Drama Review

Nothing Left to Lose

“The Fugitive” begins with Richard Kimble being falsely sentenced to death for murdering his wife. Once the hearing has concluded, Kimble is put on a bus with other inmates directed to Illinois State Prison where he will carry out his final days. Without warning Kimble and a guard are shot by the other inmates in an attempting to escape. The driver loses control of the bus and it swerves into the guardrail, where it slowly creeps over the edge of the overpass, landing in the path of an oncoming train. Kimble is free. This is very indicative of the pace of “The Fugitive.” It is non-stop suspense; thankfully, done in a seemingly realistic way. It does not feel like a cheesy thriller where every chance for suspense is grabbed hold of shamelessly and manipulated, no matter how fake the situation becomes. An example of this type of suspense is in a more recent movie, “2012.” John Cusack, along with his wife and two children, is constantly on the edge of death, but escapes by the skin of his teeth in every possible instance. It becomes very tiring and unbelievable to watch.
One of “The Fugitive’s” strengths is its believability. The viewer does have to suspend belief through most of the film but it really isn’t that hard when Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford are the staring actors. They both fill their characters shoes superbly. Jones plays Federal Marshal Sam Gerard. Gerard is a hard-nosed detective, hell bent on catching Kimble. Another credit to the movies feasibility is Gerard’s intelligence. It’s not the typical good guy running from a bunch of moron police officers inflicted with the intellect of Laurel and Hardy. “The Fugitive” shows how it would occur in real life; the Deputy Marshal would not be a blubbering idiot as casted in many thrillers. Jones’s character, Gerard is a sort of antagonist, admittedly not as much of one as the one armed man. It’s an interesting point for the viewer to be in, rooting against the police, who are striving to carry out the law. It’s a sort of role-reversal for the character’s to exhibit; the cop, who is correctly doing his job, is the “bad” guy.
This role reversal presents an underlying theme in the movie, which is law vs. justice. Gerard represents the law while Kimble represents justice. The viewer is forced to think of the law being incorrect and unjust in certain situations. Another movie that beautifully does this is the 2007 movie, “Gone Baby Gone.”
The tension continues throughout the movie with Kimble racing to find the one armed man, who murdered his wife, before the Marshal catches him. The end scene starts out on the roof of a hotel, moves down an elevator shaft and finally concludes on the laundry floor of the hotel. The sets throughout the movie add to the angst felt by the viewer. Kimble is all over the place, beginning at a crash scene, then through storm drains, into the middle of a big parade downtown, down the halls of a hospital, on a train, etc. The list of sets adds to the rushed feeling the viewer has. It also provides many different ways Kimble could get caught, killed or narrowly escape.
Harrison Ford wonderfully portrays the recklessness of a man that has nothing left to lose. Yet, he also exhibits intelligence, carefully planning out each move he makes to catch up to his wife’s killer and confirm his innocence. His acting, as well as Tommy Lee Jones’s, makes the thrilling, unbelievable scenes easily conceivable. The writing of the story also lends it to being a more believable thriller. The characters, good and bad, are intelligent. They don’t do bone head things that create far-fetched situations. The suspense and thrill of “The Fugitive” are unmatched by most movies.