The Fugitive

You may be comfortably sitting in your seat while watching “The Fugitive”, but you’ll feel as though you just ran 10 kilometers when it’s over. Once the film begins, the thrills, excitement, and intrigue never let up.

Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) is wrongfully convicted of the murder of his wife. Escaping from death row, he begins to search for the true murderer: an elusive one-armed man. Hot on Kimble’s trail is Deputy U. S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones.)

This picture is like a Big Mac, except good for you. The first time you take a bite, it's almost impossible to wrap your mind around this expertly constructed film. You didn’t think it was possible to bring it all together like director Andrew Davis does here, but there it is. Most movies are just one thing. This is a murder mystery as Kimble tries to figure out who killed his wife; it’s a thriller as he has to evade the authorities; it’s an action movie at multiple points throughout and a whole other kind of thriller whenever we follow the U. S. Marshals. Just when you get used to one genre and you think you can let your guard down, the movie comes at you from a different angle, ready to get ya. Sometimes even within a single scene, it’ll change. Pure excitement is what it is.

A big part of this film’s success lies in the writing and the characters. Everyone involved in this story is so smart that you can’t wait to see what comes up next. In most mysteries, you’d have one character deciphering a clue and the one behind them finding the same one. Not here. Kimble and Gerard’s actions and the way they go about this story are completely different. They each have their expertise and use it to their full advantage. It’s a complex, intense game of cat-and-mouse. No more than that. You find yourself cheering for both protagonists, despite the fact that they’re on opposite sides.

Ford and Jones bring their A-game here. Gerard is a very memorable character, with many funny lines and a no-nonsense charm about him that would’ve made him an easy favorite… if it wasn’t for Kimble who pulls on your other arm with just as much strength. These adversaries are perfect matches for each other and their struggle proves to be a delight.

The suspense, the mystery, the action… any one of them would have been enough to carry your average movie. “The Fugitive” has got it all and then some. (Theatrical version on the big screen, January 5, 2017)