Review of Witness (1985) by Noah C — 18 Jul 2009

People often ask me why I am so obsessed with 70's film culture. My reply: "I grew up in the 80's - A period so devoid of inspirational films, that I could effectively count the great ones on one hand." All of the truly great movies made in the 80's are period pieces I began to notice, because bad haircuts, fashion and music were the order of the day - so why would film be any different.

Witness is a rare exception. A fantastic 80's movie, set in the 80's. After the marvelous Gallipoli and sure handed treatment of The Year of Living Dangerously, Weir directs here with such abundant skill that it makes me wonder why his career has flown so low under the radar since. Although his follow up movie - Mosquito Coast bombed terribly and might have something to do with that. Witness was a financial success however and rightly so. A beautifully subtle story of a tough city cop finding his inner self with the influence of corrupt colleagues and an Amish community who support him in his quest for truth and justice. This may not be the most important or recognisable performance of Harrison Ford's career, but it should be noted as his absolute best - he seems, for a few priceless moments, to find a depth of character and an intensity which is so often missing in the roles he plays.

The movie is cleverly constructed and paced and if it has happened to slip by you for any reason, then I would recommend you see it at the nearest possible convenience. Yes, as with all films made and set in this time, it feels a little dated, but hopefully you will trust me when I say that 80's movies didn't get much better than this.