The Fugitive
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Movie Reviews of The Fugitive
Movie Review: Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones deliver towering performances in this gripping thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones deliver towering performances in this gripping thriller.
PLOT SYNOPSIS
Dr. Kimble (Harrison Ford) arrived home one night to find his wife Helen on the verge of death after being brutally attacked by a one armed maniac. Before she died, she was able to make a desperate call to 9-11, so the police arrive shortly after the incident, just in time to find Helen dead. The police notice that Kimble is all scratched up, as though he had just been in a fight or had just murdered his wife himself. Despite Kimble's description of the true culprit, the police arrest him and charge him of his wife's murder. The trial goes badly and Kimble is sentenced to death by execution.
On a prison bus, on his way to the facility that housed the chamber that would eventually kill him, some other convicts attempt to pull off an escape. There is a violent uprising inside of the bus and the lumbering vehicle tumbles down a hill and stops on a railroad track. The oncoming train collides with the bus and creates one of the most spectacular train wreck scenes to ever appear on film. By chance, Kimble, and another convict, make it out of the crash alive and set out on foot to escape the law enforcement personnel who are sure to appear once they learn about the disaster.
Unfortunately for Kimble, the federal marshal who is put in charge of the operation is none other than Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), who is completely determined, quick-thinking, and efficient. He is unbendingly bound to his duty and will stop at nothing to catch his man. This is revealed in the famous tunnel scene, when Kimble points a gun at him and says "I did not kill my wife," Gerard retort is the cold "I don't care."
Since Kimble has already been convicted and sentenced to death, his chances of resurrecting any kind of life are exceedingly grim. He can either hide out for the rest of his life, or try to lead law enforcement to the real culprit. In order to accomplish the second option, Kimble would have to investigate himself, and somehow, based on the scant evidence at his disposal, somehow find the criminal. But can he do it before the brilliant Gerard closes in on him?
ACTING
Tommy Lee Jones' performance is one of those performances that won, and actually did deserve to win the Oscar. Every second of Jones' performance is absolutely convincing. It is rare that an individual's character can be developed so fully in a two hour film. He is more than the stereotypical, "success at all costs" law enforcement office. From his persuasive scowls when he hears of Kimble's successes, to the tone of his voice when he barks orders and makes observations, his performance alone is enough to watch this movie several times.
Harrison Ford logs in another solid performance. Over the course of the last 30 years, Ford has been one of the most consistent actors of all time. The Fugitive is actually one of his better roles. He plays the part of Richard Kimble to near perfection.
It is not uncommon to see two huge stars on one film at the same time, but it is uncommon that they perfectly fit the characters that they are asked to portray, and it is nothing short of a rarity that they interact in such a memorable fashion as they did in the fugitive.
The more minor actors are nothing special, but they are not bad either. Jerome Krabbe played a respectable Dr. Charles Nichols,, with his hair parted neatly to the side and his somewhat nerdy smile, he represented what most Americans picture when they imagine a highly educated doctor. Joe Pantoliano played Cosmo, Gerard's assistant. We get a lot of sarcasm in a high pitched voice, and that is what Pantoliano is known for. It added some extra entertainment and made the mechanical law enforcement machine slightly more human-like.
SO DOES IT THRILL?
How does the fugitive stack up against other thrillers? Most thrillers, even some successful ones, have a small amount of tension causing elements. The movie-makers work with a somewhat limited script, and get as much thrill as they can on two or three suspense-provoking fundamentals. Sometimes these movies do an excellent job at thrilling us, and leave us satisfied. The producers, directors, and actors of the fugitive did not need to stretch out every possible element for cheap thrills, the script, which took years and million dollars in development, thrills the audience on multiple levels. Even mediocre actors would have turned this script into a nail-biting experience, the super performances by Jones and Ford only make it even better.
This one is definitely a classic in its genre. If you still haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out.
Movie Review: A Harrison Ford Best, Tommy Lee Jones Master piece
Summary: 5 Stars
The Fugitive is one of the best movies of this decade. The best works by Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. One can watch the fugitive time and time again and enjoy the suspense, logic, and entertainment of this film. Jones is the hard hitting US marshal Deputy Gerad, who when Kimball says, "I did not kill my wife" responses back, "I don't care". Gerad is a non-negotiating US Marshall and in a standoff with Newman held hostage, shoots the villain, instead of negotiating release. Gerad tells Newman, "I don't negotiate". Harrison Ford plays "never give up", Dr Kimble. Cosmos says of Kimball during the fight scene on the top of the roof, says, "does this guy ever give up?" Gerad tells Kimball, at the end of the movie, "I glad this is over. I'm tried." And Kimball says, "I thought you didn't care" for which Gerad, says, "I don't but don't tell anyone".
Kimble has been framed by Charles Nicholes for the death of Kimble wife. Kimble claimed a one armed man killed his wife and he fought with this man. However, a jury listened too Helen 911 call where she identified the killer as Kimble, saying "Richard is trying to kill me". Kimball uses the knowledge of prosthetics too get a computer print out of five individuals, who have received prosthetics at Cook County Hospital under the disguise of a janitor.
The jury found Kimble guilty of murder and he was sentenced too death by lethal injection. Kimble manages to survive an escape attempt, the resulting bus crash - leaving Kimble with a laceration in his side, and collision with a train - Kimble evading the train plowing overhead.
Kimble defies the odds and becomes the Rocky underdog trumpeting over adversity: escaping a man hunt, 1 in a million leap off the edge of a dam ("He did a Peter Pan right here off this point"), being shot at by Gerad behind bullet proof glass, being shot at by Chicago PD in a fight on the roof with Nicholes, and falling onto the top of an elevator. The plot to murder Helen was framed because Kimble had discovered that Provaics RUD90 liver drug was damaging, Nicholes was ordering Lance too switch the samples which Bones stored, this provided a false report that RUD90 was safe; Devlin McGregor and his 7 billion pharmaceutical company funded and planned marketing the miracle drug. Gerad calls McGregor a monster.
Sykes is a dirt cop. Sykes was getting paid by McGregor. McGregor could have been the master mind behind the framing of Kimball in a murder for gain scheme. Sykes received money too be the McGregor's muscle and received orders from Nicholes through Lance. Lance was originally working directly with Sykes and pictures together in Calcun Mexico were discovered by Kimble. McGregor seems too need the RUD90 for profit reasons. McGregor felt Kimball was on too their plot and FDA approval was pending, so McGregor decided to kill Kimball.
Kimble thinks Nicholes is his friend; Kimble contacts Nicholes and asks for money. Nicholes has Lance murdered and approved the Liver sample switch on the day of Lances murder. Kimble was not aware that his tissue studies of the RUD90 were between switched until he talked with Kathyrn. Kathyrn explained to Kimble that all the samples were healthy and from the same liver. Kimble realized Nicholes was behind Lances death but did not understand why Nicholes had Helen killed. This seems too be a disconnection in the logic to eliminate Kimball because Kimball was not aware of the tissue switch. However, Kimball has a vascular surgeon was verbally critical of RUD90 during surgery noticing that the wonder drug was liquefying the liver. It seems illogical that Nicholes would have framed Kimball to cover up the affects of RUD90, since, if the drug was widely accepted additional doctors would start to notice the depilating affects of RUD90.
Gerad asks Nicholes, who is smarter, Kimble of Nicholes, and Nicholes tells Gerad, Kimble is smarter. Nicholes then tells Gerad, "Kimble is far to smart for them to capture". Cosmos says, "Last time we check, we are pretty smart." Kimble is a hero: 1. He saved the black prison police officer 2. The boy suffering from trauma to his chest needing emergency surgery which Kimble diagnosed 3. He didn't shoot Deputy Gerad in the water tunnel 4. Kimball knocks out Nicholes with a steele pipe prevent Nicholes from shoot Gerad. In the end Gerad releases Kimball is innocent.
Movie Review: Let the Chase Begin...
Summary: 5 Stars
Movies based on television shows are frustrating for the creative team behind the adaptation and often prove to be somewhat hit and miss. The reason is because in a TV show the writer/director gets to spread his/her story over the course of multiple episodes or even an entire season. In a movie you only get an average of 2 hours to get your story out, which can cause problems when adapting a television series, whether it be a long-running or short lived show, for theaters because you just don't have the luxury of time. There have been some successful adaptations, "Starsky & Hutch", `Star Trek', `Mission: Impossible', and even `Charlie's Angels' (though I didn't care for either incarnation of the franchise), along with the success there have been those that failed "The Avengers" was lackluster, and "The Dukes of Hazzard" was the most recent, and possibly the worst adaptation I have seen in a long while. In 1993, Warner Brothers felt the calling to try their collective hand at an adaptation, and their choice was the hit TV series "The Fugitive". To assist in the success of their endeavor the WB enlisted top-notch, veteran acting talents Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, and hired director Andrew Davis hot off his highly successful submarine action film, "Under Siege".
"The Fugitive" tells the story of Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), who after a charity event arrives home to find an intruder in his house and his wife murdered. After fighting off the intruder, Kimble alerts the police, and upon their arrival Kimble is surprised by the fact that he is arrested for the murder of his own wife. After being found guilty at his trial and sentenced to prison, the prison bus Kimble is being transported by crashes in front of an oncoming train. After being freed by a correctional officer to assist with the other prisoners, Dr. Kimble flees in hopes of tracking down the one-armed murderer and proving his innocence. However, hot on Richard's trail is a relentless U.S. Marshal, Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), and his team of deputies, who will stop at nothing until their man is caught. Let the chase begin!
Clearly the executives at Warner Brothers made an excellent decision to make this adaptation, and managed to find the perfect cast, writer, and director to pull it off. The cast, led by Harrison Ford (an actor that delivers a terrific performance every time) and Tommy Lee Jones (who was great in this role and was rewarded with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), all give excellent performances, fleshing out each individual character and making the movie believable and real to the audience. The story by David Twohy ("Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick") is full of twists and turns, with riveting drama and action along with bits of comedy sprinkled about to lighten things up just a bit. The direction of Andrew Davis, though not flashy by any means, delivers a very tight, well-paced manhunt movie that keeps the audience fully engrossed from start to finish, even though they already have a pretty good guess what the outcome will be, based on the source material.
As I stated earlier some adaptations of TV shows to movies work out well and some don't, and the reasons generally stem from what I pointed out in the beginning of this review, but sometimes the results may vary depending on how committed to the project the cast/crew and the studio are. It's nice to see that for "The Fugitive" all parties involved in the making of this picture gave their best, and the fruits of the labor paid off big time, making this movie one of the best TV series adaptations to ever be made.
"The Fugitive" is rated PG-13 for violence and language.
Movie Review: One of the best films ever made!
Summary: 5 Stars
Loosely based on the 1954 murder case of Sam Sheppard - whose son fights to clear his father's name to this day - 1960s television created an added dose of drama by allowing The Fugitive (the late David Janssen) to escape from prison, and hunt down the man who murdered his wife in cold blood.Perhaps never in the history of TV was a plotline so ripe for the treatment (and budget) afforded by the big screen - and, perhaps, never has it been done so well.
Harrison Ford plays Doctor Richard Kimble, a Chicago-area vascular surgeon ("What the hell is that?" asks one of his pursuers. "Someone who makes a lot more money than you," answers another in the easy, natural humor of two people who've worked together for years) who seems, at first, too good to be true. A philanthropist respected by the community, loved by his colleagues and adored by his wife, you can't help but wonder if there's trouble in paradise, despite the shadowy presence of Helen Kimble's (Sela Ward, bringing remarkable life to a dead woman, thanks to flashbacks) killer.
Chicago's finest quickly come to the same conclusion, and a damning 911 phone call by the dying victim seals Kimble's fate - a death sentence!
Fate, however, has other ideas. One of four survivors of the most spectacular - and controversial - train wreck ever captured on film, Kimble sets off to blend in to the Windy City's skyline long enough to find the man who took Helen from him. He has plenty of clues to start him on the trail; his biggest enemy not so much his pursuers as time itself.
Deputy United States Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), meantime, is as dogged as his prey; so determined to capture "my man" that, when confronted by the fugitive Kimble and his professed innocence, snaps back, "I don't care!"
Though Gerard isn't "out to solve a puzzle here," Kimble is, and with equal persistence. The plot that led to the death of his wife is revealed in tense, dramatic fashion to the audience as Kimble himself learns it - and learns who has betrayed him.
What remains, of course, is whether his time has run out.
Ford's Kimble is what many people would consider an oxymoron: A truly benevolent, honest doctor. Best known as the almost-reckless Indiana Jones, Ford plays Kimble as a highly intelligent man who uses his wits and a level head to keep one step in front of not one, but two groups of adversaries.
Hot on Kimble's heels, Jones' Gerard does Ford one better by creating a lawman walking the thin line between pursuit and obsession. "Never argue with the big dog," Gerard admonishes his team, when Kimble shows up "not dead yet" - proof, yet again, that "the big dog is always right."
Hunter and prey, cat and mouse, Jones and Ford present real people trapped in a deadly game. The viewer quickly bonds with Kimble and roots for his success, while not quite able to root against Gerard. "It's alright if you catch him," we seem to be saying, "just, not yet!"
A supporting cast including Joe Pantoliano, Jeroen Krabbe and Julianne Moore (in a small, but pivotal role) is equally up to the task; never did anyone's performance feel like they were acting, and the rich range of emotions coupled with crisp pacing, a riveting storyline and a properly brassy soundtrack adds up to one of the finest films ever made.
Virtually every person on Earth has seen The Fugitive; buy the DVD, and you'll never forget why.
Movie Review: AN ACTION SUSPENSE THRILLER WITH A PLOT
Summary: 5 Stars
'THE FUGITIVE' REMINDS ME OF 'NORTH BY NORTHWEST' - THE 'WRONG MAN' THEME GREATLY ACCELERATED
'North by Northwest' featured Cary Grant who had been a huge star, especially at the box-office, a lot like Harrison Ford, the star of "The Fugitive." Instead of the bi-plane that flies into and causes the gas tanker to explode with Cary Grant racing from the scene, we've got the mother of all train wrecks which Harrison Ford literally leaps from a nanosecond prior to impact!
THERE IS A LOT MORE TO 'THE FUGITIVE' THAN JUST CHASE SCENES
Richard Kimble did not kill his wife. We knew that when we entered the theatre because we had all heard of the TV series by that name and some of us even saw the hourly mystery program when it ran in the 1960s. We knew about the one-armed man, the conviction of Dr. Kimble, and his quest to prove that a one-armed man had committed the horrific deed.
'THE FUGITIVE' DELIVERS SURPRISES + SUSPENSE & RESOLUTION TOO
Somehow this seemingly very tired theme came alive and grabbed my attention very early. Although I found the opening sequence a bit lurid and disturbing, it was captivating nevertheless. With an obvious sense of pacing, the trial of Dr. Richard Kimble was as rapid [on-screen] as a disclosure of the basic facts of Mrs. Kimble's murder allowed.
From Kimble's conviction, we are jettisoned to the biggest and most visceral TRAIN WRECK sequence I have ever seen on film. More importantly, it established sympathy for Kimble as he not only barely escaped death, but he saved one of the guards in the process. This incredible action sequence led directly to the introduction of Tommy Lee Jones as Deputy Marshall Sam Gerard and the unbelievable chase scenes that followed.
The action sequences and suspense are so genuine that even the mundane scenes, like when Kimble was going through the one-armed man's private papers, were intense. No matter how many times I watch this film, I am amazed by how enthralled I am with the action and characters, despite knowing the complete storyline. I dare say that even the Master of Suspense himself couldn't have done better!
----- THE ACTORS -
Harrison Ford - Dr. Richard Kimble
Tommy Lee Jones - Deputy US Marshal Samuel Gerard
Sela Ward - Helen Kimble
Joe Pantoliano - Cosmo Renfro
Jeroen Krabbe - Dr. Charles Nichols
Julianne Moore - Dr. Anne Eastman
Andreas Katsulas - Sykes "One Armed Man"
ABOUT THE DVD: SPECIAL EDITION - WIDESCREEN - DIGITAL TRANSFER
Digital transfer in Widescreen. So much better than the original Video from 1993 and the original DVD from 1997!
DVD Features:
I must really like this film, because I zipped through every one of the excellent special features and really found myself wanting for more.
Commentary by: Director Andrew Davis & Tommy Lee Jones
New Digital Transfer
New Introduction by the Film's Stars & Director
Two Featurettes:
----- Derailed: Anatomy of a Train Wreck
----- On the Run
----- Awards List + Bios for the major actors
IN THE END --
A very compelling film to watch and watch and watch. The DVD is much clearer in both the audio and video than the VHS release.