Review of The Fugitive (1993) by Trergfirestorm — 28 Jun 2023

In my opinion, The Fugitive is one of the coolest and most spectacular detective thrillers of the 90s, combining a great production, a chic cast and a great story that takes the viewer on a more than two-hour film journey.

Successful surgeon Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) loses everything in an instant after he is accused of killing his wife. In an effort to prove his innocence, Kimble escapes from the prison bus and begins his own investigation. The only thing is that he is being followed by a group of federal marshals, led by Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), who is experienced in searching for criminals, who can even find a needle in a haystack.

Director Andrew Davis, for whom The Fugitive was a terrific success (neither earlier nor later works were so successful), managed to put on a film amazing in its tension, presenting, albeit as old as the world, a story about an undeservedly accused and trying to clear his name man , in bright colors.

Tommy Lee Jones played absolutely amazing, perfectly performing the image of a federal marshal, for whom the main thing is a sober mind and cold calculation, and emotions are relegated far into the background. This is clearly demonstrated by Jones' "I don't care" after Ford's character told him he didn't kill his wife. Even with a trapped man in front of him, practically confessing to him, Sam Gerard does his duty first and foremost. And it is possible to figure out who the killer is after the arrest. Tommy Lee Jones rightfully deserved an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and his hero, Sam Gerard, turned out to be a memorable, charismatic, tenacious and cold person. But damn smart and insightful. In general, if we talk about Tommy Lee, he always succeeds in the role of law enforcement officers. Probably the whole point is in the appearance of the actor, which is conducive to itself and causes a certain feeling of calmness, if there is such a person next to you.

In addition to one statuette, "The Fugitive" received a bunch of nominations, among which was the best film (but then "Schindler's List" was awarded this title). The film actually turned out to be chic in the performance of their immediate duties and the acting troupe and the film crew. Great merit in the quality of the film belongs to the cameraman Michael Chapman, who worked repeatedly with Martin Scorsese before The Fugitive. This camera shop mastodon put his eye to the lens, filming such works as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, American Boy (all Scorsese), Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys and Roger Spottiswoode's Fire to Kill.

"The Fugitive" is a classic plot of a story about the police chasing a bad guy, from the very beginning of which the viewer empathizes with the protagonist, who turned out to be a hostage of circumstances. Throughout the film, the viewer will have to deal with this crime together with Ford's hero, trying to understand the truth of the killer's motives. Due to this, the film is watched in one breath and even despite the duration of 130 minutes, it does not cause a feeling of boredom, because the investigation process (set and executed great) keeps you in suspense and does not lose interest.

However, watch for you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.

Enjoy watching.