SNMR 1.20: "The Fugitive"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "The Fugitive" (1993, PG-13, 130 minutes), starring Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, Jeroen Krabbe and Sela Ward. The film was directed by Andrew Davis.

The first time I saw this film was sometime in 1994, just after it came out on VHS. Since then, I have watched it many times. Tommy Lee Jones won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1994 for his role as Sam Gerard. The film was nominated for six other Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost out to Schindler's List.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones race through this breathless manhunt movie inspired by one classic TV series and which in turn inspired yet another. Ford is prison escapee Dr. Richard Kimble, a Chicago surgeon falsely convicted of killing his wife and determined to prove his innocence by leading his pursuers to the one-armed man who committed the crime. Jones [the 1993 Academy Award, Golden Globe and Los Angeles Film Critics Award winner as Best Supporting Actor] is Sam Gerard, an unrelenting bloodhound of a U.S. Marshal. They are hunted and hunter. And as directed by Andrew Davis [Under Siege], their nonstop chase has one exhilarating speed: all-out.

From Martin & Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2006, p. 423:

In a riveting performance, Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent man accused of murdering his wife. Tracked by the relentless U.S. Marshal Sam Girard, Kimble tries to prove his innocence by finding the one-armed man he believes committed the crime.

This taut action thriller has me on the edge of my seat every time I watch it, even though I know how it will turn out. No matter, from the start of the film through the very end the action is non-stop. Both Ford and Jones are excellent in the lead roles, which even earned Jones a sequel. The train wreck scene was real, not shot in miniature as is often the case in movies and is phenomenal to watch. The script is well written and fast paced, with Jones getting most of the good one-liners, though Ford does get a few. All in all an excellent film, which gets a perfect five out of five stars.