The Fugitive finds itself remembered fondly some two decades since its release for two reasons. It doesn’t try to do anything more than is required to get the job done, and because it hits a home run with its action packed setpieces.
As the film opens the unfortunate Dr Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) arrives home to find his beloved wife brutally murdered at the hands… um – hand… of a one armed assailant. After a brief but intense tussle the murderer flees and Kimble is left unconscious. He awakens to find himself at the centre of a crime scene, with him as the prime suspect. A court case follows and Kimble is convicted of the murder and sentenced to death, to the shock of everyone who knows him.
An especially dramatic and opportune bus/train combo crash later though, and Kimble is on the run, determined to prove his own innocence in the most straightforward way possible, by finding the one armed man that both he – and the oft repeated flashbacks – swears are responsible for his wife’s death.
Kimble’s escape brings the attention of Deputy Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his ever so witty and loose crew of fugitive hunters, who pursue Kimble doggedly using a mix of nous, savvy and plain luck, as all the while Kimble single handedly manages to do what the entire police force couldn’t.
The characters are thankfully kept simple, Kimble is a softly spoken, decent and intelligent man who proves as much frequently. More than once Kimble pauses his own life or death mission to provide doctorly advice to others. On the other hand Gerard is similarly intelligent, though ‘street smart’ might be a more appropriate descriptor. Gerard is so full of conviction as to the purity of his role, that the possibility that Kimble might actually be innocent doesn’t seem to allow him to ease back. Gerard is also a larger than life personality with a booming voice and a clever (often quotable) line always in the chamber and ready to fire.
One can’t stop doctoring, the other can’t stop pursuing. In between the director manages to craft a few BIG scenes, the kind that are perfect to cram into trailers designed to cram bums into theatres. The initial bus train crash is especially effective, so too the scene at the viaduct. A later scene is perhaps not as action packed but is equally effective and intricately timed, taking place during a prison visit which brings Kimble and Gerard in close proximity for the first time.
The Fugitive is another example of the acutely commercial and adult friendly blockbuster that the 90s seemed to specialise in. It is clever and action packed and above all never lazy like Ford’s other 90s success Clear and Present Danger.
Nowadays blockbusters are dumbed down and dosed liberally with computer generated effects. Having a plot and a decent cast is no longer a primary concern. Now everything is about capes (Superheros / Harry Potter / LotR) or giant mindless machines (Transformers / Fast & Furious / Terminator).
While there is always room for capes and robots, I don’t know why their rise had to coincide with the death of the intelligent commercial action thriller…
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. Kimble’s single handed pursuit of a single handed killer deserves a hand.
