Featured Movies
Partners
Fugitive, The
Harrison Ford stars in Andrew Davis' slick update of the classic TV Series, as the doctor accused of his wife's murder. Frenetic action, massive explosions and Ford, looking harassed. Real escapist cinema
Ford is Dr Richard Kimble. Wrongly sentenced for the brutal murder of his wife, he manages to escape when his prison bus is involved in an accident. Determined to prove his innocence and catch his wife's real murderer, Kimble has to pull out all the stops to evade the massive ensuing manhunt headed by tough no-nonsense US Marshall Gerard (Jones), who claims to be more interested in keeping his arrest quota intact than whether Kimble may really have a case. Ford wears the shoes of the classic TV series well, with a typically understated and entertaining performance. Tommy Lee Jones won an Oscar for his riveting portrayal of the craggy marshall with a heart - and deserved it. There are some fine action set pieces and the whole thing is delivered at a cracking pace. Moreover, the film relies on timing, character, sharp dialogue and a compelling narrative to deliver its thrills as much as the spectacular set pieces that are often (elsewhere) used as a substitute for real drama. The Fugitive is also more than just an expert thriller. There's a great conspiracy theory driving the action (to say more would ruin it) and the plight of Kimble works on a metaphorical as well as an emotional level. Battling alone against the odds, dwarfed by a huge metropolis (with some fine cinematography taking full advantage of the monumental buildings and huge streets of the Chicago location), persecuted by Kafka-esque institutions, he becomes a shabby, likable modern-day everyman. Of course, it's all relentlessly manipulative, but so compelling is the action that this is rarely apparent. The exception that proves the rule is a distractingly saccharine sequence when Kimble saves a small boy (especially uneccessary seen as Ford brings such humanity and warmth to the character in the first place) when there is a noticable stall. Otherwise it pounds along marvellously - and, what's more, it's great fun. |
