Whether it be a fugitive looking to clear their name or someone trekking the world while agents of chaos follow, a person on the run always exhilarates and enthralls. There are staples and godfathers of the genre.Like Alfred Hitchcock, who proactively found ways to create thrilling versions of a similar story: A man accused of murder who must fight to clear his name while on the run from those who think they’re guilty.North By Northwest,Saboteur, andThe 39 Stepsto name a few — the master of suspense created new ways to thrill his audience.
Conversely, movie stars like Harrison Ford found success playing a man who must clear his name from his wife’s murder (The Fugitive,Presumed Innocent, andFrantic). These kinds of films beckon their protagonists to quest for life while death or imprisonment always linger around the corner. When done right, the “man on the run” genre makes for one of the best kinds of films produced.
10Good Time
The Safdie Brothers have their own energy as a new directorial duo creating a specific kind of hyperbolic, psychedelic, and anxiety-tinged thriller that moves at the rhythmic sensation of an EDM concert. WithGood Time, their fierce independent work caught theeye of Robert Pattinson, who plays a very particular brand of New York scumbag as he weaves his way in and out of trouble on one long crime-ridden night. After his brother gets arrested during a dim-witted heist attempt, he embarks on breaking him out as the pulse of the night never stops. As Pattinson’s character “Connie Nikas” has run-ins with New Yorkers familiar to anyone aquatinted with the five boroughs, Connie’s manic-desperation fills the frames with resonance.Good Timegoes on the run and stays there.
Related:Robert Pattinson’s Best Indie Movies, Ranked
9The Bourne Identity
One of the great action trilogies of the early part of the Century,The Bourne Identitykicked off the amnesiac CIA assassin on the perpetual run, trying to clear his name.Matt Damon starsas the titular character, forcing himself to reconcile what his government trained him to do and their failed silencing of him, which only made him more dangerous. With a sleazy and sinister Brian Cox as his handler, the shadowy evil of the American government persists throughout the movie. Doug Liman helmed what would kick off a new style of action filmmaking that would permeate American blockbusters for time to come, with quick-cut,breakneck close combat,TheBourne Identitysoared.
8Nightfall
One of the great tropes of man-on-the-run movies is a character accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Jacques Tourneur’s economicalNightfalltells the familiar tale in a brisk but gritty 71 minutes. Starring Aldo Ray as the man accused and Anne Bancroft as the femme fatale. The film has similar stylings to noir, with its moody photography and the reliable bag of money stashed away. Ray steals the show as the accused drunkard. His naturalistic acting gives him a unique presence against the classic melodramatic posturing of the supporting cast who don’t seem up to speed with where Ray was taking his art. There’s also an incredible snow shootout, as the two crooks confuse Ray as their guy and take him on the run.
7Enemy of the State
An insanely stacked roster of actors that starts with an uncredited cameo from Jason Robards. Robards plays a Congressman assassinated by a shadow part of the government led by Jon Voight. The cast only grows from there as it stars Will Smith, unwillingly caught in the middle of the conspiracy as he goes on the run and gets help from Gene Hackman, showing him the ropes when it comes to the surveillance state.Enemy of the Statewas Tony Scott’s acknowledgment of where the United States was going. He leaned into the viscera of our government’s new technologies and how they were capable of breaking any privacy law in the name of their “interests.” Scott went full tilt and delivered an incredible, rousing conspiracy thriller while blending his signature gonzo style of filmmaking. Keeping the audience involved with every piece of equipment, flying at 100 miles per hour.
6First Blood
Another one of the great scripts that Sylvester Stallone penned for himself to star in that would later turn into a franchise,First Bloodis a hard-nosed crime-thriller pitting former Green Beret John Rambo against the abusive police state. The story set-up echoes the unfortunate sentiments of the Vietnam War. As a country forgets the souls of the men they turn into killing machines when they come home. Violently tempered and misunderstood, the abuses of the state don’t recognize their hypocrisy. Rambo thus enters a new war — the war at home — as he fends for his life against a country that tries to kill him.
Related:Best Sylvester Stallone Movies, Ranked
5Thelma & Louise
A groundbreaking and instantly iconic film when it was released,Thelma & Louisetakes a spin at re-purposing the Western ethos as a progressive take on bandits on the run set against the sparse backdrop of the southwest desert. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon shine in Ridley Scott’s sleek direction as they empower and liberate themselves from the grips of possessive men while also realizing their love for one another is all they need. Which then manifests into one of thegreat endings of all time.
4Minority Report
Steven Spielberg’s dark turn in the late-90s and early-2000s produced some of his most spellbinding and harrowing work.Minority Reportis in the classic vein of Tom Curise vehicles where he’s forced to run. Adapted from themind of Phillip K. Dick, Spielberg can delve deeper into our civilization’s technological advancements and the dangers they can pose when in the hands of people who misuse them. While also fitting in the classic daddy issues that can page his movies, Spielberg creates a vision for the world that is stupefying and grim but also gorgeous. As Cruise leads a police unit that can see murders before they happen, he must set out to prove his innocence when a murder he may commit becomes the subject of investigation. An ingenius set-up that fits Cruise’s persona perfectly.
3Odd Man Out
Carol Reed set the blueprint for his other masterpiece,The Third Man, with his first man on the run in an unfamiliar city withOdd Man Out. Starring James Mason as “Johnny McQueen” whose recent return from prison puts himself at odds with the political violence of his crew “The Organization” (an obvious fill-in for the IRA) in a nameless Belfast as he argues against the use of violence for their cause. After a robbery with his crew goes wrong, Mcqueen is left for dead in the streets and must fend for himself for a safe passage home. Reed masterfully toes the line between life and death, as McQueen’s guilt never relinquishes and his pain persists. Constantly with the help of others, his fate is never in his own hands.Odd Man Outis one chaotic night on the run in the streets and homes in a city that grows darker by the hour.
2The Fugitive
In a patented Harrison Ford role, playing a man who must prove his innocence after his wife is murdered,The Fugitiveis a non-stop thriller ride from 90s action stalwart Andrew Davis. Ford stars as the hilariously ripped Dr. Richard Kimble. After a daring train escape in which he frees not only himself but a bevy of other prisoners, Kimble goes back to his home city of Chicago to figure out the conspiracy against him. Also, clearing the way for an Oscar-winning, instantly iconic Tommy Lee Jones performance as the fast-talking US Marshal who runs the show to get Kimble back to prison. It’s an electric ride that gave the man on the run film a new face.
1North By Northwest
The most absurdly fun and entertaining picture Alfred Hitchcock ever made,North by Northwestis a non-stop ride of close-calls, whodunits, and expertly designed set-pieces. Two of the most famous scenes in the history of cinema happen near 30 minutes apart. The crop-duster close call and then the chase atop Mount Rushmore, one of the ultimate bad guy hangouts. Hitchcock relied on the always reliable and cool Cary Grant to face off against the suave villainy of James Mason as Grant has to get himself out of false murder accusations. A path that leads him down a dangerous road but done in the style that only the master himself could direct.
