SNMR 1.19: "Witness"

The first of this weekend's double SNMR feature is "Witness" (1985, R, 112 minutes), starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Josef Sommer, Lukas Haas, Danny Glover, Alexander Godunov, Jan Rubes and Brent Jennings. The film was directed by Peter Weir. I'm watching the 20th Anniversary Special Collector's Edition.

I don't recall when I first saw this movie. I don't think that I saw it in the theater, so it was probably after it came out on VHS. This film was nominated for eight Academy Awards but only won two, for best editing and best writing, written directly for the screen. Believe it or not this was the only film in which Harrison Ford was nominated for Best Actor. He didn't win, of course - losing out to William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman).

From the DVD's dust jacket:

When a young Amish woman and her son are caught up in the murder of an undercover narcotics agent, their savior turns out to be hardened Philadelphia detective John Book.

Harrison Ford is sensational as Book, the cop who runs head-on into the non-violent world of a Pennsylvania Amish community. The end result is an action-packed struggle of life and death, interwoven with a sensitive undercurrent of caring, forbidden love.

From Martin & Porter's Video & DVD Guide 2006, p. 1274:

This is three terrific movies in one: an exciting cop thriller, a touching romance, and a fascinating screen study of a modern-day clash of cultures. Harrison Ford is superb as a detective who must protect an 8 year-old Amish boy, the only witness to a drug-related murder.

I love the scene where the first bad guy dies- being buried alive in a silo full of corn. What a horrible way to die... This film features the first big screen appearance of Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings) in a few brief, cameo appearances.

This is an absolutely compelling movie and one of Harrison Ford's best performances in a career filled with them. I love the contrast between the "English" lifestyle and that of the Amish, which I think is overall a very accurate portrayal of that society. The cast is excellent, but I've always wondered aside from the main cast, how many are actually Amish and what procedures the producers had to go through to get consent to film amongst the Amish. Obviously the script is excellent, having won an Oscar for writing. I highly recommend this film to you, so I'll give it five out of five stars, even though I wish the love story had ended differently.