I did the subtitles for this picture's Dutch DVD release. My expectations beforehand were not great, but i was quickly drawn in by a gripping opening scene and remained more or less captivated for the duration of the movie. A mood of small town discontentment and inevitable disaster is competently evoked and abides throughout, leading up to a somewhat predictable yet satisfactory conclusion. "The clean and narrow" is not without its fair share of clichés, primarily when referring to some archetypal characters that seem to surface time and again in low budget features of this kind. Its storyline offers little in the way of twists and turns to take its viewers by surprise. Having said that, i generally tend to assess the merits of a motion picture by asking myself whether i can relate to its protagonists while i'm watching, and whether i care to see what happens next. On this occasion i most definitely did. In a psychological sense, the movie's predominant theme of man's desire to break free from his restraints, and his inability to do so (inspiring him to resort to desperate acts), is only marginally explored. In this case these restraints translate into a checkered past that catches up with our leading man, as well as a dead-end
town from which there is no escape. There is some serious chemistry between Jack Noseworthy (Buddy) and Laura Leighton (Marie), who can boast an excellent performance. Both their relationship and the one between Buddy and Marie's retarded brother Ferguson are credibly and at times even movingly portrayed. Rather than the aforementioned subject matter, or the subplot of Chief Brand and his wife (convincingly played by Wings Hauser and Sondra Locke) having to come to terms with the death of their son, it's these scenes that infuse this movie with whatever degree of emotional depth it's got. Barring none as far as i recall, the other cast members do a fine job as well. Notwithstanding its minor limitations, i'd say "The clean and narrow" is a commendable effort and 90 minutes well spent.
