The Fugitive Review

“I didn’t kill my wife”. Those are the words spoken by the character Dr. Richard Kimble in the classic thriller The Fugitive. That iconic line is responded to by the classic protagonist/antagonist of the film US Marshal Sam Gerard with, “I don’t care”. This classic exchange highlights what makes this film so fun to watch which is the film’s ability to dig deep into the characters’ emotions and tell a thrilling chase story. In case you haven’t seen this film yet, The Fugitive is about an esteemed doctor, Richard Kimble who is framed for murdering his wife and sentenced to death on the run from the authorities led by US Marshal Sam Gerard as he seeks to clear his name. The plot takes us through the horrifying events that Kimble faces when facing death for a crime he didn’t commit.

    
       The film is filled with many great moments with successful storytelling structure. The pacing of the movie is an element to be rivaled with as many films find themselves dealing with the burden of exposition as they take the time to set up the story before it can really kick into gear. However, The Fugitive tosses that aside and opens with finesse as it opens in the middle of the action with the arrest of Kimble played excellently by Harrison Ford. Since Kimble was arrested at the beginning of the film following a well-executed interrogation scene this introduces the first major plot point. The film continues at a rapid pace as Kimble gets sentenced to death, escapes through an explosive action sequence, and launches his crusade to clear his name in a brisk and timely manner. Harrison Ford powerfully conveys a man that is broken and a man who has lost everything through the course of the film.


     The most exciting aspect of this film, the chase aspect is delivered well and heightened by Sam Gerard played effectively by Tommy Lee Jones. Gerard is a no-nonsense US Marshal who is there to get the job done and won't put up with any rhetoric. The writers could have easily made this character two-dimensional and kept him a cold police machine against Kimble throughout the film. However, Gerard is a character who gets to develop as events unfold. Gerard chases Kimble through a vast of array of exciting chase sequences by using his brains not just his brawn to keep up with Kimble. Later in the course of the film as Gerard picks up the investigation Kimble cleverly led him to over the one-armed man Kimble claims killed his wife you see a change in Gerard as you can see his mind doubting Kimble of being guilty. In fact, one of the best elements this film has to offer is the silent investigative scenes, where Kimble excels as he outsmarts his enemies.


        However, the film isn’t perfect as no film is. The cons with The Fugitive are very minor and don’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the film. When Kimble is on the run he pursues his investigation of the one-armed man but as he does this he secures a place to live in the crackpot’s mother’s basement, buys a drink at a bar, and pays for clothes. The question is where is he getting all his money? I know he borrowed some money off of Charles Nickels but that couldn’t get him far and it's not like Kimble could take his money with him after he was arrested. There are logical possibilities for this, such as Kimble possibly working money off the books jobs, and stealing money through pickpocketing or whatever but it would have been nice to see this shown on screen. Also, Charles Nickles wasn’t a particularly strong villain even though he supported a strong plot twist. It would have been better had the film developed his character as a villain better. All these cons aren’t really a big distraction in the overall picture of the quality of the film.

      I believe The Fugitive is an excellent motion picture. The story captures the adventure, suspense, and adrenaline of the events of a man wrongly convicted on the run very well. The two leads in this film I believe have to be one of the strongest leads in Hollywood history. The writers balanced the action chase scenes aspect awesomely against the character development present with Gerard as he comes to the realization Kimble is not guilty and Kimble comes to the dramatic decision to prove his innocence that drives the story forward. My opinion is that this is a fantastic film from Warner Brothers that I would give a score of 10/10.

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