In the Line of Fire Movie Review

In the Line of Fire (1993)

Rent In the Line of Fire on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Jeff Maguire
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott, Gary Cole, Fred Thompson, John Mahoney, Tobin Bell
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president.

Verdict
It's very '90s. While there's plenty of twists, the characters are little more than caricatures. Eastwood plays his typical stoic lead. He's chasing an assassin while his superiors doubt his claims and ability. Despite that he has time for a love interest and to play the piano. The plot and Frank's development feel perfunctory. This could have delved into the bad guy's motives and tried to find common ground between him and Frank. That could have given this some depth and a theme to explore.
It depends.

Review
Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwod) is the cowboy secret service agent. He's cool under pressure and dispenses wisdom to his partner. He even plays the piano.

Clint Eastwood plays Frank Horrigan

I like the setup. Mitch (John Malkovich), obsessed with presidential assassinations discovers Frank, involved in protecting two presidents from assassination, is still an agent. This starts a cat and mouse game as Mitch toys with Frank. Frank wants to protect the president, but his superiors question his claims. Frank of course falls into situations where it looks like he's overreacting and he's taken off the detail. It's just a bit much. The movie feels plotted. Everything happens to bolster a plot element later. That's what movies are supposed to do, but this is too pointed.

Rene Russo, John Mahoney, Clint Eastwood, Dylan McDermott

After multiple false calls Frank is undeterred. This is his redemption arc for mistakes he made in the past on the job. His foe could be interesting, but the movie doesn't give Malkovich enough to do. While he does an excellent job with what he has, he's little more than generic bad guy. Frank and Mitch could have some kind of common ground or at least a mutual respect. Mitch is crazy, but he has reasons for it. I wish the movie tried to make him more credible or at least delved into his mindset more.

The movie is a bit cliche. These characters are superficial. It's not bad, but it could be a lot more interesting. I really wanted something with the style and big ending like Se7en. That had a theme that ran through the movie. This is precursor to something like Olympus Has Fallen. More modern movies have replaced the cat and mouse sequences and dialog with action and explosions.