Synopsis
Richard Kimble has been arrested and jailed for the murder of his wife. He was in the house when she died. His finger prints were everywhere on the murder scene. Everything is cut and dry and pointing to his guilt. The catch? He doesn’t believe he did it and accuses a one arm man of the murder. To prove his innocence, he must escape police custody, find the man who committed the murder, and obtain the proof behind it.
Time for a thriller.
It’s nearly impossible to take a television show and turn it into a successful film. I consider that type of feat somewhere in the same vicinity as creating a movie from a video game; it’s damn near impossible. What makes this doubly difficult is the fact that The Fugitive (television version) was four seasons long and had Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) tumbling through various obstacles and police escapes, while building a solid foundation for story and character development that ends with one of the most memorable television moments in the history of the industry. So, how in the world could Warner Brothers take that entire story developed over four seasons and compress it down into one two-hour (and some change) film? It took them a few years, eight screenwriters and finding the right people to make it happen.
What’s amazing about the film version of the television show is that director Andrew Davis kept focused with his actors and helped them move the story through their respective characters. If they don’t move with it then the story stops and waits, which never happens in The Fugitive. It just keeps moving, much like Kimble desperately seeking a clear path to his innocence. That, in my opinion, makes this movie work. You are constantly watching the characters and story moving forward in a very quick pace, all dictated through their actions. There isn’t a moment where things calm down and you, the audience member, relax and feel comfortable. It just doesn’t happen, which is why this thriller feels so absolutely intense. Even with a few flaws, such as the drug companies overall involvement in the plot, the film says ‘stop thinking and keep watching’.
That speed and intensity it gives off through its actors is what keeps the movie interesting.
Outside of that, it doesn’t hurt that Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones pretty much control the direction of the film and how the audience feels, through their acting abilities. Ford does a spectacular job with playing the victim through Kimble, who could easily just give up and lose the rest of his life to a murder he didn’t commit (he didn’t have much to live after losing his wife — you can see that in his face in the first ten minutes of the film). He gives off the vibe that he has no idea what he needs to be doing or looking for to prove his innocence. This is one of the few roles where Harrison Ford’s character doesn’t wear that ‘hero’ aurora through his personality. He doesn’t have a plan, he doesn’t have it together, he just needs to keep going. His eyes and facial expressions emit that of a desperate man, who is clinging on to the memory of his wife to keep him motivated. It’s absolutely a powerful performance that is almost non-action in a way (and that’s weird for a 1993 Harrison Ford role).
Playing opposite of him, Tommy Lee Jones brings the intense, relentless U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard to a different level of dedication. Jones doesn’t cater to Ford’s Kimble one bit (well, almost one bit) and is as focused as a police dog attacking an on-the-run criminal. His dedication and eventual transformation by the end of the film is methodical and one of the most impressive acting jobs he’s done in his career. He is together in the film, evolving throughout, but nonetheless always focused. It certainly prepared him for Men in Black, and the eventual spin-off of his character in this film with U.S. Marshals (clever title!).
At the end of the day, you may not get the very best thriller of all time with The Fugitive, but what you do get is a very impressive translation of four seasons of a classic show. With that, you also get two epic performances from some legendary Hollywood actors that give their all in their respective roles, and control the film the way it needs to be controlled. It’s not perfect, but it’s damn fun to watch.
As for the Blu-ray portion of the film, I had some reservations about it — at the beginning. When the credits started rolling out in the intro of the film, the picture quality was extremely grainy as the helicopter was panning over the Chicago landscape. I was worried and a little disheartened that maybe Warner Home Video had dropped the ball with this release and would be spiraling towards a FOX-esque Blu-ray re-release (I will never forget you, Rain Man). Then the movie jumps to the story and all of the graininess disappears. In fact, the footage looked extremely cleaned up, colorful (lots of nice blacks/whites are really defined in the movie) and almost no grain or artifacts (and certainly zero color banding). The transfer and compression looked nearly flawless. I was happy that Warner really treated this 20th Anniversary release right, as this thriller deserved some good HD loving. In short, you’re going to get a nice transfer with this Blu-ray.
As for the special features, which are the real selling point here, you’re in for a treat. Here’s what to expect:
New stuff
– The Fugitive: Thrill of the Chase
– Pilot Episode of the 2000 TV Series
Older material
– Introduction by Andrew Davis and Harrison Ford
– Commentary by Andrew Davis and Tommy Lee Jones
– Derailed: Anatomy of a Train Wreck
– On the Run with the Fugitive
– Trailer
The cream of the crop here is the Thrill of the Chase featurette. It’s a new ‘making of’ feature about the film, which has new interviews from cast and crew. It’s a long feature that is darn interesting to watch. You get all the inside scoop on how things went, what people did during filming and how incredibly badass Harrison Ford is for doing his own stunts. It’s informative, engaging and entertaining. It leads all other features on this set.
The rest isn’t too bad, with commentary leading the way after the above featurette. The introduction feature is a bit weird and awkward, and poorly edited. I probably would have left that off, but I’m not making those types of decisions. The rest of the features are good, especially the breakdown of the train scene.
Good stuff overall.