This compulsively watchable police thriller comes on like gangbusters with a cop (Jason Patric) chasing a perp. Simple stuff. But ballsy director Joe Carnahan — a real find — gives the scene the breathless urgency of something out of The French Connection.

Narc is a no-bull throwback to 1970s action films. It zips along with B-movie verve while adding the rich details and go-for-broke acting that heralds something special. Patric has his best role in years. And Ray Liotta — firing on all cylinders — is surefire Oscar bait as a cop you don't trust. Not if you're smart.

“Alison”

On Elvis Costello’s country-tinged ballad, the lyric does not get too sentimental in recalling an ex who had since been with one of the singer's "little friends" and is now married. Some believe the song is about murder, due to lines like “Sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking,” "Somebody better put out the big light" and, of course, "My aim is true,” which became the title of Costello's debut album. In 2002, Costello told Rolling Stone, “It isn’t [about murder]. It’s about disappointing somebody. It’s a thin line between love and hate, as the Persuaders sang.”