Review of The Fugitive (1993) by M. Art T — 30 Nov 2009

99% of films can be separated into two categories, more enjoyable for The popcorn/big budget/Hollywood crowd, or more enjoyable for the indie/character/cool dialogue/plot-also-welcomed crowd (just not too much). I easily identify which movie I am watching, change the settings of my brain, and enjoy the film. I did, after all, spend my own money to watch it. That being said exactly 1% of all movies ever made (me being a genius this number is approximate), are enjoyable for all. The Fugitive falls into the 1%. The guys I knew in film school liked it, passing it off as a guilty pleasure, but no doubt shelling out the money to purchase it, and my grandma just loved it to death.

A great thing about the film is it does not require you to have watched the show from decades ago to learn what's going on. A man is falsely imprisoned for the murder of his wife, escapes on the bus ride with inmates to the prison facility, and then sets to prove his innocence.

From the perspective of the Hollywood Man, the man known as the General Audience, who is supposedly 'dumber' than your classy movie goer, the man who swallows the contrived plot points and weak character motivations more readily than the realist, the Guy Who Never Sees it Coming...will not see it coming in The Fugitive, mainly because he's so wrapped up in the action and suspense. Job well done by the director.

From the perspective of the Indie Man, the man known as the film snob, who is supposedly 'smarter' than your blue collar movie goer, the man who scoffs at lazy writing and cliche Everythings, all the way down to WELL, WELL, WELL, the Guy Who Always Sees it Coming...you will also get wrapped up in the story.

The Fugitive fuses the two audiences by taking 1) a great ironic concept, the falsely accused man escaping not to run away, but to stick around and prove his innocence and mixing it with 2) Dynamic, yet very real characters. Tommy Lee Jones even won an Oscar I do believe.

Indie Person is put off by Hollywood movies because they are contrived, formulaic, unoriginal, out to steal their money. What they like are stories they identifies with, not with "characters," but real people, and The Fugitive delivers that. The 'contrivedness' ain't too contrived. The movie is set in a reality, and yet there is action and suspense. This is how the movie wins over audiences everywhere. If you don't like this movie then you don't really enjoy movies. I love indies, Criterion, Hollywood Done Right, and I hate to pieces cliche, confusing narrative, poor acting, and plenty more. Bad is bad, good is good, awful is awful, and great is great. We all call it like we see it. I see The Fugitive as great.