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The Fugitive - Special EditionRating:
Release Date: 05 June, 2001 Retail Price: $14.96 OUR Price: $8.99 You SAVE: $5.97! Cast: Complete Cast (19 total) |
The Fugitive - Special Edition Reviews
Good film update of old series
Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) and his wife, Helen (Sela Ward) seem to have it all, until she is murdered. The police believe that Richard killed her, and there is enough evidence to convict him, and a serious miscarriage of justice results in Richard being on a train on his way to prison. But, there is a train accident, Richard escapes, and he goes on a quest for his wife's true killer, while trying to keep one step ahead of the police, led by Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones).
The television series from the 1960's, where David Janssen had the role of Dr. Kimble, was an ongoing drama, where Dr. Kimble sought the one-armed killer of his wife while trying to figure out why she was killed, and while keeping ahead of the police and helping people along the way. My father was a fan of David Janssen and of the original series, and was not thrilled with this movie. He went into it with the idea: How can they condense an entire series into one movie? I did not watch the series as a small child, and I really liked this film, with a few reservations. By the way, the television series finale for "The Fugitive" was one of the most-watched episodes in television history.
Why did I like this film? First of all, while the story is not that complex, it is a riveting tale that the film tells quite well. There are even hints that the police knew, all along, that Dr. Kimble might not be guilty. Secondly, there is a lot of action to blend in with the well-told story, and some excellent cinematography (for which Michael Chapman was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award) really enhances the suspense factor.
The main reason that I liked this film, though, was the Oscar-winning performance of Tommy Lee Jones. He could have portrayed Marshal Sam Gerard in several ways, but chose the best way, giving us a Gerard who was intelligent, dogged in his pursuit of Kimble, honorable, and dedicated to doing his job to the best of his ability. Harrison Ford was the wrongly-accused Good Guy, but Tommy Lee Jones was not the Bad Guy. He was a Good Guy who just happened to be wrong. Tommy Lee Jones is a very intense actor, and that fit this role perfectly. Even as he (and Don Cheadle) rescued "Volcano" from an absurd premise, Jones manages to outshine Harrison Ford here.
Ah, that brings me to my one reservation about this film: Harrison Ford. I want to quickly say that Mr. Ford did a good job in portraying Dr. Richard Kimble. But, that role in this movie had the potential to be an Academy-Award winning performance, but Harrison Ford did not give us that. What we saw was, instead, a well-executed portrayal of a well-known character, with no stamp of individualism on it. If you asked me to name Harrison Ford movies, I would likely forget this one, as it just as well could have been several other actors, (e.g., Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson). Whereas Tommy Lee Jones gave us an A+ performance, Harrison Ford probably earned a respectable but unspectacular A- or B+. That's not bad, but it could've been better.
Well, now that I've finished my little rant, which will likely tick some people off, I will conclude by saying that this is a very good action-suspense film with good cinematography and a wonderful performance by Tommy Lee Jones, and it is a very enjoyable viewing experience.
Classic
This movie is a classic. If you haven't seen it or heard of it, buy it now!
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