The Fugitive (June 5/01)

Personal anecdote time: When I first viewed The Fugitive at my local cineplex , I experienced the sort of visceral reaction that I rarely experience at the movies. I was so into the action, so wrapped up in the story, that when Kimble finally catches up to the one-armed man and punches him, I was practically out of my seat with satisfaction that that smug one-armed bastard was finally getting what he deserved: a ruthless ass-kicking, compliments of Harrison Ford.

The Fugitive still stands up today as it did eight years ago as the definitive example of how to make a summer movie right (heck; how to make any movie right). Ford stars as (of course) Dr. Richard Kimble, a man convicted of bludgeoning his wife to death. En route to the prison where he is to be executed, he manages to escape after the bus collides with a train. Enter Tommy Lee Jones, a crack US Marshall and his equally crack team - who'll stop at nothing to get their man.

There are several reasons that The Fugitive works so well - an excellent screenplay, actors perfectly suited for their roles, crackerjack direction - but really, it comes down to Harrison Ford. He's the center of the movie and he's rarely been better. As Kimble, Ford has to run the gamut of emotions and usually within seconds (witness the entire interrogation scene as an example; he goes from shock to confusion to anger in the space of about a minute). I don't think that Ford got the credit he deserved for this performance (Jones' showier role received all the kudos and accolades, not to mention the Oscar), but would The Fugitive been anywhere as good without him? Hardly.

And as for Jones, he is great in the role of Sam Gerard. This isn't just a cookie-cutter dedicated cop - Gerard is as good and detailed a character as any other that has emerged since. He and his team are going to get Kimble no matter what it takes and as Gerard says at one point, he doesn't care whether or not he's innocent. He's just doing a job. Gerard and his team are incredibly likeable, and have a rapport with each other that is familiar and affectionate and snarky - all at the same time.

And because The Fugitive was released as a summer movie, there is a lot of action. But - and here is the key difference between this and something like The Mummy Returns - the action actually means something. It's not there just for the sake of blowing stuff up; it's there to further the plot and keep the story moving. Director Andy Davis keeps a good balance between exposition and action (too much of either would have been excessive), so it's essentially impossible to get bored.

The Fugitive is one of my personal favorite movies of all time and for good reason. It's got acting that can't be beat, a script that's funny and intelligent, and superbly crafted action sequence. For pure entertainment, you can't beat The Fugitive.