Witness (1985)

When Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy traveling with his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis), witnesses the murder of a police officer in a public restroom, he and his mother become the temporary wards of John Book (Harrison Ford), a detective who's been assigned to solve the crime. After suspect lineups and mug-shot books yield nothing, Samuel, in the most memorable scene of the film, recognizes the murderer as a narcotics agent whose picture he sees in the precinct. Once Book realizes that the police chief is in on it, too, he whisks Samuel and Rachel back home to Amish country, where he himself goes into hiding as a plain Amish man. The juxtaposition between the life of the Amish and the violence of inner-city police corruption work surprisingly well for the story, and Kelly McGillis as the falling in love widow gives an almost perfect performance. Directed by Peter Weir, the film is extremely successful in drawing the viewer into its world and, accordingly, is immensely entertaining. The only thing that mars its polish is the one-dimensional, almost cartoonish handling of the upper-echelon police corruption--a subtler, more realistic treatment of this aspect of the story would have rendered the film near perfect. --James McGrath Amazon.com essential video

PETER WEIR'S FIRST AMERICAN FILM

Witness (Special Collector's Edition)(Widescreen)
PETER WEIR'S FIRST AMERICAN FILM IS ALSO HIS FINEST TO DATE. PART THRILLER, PART ROMANCE, PART ANTHROPOLOGICAL ESSAY, IT CONCERNS THE EVENTS THAT FOLLOW A YOUNG BOY'S WATCHFUL PRESENCE OF A MURDER. THE COP INVESTIGATING THE CASE FINDS OUT THAT THE CULPRITS ARE CORRUPT COLLEAGUES, AND HIS OWN LIFE THREATENED. HE RETURNS TO THE HOME OF THE BOY AND HIS MOTHER TO HIDE AWAY. THUS FAR THE THRILLER. ROMANCE TAKES OVER FOR A WHILE AS HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE MOTHER, BUT THE FILM ALSO TURNS INTO A TOUCHING PORTRAIT OF THE ENORMOUS GAP BETWEEN THE COP'S URBAN CULTURAL BACKGROUND AND THAT OF HIS HOSTS, THE AMISH. DESPITE A LACK OF STRUCTURAL UNITY, THE FILM HAS MUCH TO OFFER IN TERMS OF ITS QUIETLY UNDERSTATED PERFORMANCES, ITS LUMINOUS IMAGERY AND ITS DISPASSIONATE VIEWS OF THE TWO WORLDS GEOGRAPHICALLY CLOSE, BUT SPIRITUALLY, WORLDS APART. YET ANOTHER FILM, IN FACT, THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT THE BEST PORTRAITS OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICA, ARE MADE BY NON - AMERICANS. November 16, 2008

Unconvincing

Some movies stand up through many viewings, years apart. For examples, "Gone With the Wind," "Casablanca," and "The Wizard of Oz." "Witness" does not. On the second viewing, after decades, the cracks are too obvious. I just wasn't convinced by the plot. Harrison Ford recovers too quickly from a bullet wound. The love affair didn't feel realistic--a hard nosed, city cop and a very innocent Amish woman. The bad guys find Ford and we don't quite know how. The nude scene was obviously to show off the Amist girl's physical attributes. The list goes on.

The acting is okay; the boy and the femaile lead are actually very good. Ford, the star, is a bit stony and is too easily taken by Kelly McGillis. The barn raising was a cliche for any story involving Amish. The violent finale was predictable. The Lancaster County scenery was nice.

But the fatal flaw, from my standpoint, was that the story line just fell far short of being convincing. After that, the good points can't save this. November 15, 2008

How Bizarre!

20th October 2008. I have been asked to review this excellent DVD - which I ordered on the 9th of September, 2008. I would love to give it a resounding thumbs-up of a write-up but, sadly... I have not received it yet! Come on Amazon, tell your left hand what your right hand is doing! October 20, 2008

fastest delivery

I purchased it as a gift to my friend of 43 years because she has no idea of what Amish is. I watched that movie ten times before. I love Harrison Ford, I love everything about Amish. Delivery couldn't have been better: the package is neat and safe, extremely fast. Thanks. October 8, 2008

Witness

Witness (Special Collector's Edition)(Widescreen)

A DVD to be appreciated and enjoyed as a Collector's item.

Y.A. Howe August 14, 2008

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