The Fugitive Movie Review

The Fugitive (1993)

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Written by: Jeb Stuart and David Twohy (screenplay), David Twohy (story), Roy Huggins (characters)
Directed by: Andrew Davis
Starring: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore, Joe Pantoliano
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.

Verdict
It's a cat and mouse chase as a doctor outwits the marshals in his quest to prove his innocence. While a bit dated, it's a fun ride with great pacing as the doctor is always on the edge of capture. There's no bad guy, just two men doing there job as the accused fights the clock to find the clues that could prove his innocence.
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Review
Based on the 1960s television series that ran for four seasons, the series finale episode was the most watched episode in history until Dallas and later MASH.

The opening provides quick cuts of some kind of crime and inverted colors. It's all questions, but a quick way to jump start the plot and skip to Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) detained by the police and his wife dead. The police think he did it, and there's not much evidence to refute that idea, for them or the viewer.

Harrison Ford plays Richard Kimble

It's quite the coincidence that Kimble happens to be on a prison bus with a few guys staging an escape. Kimble gets the chance to risk his life and help someone, and that's just to let us know he's innocent of the crime just in case we had any doubts. From here, how will Kimble avoid the cops? We know he wants to prove his innocence, but you can't blame Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) for doing his job and tracking Kimble. They're both chasing their suspect.

Tommy Lee Jones plays Sam Gerard

Gerard corners Kimble a couple of times, but Kimble always manages to get away. You get the sense that Gerard is beginning to doubt Kimble's guilt as they begin chasing the same leads. This is compounded by Kimble risking his entire plight to save a boy in the hospital

Kimble figures out what happened which leads to the big showdown as the cat and mouse game ends. Everyone ends up in the same place, but will Kimble's plan work? We root for Kimble the entire movie, but we don't blame Gerard for the pursuit. Both of them are after justice. This movie runs all the way to the end. Even when it's building character, Kimble is on the verge of capture. Even at the end he's not sure if his gamble will work, but he's hoping at least for the reveal of truth.