The Fugitive

Based on the 1960s television show, The Fugitive follows Harrison Ford’s Dr. Richard Kimble as he’s framed for the murder of his wife (Sela Ward’s Helen) and eventually forced to go on the run – with Kimble’s ongoing efforts at solving the crime generally stymied by the dogged efforts of U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his crackerjack team. Filmmaker Andrew Davis, working from Jeb Stuart and David Twohy’s screenplay, delivers a briskly-paced and often astonishingly exciting production that’s rife with memorable, downright captivating set-pieces (eg the now-iconic train escape sequence), and it’s clear, too, that The Fugitive benefits substantially from the across-the-board superlative acting from its various performers – with, obviously, Ford and Jones’ almost absurdly compelling work certainly playing a key role in cementing the picture’s success. There’s little doubt, as well, that the intriguing mystery behind the aforementioned murder propels the narrative forward, and although the movie’s final third is perhaps just a little longer than one might’ve preferred, The Fugitive is nevertheless a seemingly ageless endeavor that remains one of modern cinema’s very best thrillers.

**** out of ****