Review: The Fugitive – 30th anniversary

This summer, action-thriller The Fugitive celebrates its 30th anniversary. The movie – based on the classic 1963 television series of the same name – made its debut in July 1993, and quickly became one of the success stories of the year.

Directed by Andrew Davis, The Fugitive starred Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The movie told the story of a vascular surgeon from Chicago, who is wrongfully convicted of the murder of his wife, but who escapes and goes on the run, while attempting to prove his innocence.

In the movie, Ford plays the role of Kimble, who comes home one night to discover a ‘one-armed man’ has broken into his home and has murdered his wife. After a brief tussle, the killer flees, leaving Kimble to recount the events of the altercation to the police.

However, due to no signs of forced entry, as well as no evidence to locate the missing killer, Kimble is charged with the murder of his wife, convicted, and sentenced to death by lethal injection. But during a routine prison transport to Death Row, Kimble is given the opportunity to escape custody, which he seizes, leaving him on the run from the authorities.

While Kimble makes a break for it, hot on his trail is a team of U.S. Marshals, headed up by Sam Gerard, as played by Tommy Lee Jones. Gerard makes it his mission to find Kimble and he has no qualms about checking every hen house, outhouse house, and dog house, in order to get his man.

But Kimble is an intelligent, resourceful individual who knows how to evade capture and he knows he has to complete a mission of his own. Kimble aims to investigate his wife’s murder, locate the one-armed man, and gather together enough evidence to prove his innocence.

If you didn’t catch The Fugitive back in 1993, not only did you miss out on one of the best movies of the year, you also missed out on two stellar performances from Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Both actors delivered some of their finest work on screen, and in the case of Tommy Lee Jones, his turn as Sam Gerard bagged him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In total, The Fugitive was nominated for seven Academy Awards shortly after its release, and while it only took home one statue for Jones, those seven nominations should tell you everything you need to know about the movie. The Fugitive was highly regarded within the industry, and with the six awards it didn’t win, it took some consultation in the fact it lost out to either Schindler’s List (four times) or Jurassic Park (twice), which were two of the biggest and best movies of the year.

But irrespective of what industry accolades it did or didn’t win, The Fugitive was a big hit with audiences regardless. The film made over $368 million at the box-office back and become the third highest grossing picture of the year.

So, if you did miss out on The Fugitive back in ‘93, then you missed out on something special. However, the good news is, thirty years on the movie still stands out as a real gem of the summer season, which is backed by a tight script and those aforementioned power-house performances.

What makes the script for The Fugitive so damn good is the way it crams so much into the story at the very beginning, so that audiences are given the set up, before being swiftly taken into the action. Within the first 25 mins, The Fugitive delivers the murder, Kimble’s arrest, his trial and conviction, as well as his escape, including the first big action set piece involving a train crash.

This opening act also introduces Tommy Lee Jones’ character, U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard, and gives him the opportunity to recite a rousing speech about the lengths he’ll go to to track the fugitive Kimble. All of this sets up the premise, introduces the key players, and provides the hook to keep everyone paying attention.

Then from here, what follows is an extensive game of cat and mouse as Gerard chases Kimble through tunnels, hospitals, and across the city of Chicago. Along the way there is an exhilarating sequence involving a dam; some excellent misdirection with an arrest; and a couple of scenes where Kimble almost gets caught.

But it’s not just the chase which keeps things interesting. At various points throughout the movie, the story demonstrates that Kimble will put his own safety and freedom on the line to help others and this is a key part of the picture.

While the film makes it clear in flashbacks that Kimble is an innocent man, it wants his good deeds to speak for him. This is important for Kimble’s characterisation as it demonstrates his compassion, but it is also essential for a film in which Harrison Ford has limited dialogue so has to allow his actions to do the heavy lifting.

It’s also important to note that in addition to the above, the film is also concerned with clearing Kimble’s name before the credits roll. This isn’t a long-running TV series with multiple episodes; it’s a feature-length film that requires a resolution to Kimble’s plight, so enough time needs to be given to a satisfactory conclusion.

And the conclusion is satisfactory. I won’t spoil anything here, but The Fugitive is a smartly written picture which ties up all of its loose ends to keep audiences very happy.

Outside of the writing, The Fugitive boasts some superb set pieces, which help to break up the chase sequences, and of course there are the aforementioned performances from Ford and Jones. Both are at the top of their game, and both command the screen.

Without other actors to bounce off of, Harrison Ford often has to carry lengthy scenes with few words and only his facial expressions to convey his emotions. He does all this with ease, delivering a note perfect turn in the process.

As for Tommy Lee Jones, his Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor is well deserved. Despite being a supporting player, who has limited interactions with Ford, he steals every scene he is in and sells the heck out of his role.

It’s only towards the end of the movie that you realise what little screen time Jones shares with Ford. Yet despite all this, it feels like he’s as much the lead in the film as Harrison Ford is and that’s because of how committed he is to the part.

Thirty years may have passed since The Fugitive first hit screens, but the film has lost none of its tension, suspense, or power. The movie is an engrossing thrill ride, which never runs out of steam, and for my money it’s one of the best thrillers of the ‘90s, up there with The Silence of the Lambs and Seven.

So, whether you’re getting fed up of the lacklustre offerings on streaming services at the moment, or you merely want to revisit a classic, The Fugitive is one to seek out. The film is widely available on DVD and Blu-ray, or can be purchased or rented through all the major video-on-demand platforms.

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