Great Movie: ''The Fugitive''

The story is a familiar one. A wrongly accused man-on- the run from the cops, desperately searching for the real killer. And always, the man-on-the-run finds the bad guy, there is some kind of fight----sometimes, with a gun, many times, with fists thrown----- and justice will be served with the innocent man set free. You can go through the backlogs of Hollywood storylines and find this scenario. Most films with this plot are cheesy and instantly forgettable. But, every once in a while, a diamond is found in the rough and a great movie emerges from the formula. This was the case with ''The Fugitive'''....... The film version of ''The Fugitive'', based on the 60's TV show of the same name, was released in 1993. It received popular and critical acclaim as a damn fine movie. And, it is. It has fine action, a plausible set of plot scenes, and, mostly, it has excellent acting. The story surrounds the efforts of Dr. Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford, coming home one night and finding his wife viciously beaten to death. The police suspect him right away. In the first several minutes of the film, we see him arrested, on trail, and convicted. He is sent to jail on a prison bus with other convicts. But, misshap on the bus involving other prisoners is in store, along with a pesky train that decides to board the bus head-on. In a spectacular moment onscreen, the train smashes into the bus [this was a real train and bus, not models or computer generated special effects] and Kimble and another prisoner escape, each man going his separate ways......... At this point, the plot has been set. Just the details need to be ironed out. But, the first twenty moments or so of the film grab your interest. We know, eventually, that Harrison Ford will find the bad guys. It is how that will keep us watching. That, and the arrival of U.S. Marshall Samuel Gerard, played royally by Tommy Lee Jones...... From the very first seconds he appears in the movie, Tommy Lee Jones is in command. His face, that great weathered look of someone who has seen life at its dirtiest, greets us, along with his first words of astonishment and ironic detachment combined [ ''My, my. What a mess.''] Gerard has his team of fellow law enforcement people around him, both dedicated to serving the law and serving Gerard. Jones instantly sizes up the situation and concludes that two prisoners have escaped, despite what the clumsy cop on the bus says. He takes control. He wants the area contained, with check points in a small mile radius........ Soon, both Kimble and Gerard will meet. It is over a waterfall. Gerard does not care if Kimble is innocent or not. He just wants his prey captured. Kimble, shaken to his core after what he has been through, still has enough sense to know he will be going back to jail, maybe, even longer because he is on the lamb. So, in a scene both plausible and inplausible, Kimble makes a suicidal jump into the waters wrath. There is a moment when the movie stumbles here because, clearly, a dummy is tossed into the water. Of course, no human stunt person could have done the shot that was required but it is a laughable error seeing this dummy in the air. However, the shot is brief and we see Kimble in the water. Did he survive this almost certain death plunge? Gerard thinks so. His instincts tell him that Kimble is still alive........ And, naturally, Richard Kimble is still alive. We would not have the rest of the movie to watch if he was not. Soon, Kimble makes his way to Chicago [after another, unfortunate, embarrassing moment when he is picked up hitchhiking in the middle of the night by a lonely woman]. By then, it doesn't matter if he would be getting a ride into Chicago. The movie has us, as both Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones have fully engaged us. For the remainder of the movie, it turns into a cat-and-mouse game of nearly getting caught and figuring out your opponents next move. Both actors fully engage us in their thoughts and feelings and desire to see justice prevail. Jones has the tougher assignment. At first, his Sam Gerard is all bluster, a hard-assed man who does not want to hear bad news that will spoil his beloved chocolate doughnut with the sprinkles on top. This is a man who has heard all of the stories about the wrongly accused. He doesn't care. He wants Kimble because Kimble is wanted. It all black and white to Gerard. But, as the film deepens, Gerrard sees the cracks in the official story and spots the faraway theory that Kimble may be, in fact, framed. Especially, after he meets the other people who circle around Richard Kimble, most notable, Dr. Charles Nichols, played unctuously by Jeroen Krabbe. Gerard, through the expressive acting of Jones, begins to see the riddle unraveling and the finger of guilt point away from Kimble........ Scenes and events come rapidly to the viewer. We are at Cook County Hospital as Kimble goes after the person he knows did the actual murder of his wife: the man with one prosthetic  arm. He grabs a bunch of names and barely dodges Gerard, who always is one infuriating step behind. Daley Center, the St. Patricks Day Parade, street scenes, all mingle nicely together as the chase unfolds. Finally, revelations are rolled out, the spotlight on the truly guilty is seen clearly. We have a showdown in a hotel, both inside and on the roof. Punches are thrown, men are dropped from high above, glass shatters, and a dangerous beam is used as a weapon. All exciting, all well done by the filmmakers........One of the great things about a movie like this is the surprises. I will not give any away to those who have not watched the movie. But, I can promote the idea that the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat, like riding that runaway train that collides with the bus at the beginning. But, the true highlights are the actors. A rich supporting cast of comfortable but unfamiliar actors [at least, they were in 1993] surround the main principals, including, the always watchable Joe Pantoliano. Julianne Moore turns up in a small but vital role as a doctor at CCH. However, it is Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones we watch. Ford, at home in this type of action role, doesn't have much dialogue. Still, his actions and physicality speak volumes and he brings a certain sadness to the part, like a man who wants to find his wife's killer because he deeply loves her and he must do this for her. Yes, he wants to save himself but, he always has thoughts of his fallen wife. Harrison Ford can never be accused of being a versatile actor---he is too limited. However, he does shine in these types of roles. And, as Richard Kimble, Fugitive, he brings it off.......... Tommy Lee Jones is the true star. Always underappreciated by the public before this movie, Jones was rightfully acclaimed across the board. A well-earned Oscar for Best Supporting Actor the following year for this role was just desserts. Jones dominates every scene he is in. He brings toughness, street smarts, calmness, anger, humor, and finally, humanity to his Sam Gerard. It is a flawless performance that also is a great deal of fun to watch. When he enters a scene, you feel the energy level of the movie pumped up, as if it were shot with adrenaline and urgency. There is command in his presence, a follow-the-leader aura. It is a fine example of good acting and movie star charisma meeting at an intersection......... I have a warm spot in my heart for this movie because I am in it. It was during my acting years in the late 80's/early 90's that I did a ton of ''extra'' work in movies and TV shows filmed in town. The scene I am in is when Harrison Ford, thinking he has found the one-armed man, goes to the Daley Center to see a locked up man in jail. The scene starts with the camera pointed upwards and quickly pans down to street level. Ford is walking away from the camera crossing the street while a couple of pedestrians are crossing the other way, coming directly towards the camera. I am on the far left. I hold my hand out to stop a cab that was trying to come through [no acting direction from the director, Andrew Davis. I was trying to not be hit by a car.] Ford passes me and the others by and I walk right into frame. I was 27 years old, then. All dark hair and thin. I had a suit on, with a nice overcoat. Many people who have seen that scene refuse to believe that it is me. But, it is. All youth and vigor....... I did not get a chance to talk with Harrison Ford. I do have a story about him but I will invoke the ''Guy Code'' of honor. Tommy Lee Jones was elsewhere, which disappointed me. I really wanted to meet him and shake his hand........ And, maybe, give him a doughnut. A chocolate one, with the sprinkles on top........