Plot
This 1993 box-office smash partly adheres to the 1960s TV series on which it is based and partly goes off on several tangents of its own. Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble, convicted of murdering his wife. While being transferred to prison by bus, Kimble is involved in a spectacular bus-train collision (one of the best of its kind ever filmed). Surviving the disaster, Kimble escapes, vowing to track down the elusive professional criminal whom he holds responsible for the murder. Dogging the fugitive every foot of the way is U.S. marshal Sam Gerard (an Oscar-winning turn by Tommy Lee Jones), who announces his intention to search "every whorehouse, doghouse, and outhouse" to bring Kimble to justice. Unlike his dour TV-series counterpart Barry Morse, Jones plays the role with a sardonic sense of humor: when a cornered Kimble screams, "I didn't kill my wife," Gerard shrugs and famously replies, "I don't care." Once the premise has been established, scripters Jeb Stuart and David Twohy and director Andrew Davis pull off several audacious plot twists, ranging from Kimble's rendezvous with a sympathetic lab technician to a jaw-dropping dive into a huge waterfall. The second half of the film offers one surprise after another (including the true identity of the murderer), brilliantly avoiding the letdown that plagues many movie adaptations of old TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
Riddled with fast-paced action, taut suspense, and a blessedly wry, intelligent sense of humor, The Fugitive is one of the most thoroughly entertaining films ever to careen through the action genre. Directed with a sure, steady hand by Andrew Davis, the film's tight construction allows its lower-key moments to resound with the same compelling undertones as its action sequences; even the sight of Kimble's searching through medical files rings with nail-biting tension. Buoyed as much by its performances as by Davis' assured direction, The Fugitive benefits from the solid presence of Harrison Ford, here at his dependable, everyman best as the innocent Kimble, and a wily, Oscar-winning turn from Tommy Lee Jones as the relentless Gerard. The chemistry between the two adversaries is one of the film's most satisfying aspects, made so by believable, multi-dimensional characterizations that are all too rare in action films. Gerard is no idiot, and Kimble's eventual triumph is hard-won. Never possessing a clear, self-assured edge over his pursuers, his cleverness is well matched by that of the people determined to bring him to justice. The Fugitive contains enough tricks up its sleeve to satisfy even the most jaded action fans, and Ford fans will derive satisfaction from watching him prove that, though older and undeniably well-worn, he was still worthy of his status as one of the genre's most dependable heroes. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, RoviCast
- Harrison Ford - Dr. Richard Kimble
- Tommy Lee Jones - Deputy US Marshal Samuel Gerard
- Sela Ward - Helen Kimble
- Joe Pantoliano - Cosmo Renfro
- Jeroen Krabbé - Dr. Charles Nichols
Credit
Maher Ahmad - Art Director, Charles J.H. Wood - Art Director, Peter Macgregor-Scott - Co-producer, Aggie Guerard Rodgers - Costume Designer, Andrew Davis - Director, Don Brochu - Editor, David Finfer - Editor, Dean Goodhill - Editor, Dov Hoenig - Editor, Richard Nord - Editor, Dennis Virkler - Editor, Keith Barish - Executive Producer, James Newton Howard - Composer (Music Score), Dennis Washington - Production Designer, Michael Chapman - Cinematographer, Roy Huggins - Producer, Arnold Kopelson - Producer, Rick T. Gentz - Set Designer, Ann Harris - Set Designer, Nancy Mickelberry - Set Designer, Aggie Guerard Rodgers - Set Designer, Roy Arbogast - Special Effects, Donald O. Mitchell - Sound/Sound Designer, Frank A. Montaño - Sound/Sound Designer, Scott D. Smith - Sound Recordist, David N. Twohy - Screen Story, David Giler - Screenwriter, Walter Hill - Screenwriter, Robert Mark Kamen - Screenwriter, Jeb Stuart - Screenwriter, David N. Twohy - Screenwriter, David Newman - Screenwriter, John Leveque - Sound Effects Editor, Bob Ulland - Steadicam Operator| The Fugitive (1924 Film), The Fugitive (1916 Film) | |
| The Fugitive Kind (1960 Film), The Fugitive Sheriff (1936 Film) |
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