The Fugitive (1993)

I love this movie. It should go down in history as one of the best action films of all time.

Wow. I recently picked this up and I must have seen a hundred times. It never gets old. Harrison Ford is outstanding. I think this was his best movie. As to the picture quality it is lacking somewhat, but I kind of like the grainy look it had. They don't make em' like this anymore. What is trully awesome about this movie is the way all the action scenes were shot. All of them out in the Chicago cold, both actors doing their own stunts, real locations, and in some cases real cops (Chicago Police-two detectives), All the movies I have seen in the last five years just lack what this film had. January 2, 2009

A Return

- The Fugitive -

Once in a lifetime, when I was a kid of 10 years, I would find a program on TV that the whole family - 3 generations - could enjoy. Well, Amazon has brought back the joy of reliving the past with The Fugitive (the original with David Janssen). I invited my 90-year-old mom to my room to view it with me. There was Richard Kimball in all his hyper-vigilant glory, ducking into alleys and hiding out in bus terminals, constantly running from "the law," police detective Gerard. I'm told the series is based on the great French nover, Le Miserables, by Victor Hugo. I read it and sure enough, The Fugitive brings out the essence of predator vs prey.
A real return-to-the-past - the good old days! I recommend it for all fans and invite good thriller audiences to take the adventure. It's well worth it!
December 12, 2008

Well paced and characterized

This is a great movie with action, drama and mystery as Richard Kimbal (Ford) escapes from legal custody and must figure out not only who has stolen his life, but why.

The action and direction are very well done here, but the real achievement is the characterization. The people inhabiting this world feel real and identifiable. We understand the reasoning behind their actions, "good" or "bad". If that were not the case (as in the sequel, "U.S. Marshals") we couldn't care what happened.

Ford is perfect. He is appropriately intense and sympathetic.
Jones is excellent. Appropriately acerbic, sarcastic and caring.
Jones' team of marshals is perfect. The characters are distinct and fleshed out. No unnecessary redundancies in characterization.

One satisfying twist on the "chase movie" cliche is that the antagonist, Gerard, is not actually the bad guy. He's after an escaped convict, but he's not the one who murdered Kimball's wife or framed him for the murder. More than anything, he wants justice. Even if it means he may have to change his mind about what that entails.

Great movie. A must have for any complete library. November 20, 2008

The Fugitive

The Fugitive---Harrison Ford-Tommy Lee Jones
Two multi-talented actors in the same movie-Great! One of the best remakes of any film or series I've ever seen. I list this as one of my top 10 movies. The street scenes as well as location scenes are well filmed. The story follows a simple line, without the viewer wondering what is happening! Superb movie, I gave it 4 stars, because I've never seen a 5 star film. October 13, 2008

Silence on the lam

So, Harrison Ford dyes his hair a darker shade of brown, and this is his disguise? The Fugitive is overrated, but it's still a great movie with great moments: like, any time Tommy Lee Jones is on screen. Ford and Jones are both super, and luckily the film concentrates on their relationship. But the plot? Hm, a one-armed man did it, and there's one one-armed man in the film. Huh. Pity the one-armed man isn't the greatest actor out there, either, but at least they don't give him too many lines. Jeroen Crabbe doesn't add anything interesting to his thinly written role. On the plus side, Joe Pantoliano is great, I love the train wreck, the narrow escape from the downtown detention center and the ensuing coverage of the St. Patrick's day parade. The extras are fun to watch and interesting. But the movie missed it's chance for a couple of great lines: "Richard Kimble, what's he look like?" "He looks like Harrison Ford." "No he doesn't, Cosmo..." August 12, 2008

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