Thirty years ago, one film beautifully proved that television shows could be translated into something breathlessly cinematic and endlessly rewatchable. And it was the rare action thriller that managed to become enough of a cultural phenomenon that the Academy Awards nominated it for Best Picture.
That film wasThe Fugitive, and three decades later, it remains an action masterclass, endlessly tense, involving, and filled with fine performances. It’s a thriller with a degree of suspense that would’ve even made Alfred Hitchcock proud, and it demonstrates that in the hands of master craftsmen, a well-crafted action flick is as worthy of being called “art” as anything else.
A Man on the Run
Based on the 1960s TV showof the same name,The Fugitivefocuses on Chicago surgeon Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford, in one of his best performances ever) and the mysterious murder of his wife. Evidence at the crime scene points to Kimble being the perpetrator, even as he insists on his innocence, recalling how he saw a one-armed man outside the apartment as he returned home.
Nonetheless, Kimble is sentenced to death row but escapes in the aftermath of a failed inmate breakout and subsequent bus crash. With US Marshall Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones, who won an Oscar for his performance) and his team declaring a manhunt, Kimble is forced to go on the run and find his wife’s real killer to clear his name.
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Already, the story of an innocent man on the run has a classic Hitchcockian setup, and the film works for all the same reasons Hitchcock’s classics do, better thanany remake of his workscould hope to. It’s breathlessly paced and edited, with little breathing room left for Kimble or the audience to catch their breath, and as a result, the 130-minute runtime goes by in what feels like an instant.
And helping matters is the remarkable technical caliber on display. In an era in which CGI has arguably become too much of a crutch for action filmmakers, watchingThe Fugitivetoday feels like an utter breath of fresh air. Since the stunts were largely executed practically, there’s a tangibility and gravity to them that feels too often missing nowadays. In particular, the now iconic train crash feels so much more impactful and gripping knowing the crew filmed with a real locomotive.
A Memorable Duo
More importantly, all the action on display feels rooted in character drama. Both Kimble and Gerard are single-minded in their goals (for Kimble, to clear his name, and for Gerard, to catch his man), but the needs of the plot never force them to make stupid decisions.
On the contrary,both of these charactersare incredibly smart and equally matched, and the result is a game of cat and mouse that never feels like it’s only destined to end one way. Anything feels possible, and the film feels that much more unpredictable and exciting as a result.
Further helping matters is the utter commitment the actors bring to their roles. Harrison Ford is perfectly cast as Kimble, bringing his trademark sardonic charm to the character and making him a relatable Everyman in a world with seemingly everyone out to get him. But Ford also gives Kimble the perfect amount of weariness, and even as the film never lets up on the gas pedal, his exhaustion on display reminds us of his humanity.
Even better is Tommy Lee Jones as Sam Gerard. Every bit Kimble’s equal in intelligence, Gerard is also greatly world-weary, but he’s also laser-focused in his pursuit of his man, to the point where his relentlessness could easily run the risk of straining credulity. But Jones never crosses that line, and the palpable mix of Gerard’s intensity with a small begrudging respect for Kimble helps make the character a sort of Inspector Javert for our time.
Yet as good as both of these actors are individually, they shine even brighter together. Considering how well-matched Kimble and Gerard are, it feels like any scene they share could go any direction, and either could plausibly come out on top. And further helping matters is a dry, understated comedic undertone to their relationship.
In a brilliantly improvised exchange, Kimble insists, “I did not kill my wife,” and Gerard only replies, “I don’t care.” The action on display wouldn’t have been even remotely as involving if Ford and Jones didn’t deliver so strongly, but to our benefit, they do.
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A Near Perfect Thriller
Simply put,The Fugitiveis one of the most involving action films of all time. Even thirty years later, it still holds up as a relentlessly tense thrill ride that never lets up on the gas pedal until the end credits roll, and it’s filled with characters that allow us to care about the said thrill ride.
Action films today could stand to learn a great deal fromThe Fugitive; they’re either too often mindless or shoddily crafted on a technical level, or they forget to keep the story rooted in character drama. This film passes both of those tests with flying colors, and it remains a perfect example ofwhat a great thriller should be.
