Review of Witness (1985) by Abdullah A — 07 Aug 2009

For those who haven't seen this: see it. One of Ford's best performances with a superb script, excellent direction from (the always interesting and challenging) Peter Weir and some fine supporting performances.

For those who have seen this: The ending. What is with that? The whole culture clash aspect of the story led me to believe that Ford and McGillis would end up together in the end, although I wasn't sure if he would choose to stay with her or she would leave with him. I have to say, I think the ending is great, in that it doesn't give us the simple happy ending we expect, and even though it's unsatisfying in a way, it couldn't have been done better. It's as if Wallace and Kelly wrote themselves into a corner with the whole romance and realized the only way to end it was to end it. I also loved how it didn't force either Ford or McGillis' characters to choose between either their religion or previous life and romance. There is so much here about tradition, religion and choice that I could watch it a few more times just to further explore those aspects of the film.