By Michael Lyons
“Thrillers are a much-debased genre these days, depending on special effects and formula for much of their content. “The Fugitive” has the standards of an earlier, more classic time, when acting, character and dialogue were meant to stand on their own, and where characters continued to change and develop right up until the last frame. Here is one of the year’s best films.”
-Film critic Roger Ebert, August 1993
Mr. Ebert’s thoughtful words reflected the response of both critics and audiences twenty-five years ago when “The Fugitive” debuted in theaters. In the ‘90’s when the fad of bringing every classic TV show to the big screen encompassed everyone from Jed Clampett to Fred Flintstone, here was a small-screen adaptation that was striving for something unique and not just leaning on the fandom and built in audience that would come with it.
Based on the TV series of the same name that ran on ABC from 1963-1967 (and became most famous for its series finale), the film “The Fugitive” tells the taught story of Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) who is wrongly accused of his wife’s murder and, after escaping from prison, spends his days not just on the run from Deputy Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and a team of US Marshalls, but also trying to track down his wife’s real killer.
Directed by action-movie-maestro Andrew Davis, “The Fugitive” is like a coiled spring that snaps into action so quickly that the murder of Dr. Kimble’s wife, the Dr.’s arrest, trial and incarceration all unfurl during the film’s opening credits.
Then, there is Kimble’s escape, in a scene in which a bus full of convicts, including him, collides with a train. Undoubtedly one of the best action sequences placed on screen, even after multiple viewings, the audience is exhausted when its over.
From there, the hunt is on, in a cat-and-mouse story, in which audiences find themselves rooting for parties on both sides. As the cynical, tireless Deputy Gerard, Tommy Lee Jones is at the top of his game, with a career pinnacle performance that rightly brought him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The character is a combination of surliness and sympathy that’s truly unlike anything seen before and we get to watch Gerard’s perspective shift and change throughout the film.
In the lead, as Dr. Richard Kimble, Harrison Ford’s performance still ranks as one of Oscar’s notorious snubs. Ford brings brings a vulnerability and emotion to the role (particularly in his early, interrogation scenes) that reveal just what a wonderful actor he is.
With strong supporting performances from character actors like Joe Pantoliano, Jereon Krabbe and Sela Ward, coupled with a perfectly executed script by David Twohy and Jeb Stuart, “The Fugitive” has that rare re-watchability factor that makes it no surprise that fans still talk about the film twenty five years after its debut on August 6, 1993.
If the anniversary isn’t enough to entice one to re-visit “The Fugitive,” consider it as the perfect movie for this time of year, as it takes place on and around St. Patrick’s Day. An extended sequence in the film occurs during Chicago’s famed St. Patrick’s Day Parade (complete with the river dyed green), where deputy Gerard pursues Kimble through the festivities.
One could almost say that accusing Dr. Kimble of murder is a wee bit o’ Blarney!
Sources:
RogerEbert.com
Wikipedia
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