Terrific Thriller
“The Fugitive” stands out in the 90’s as not just a great movie but an unusually great one. I’m not sure anyone expected much from an old 60’s TV show turned movie or from a serviceable action director like Andrew Davis, of cheesy Steven Seagal movie fame of “Above the Law” and “Under Siege”. But somehow this movie did it, and by did it, I mean got nominated for Oscars and became some deservedly huge. You wish more summer Blockbusters would come with this level of craft, acting, and smarts.
Harrison Ford plays the title role, a renowned doctor named Richard Kimble who swears he fought off his wife’s one-armed killer, except all DNA evidence and motive points squarely to his conviction of her murder. Then there is a jailbreak by some other prisoners on his prison bus, allowing Kimble to escape, which puts him right in the sights of U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his team.
They say that parody is the best form of flattery, and if so, then “The Fugitive” should still be blushing. The set pieces in this film are outstanding, unforgettable, and seem to have been spoofed and recreated in a hundred different TV shows and movies. First the stunning escape sequence where a train collides with the prison bus, causing Kimble to narrowly escape by jumping off the upturned bus. Then there is the scene at the aqueduct, one of numerous times where he seems cornered only to do something that seems insane.
The film is best when looking at the dynamic of the two leads. They have a fabulous first scene where Ford again reiterates he didn’t kill his wife, only for Jones to respond with “I Don’t Care”. In this we get the crux of the whole thing- that Ford will have to prove his innocence himself, and that while not a villain, Jones is no white hat looking to prove right or wrong either. His job is to accomplish the goal of bringing the guy in, all else is immaterial.
Ford plays another version of the wronged everyman- pushed into a situation of quick thinking and when that doesn’t work, all out desperation. And what’s interesting about the Jones’ role, in addition to being one of singular conviction and focus, is that he creates someone we want to see gradually soften, to see that an error was made, and fight for the winning side. Jones is not just the dogged cat going after the equally dogged mouse, but he also seems to be the judge, jury, and executioner we want to see swayed.
But maybe i’m not giving Davis enough credit. “Under Siege” at least is pretty good. But nothing like this. The momentum he gives this movie is palpable and again his best quality is just letting Ford and Jones cook. We not only have the cat and mouse game but then there is also the medical mystery- a conspiracy that put Kimble in this situation in the first place which he has to solve.
The movie doesn’t go for one long extended chase but allows for things to play out. The trail to Kimble goes cold, then something happens which picks it up again. There are also breadcrumbs leading all the way up to the medical conspiracy. There isn’t one corny twist that derails the whole movie and we see the work done by Gerard and his team (who are all played by wonderful character actors and not one played as a dummy) to recapture Kimble’s whereabouts and we see Kimble working hard to evade them. Periodically they get to within reaching distance, which is where the action is really allowed to shine.
So great was this movie that it did spawn a sequel, “U.S. Marshals”, which I have not seen in a while but I love the story of Ford declining to be in it, only for Joe Pantaliano (who plays one of Sam’s team) to say “Fine, we’ll just find some other 20 million dollar asshole to chase around the woods for 2 hours.” I love that quote, I love this movie. Nothing more need be said.