Fugitive, The (DVD)

This movie has fantastic actors. They are all the best at the time the movie was made. Had us on the edge of our seats. Excellent movie.

There is a kind of magic when a superb cast, a truly gifted director, and a literate script with equal parts 'over-the-top' action, riveting suspense, and rich characterization, come together. The end result attains a luster that only grows through the years, as new audiences, through DVD and VHS, experience the same excitement we felt, viewing it on a theater screen. In the last decade, only a handful of suspense films could be called 'great'...and on top of the list is THE FUGITIVE. Based on the popular David Janssen TV series, the film faithfully follows the same premise; a doctor is convicted of his wife's death, but escapes before his execution, and tracks down the 'one-armed man' responsible for the murder, as a driven law officer attempts to recapture him. Being a big-budget film, however, the scale of everything is expanded...Dr. Richard Kimble is now a brilliant vascular surgeon, at a major Chicago hospital; the handicapped killer is a dirty ex-cop working on orders from crooked board members of a billion-dollar pharmaceutical firm; and the lawman is no longer a solitary police lieutenant, but a deputy United States Marshal, and his team of agents! While some fans of the original series complained that the 'intimacy' the series had was lost, director Andrew Davis only used the 'bigger' aspects as plot elements, placing the focus, wisely, on the dual stories of Kimble's search, and Gerard's pursuit. Despite the esteem the film has achieved over the years, Harrison Ford has gotten a bad rap for his very understated performance as Richard Kimble. While Tommy Lee Jones certainly had a far flashier role (earning him an Oscar as 'Best Supporting Actor'), Ford's intent wasn't to play 'Indiana Jones', but a man whose whole life was dedicated to his career as a surgeon, and his wife (played, in flashbacks, by the lovely Sela Ward). Seeing his wife brutally murdered devastated him (his scene in the police interrogation room, going to pieces, was largely improvised on the set, and displays some of his finest acting). His search for the killer was not the confident quest of an action hero, but based on uncertain, spur-of-the-moment decisions made by a desperate man, whose medical background was his only tool. Fear does not lend itself to flashy theatrics... Jones, as Marshal Sam Gerard, on the other hand, was a seasoned veteran, the best at what he did, and pursuing a fugitive was 'old hat' for him. With a confidence bordering on arrogance, he ordered people about like chess pieces, multi-tasked without breaking a sweat, and still could charm with a wicked smile and sarcastic remark. Of COURSE he wins the audience's heart! Featuring some of the most spectacular action scenes ever recorded on film (the train/bus wreck that frees Kimble, the dive off a dam into the churning maelstrom of the reservoir), as well as two slam-bang fistfights when Kimble finally gets 'justice', THE FUGITIVE still is remembered primarily for the suspenseful Jones/Ford 'cat-and-mouse' chase, cross-country, and the grudging respect that grows between them...which, ultimately, was what the TV series was best remembered for, as well. There is magic, here!

We are Tommy Lee Jones fans so the movie is great, but it arrived in perfect condition and

Harrison Ford is better known for his roles as Han Solo or Indiana Jones, but he does an excellent job as Dr. Richard Kimble in this exciting movie based on the 1960s television series by the same name. Richard returns home from a fund-raiser to find that his wife has been brutally murdered, and a man is still in his house. Richard, who soon discovers that the assailant has a mechanical arm, struggle, but the man escapes. Meanwhile, as she lay dying, Helen Kimble (Sela Ward) makes a 911 phone call that appears to implicate Richard. Richard is tried and convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Richard is to be transferred to a maximum security prison along with three other inmates. Once on the prison bus, one inmate fakes a seizure and stabs a security guard. Another guard begins randomly firing a shotgun and hits the bus driver by mistake. The bus careens off the road, falls down a hill, and comes to rest on a set of railroad tracks. Battered and shaken, Richard tries to free the wounded guard, but an ominous noise makes him stop; a train is approaching!! The next scenes are some of the best movie footage I've seen as Richard barely escapes before the train slams into the bus. The engine comes uncoupled from the train and hurtles out of control, while Richard can barely move in his leg shakles. He manages to get out of the way as the train flys past. U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard, played superbly by Tommy Lee Jones, soon has his men hunting for Richard. aided by his sidekick Cosmo Renfro (Joe Pantoliano), Sam is determined to find Richard and bring him to justice. Richard eludes the Marshalls for the time being, but Sam soon catches up to him on a dam of all places. Cornered, Richard does the only thing he can think of; he jumps. Dumbfounded, Sam can only watch as Richard plummets over the side of the dam. Sam doesn't believe that Richard died during the fall, so he sets out on his chase again. This is one of the best action/thrillers that I've seen. Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford give Oscar-caliber performances, and the supporting cast of Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, and Jereen Krabbe turn in fine performances as well. The special effects, including the eye-popping train scene and Ford's plunge from the dam are excellent as well. I highly recommend this film. The acting is first rate, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing throughout. Watch and see Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones at their absolute best.

Great movie but Amazon ships it in a plastic bag for some reason. The Blu-ray case was smashed but thankfully the disc was ok.

Re-watching this film in 2019, I got to thinking about the state of Hollywood movies today, as compared to 26 years ago--or 40 or 50 years ago. Today, we're pummelled with CGI special effects, ludicrous story lines with tons of requisite "twists," scenes flashing at us so fast we can barely keep up, filmakers showing off their impressive "cleverness" at the expense of good stories, and a general atmosphere of amorality in a majority of films. Flash back to 1993 and _The Fugitive_. No CGI special effects--the director Andrew Davis used a real train and a real bus in the horrendous accident scene, and it's stunning. The story line is linear and logical. The scenes are done carefully and meticulously; they linger when necessary, and they move fast when necessary. Davis is not flaunting his chops, although they're considerable; he's telling us a real human story--something which is largely missing from the innumerable "action" movies of today. And _The Fugitive_ has a moral message about justice and doing the right thing in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It's great movie making in the tradition of Hitchcock, Lumet, et al. _The Fugitive_ has earned its place on the list of all time great films. The two main characters couldn't have been more perfectly casted: Harrison Ford's Richard Kimble is stoic and laconic, but he's also a hero--a real human hero. Tommy Lee Jones gives one of his best performances ever, wisecracking throughout, but devoted to his job, and most importantly, empathetic enough to accept Kimble's innocence. Early in the film, he tells Kimble he doesn't care if he's innocent. In the final scene, when it's all over and Kimble is exonerated, Kimble says, "I thought you didn't care." Jones replies, "I don't. Don't tell anybody, OK?", but his smile belies his wisecrack. It's a perfect scene with perfect lines. Yes, I'm waxing nostalgic. But when I think of all the dreck that passes for good cinema today, I can't help it. Watch this instead of the latest trendy Hollywood trash and be reminded what great filmmaking really is.

AAA+++

This is a classic! A great addition to my library. Got it on sale and it played without any issues.

Uno spettacolo di film da aggiungere alla vostra collezione. Cast eccezionale e davvero bello, dalla trama all'ambientazione, agli effetti e alle musiche. Davvero un film che merita di essere visto e rivisto. L'alta definizione ci sta tutta, anche se non si possono pretendere miracoli visto che è un film che ha anni e anni.

古い映画ですがテンポがよく飽きさせない魅力がある。各所に作製者のこだわりを感じる。

Estava com ótimo preço, chegou direitinho e tem dublagem em português do Brasil.

One of my favorite movies of all time. Bought for the commentary track and the 4K. Did not disappoint. Arrived in good condition.

Alles ok. Original Verpackung. CD in Ordnung.