
Tellis confronts the darkness within himself and Oak. He must decide: continue down Oak's path of violent justice, or seek the truth regardless of consequences. His own guilt over the pregnant woman haunts him.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Tellis chooses truth over loyalty. He forces Oak to confront what really happened to Calvess, synthesizing all the evidence contradictions into a terrible realization about that day.
Synthesis
The final confrontation reveals the truth: Oak accidentally killed Calvess in a rage while trying to save him. Oak has been covering it up, hunting innocent men. Tellis must decide whether to expose his partner or protect the myth.
Transformation
Tellis walks away from the scene, choosing to let Oak's version stand. He's learned that truth and justice aren't always aligned, and sometimes the cost of truth is too high. He's complicit now, transformed by moral compromise.