The Fugitive (1993)

There is no new thing under the sun - Ecclesiastes 1:9

There is nothing new under the sun, but there are lots of old things we don't know. - Ambrose Bierce

See what I mean?

In this day and age, forget about ever seeing anything that can honestly be called original. You think you've seen something brand new that no one else has done, thought of or said? You haven't; you've just never seen it before then.

Take, for example, television: every single program you see is based on something that came prior - be it a concept, a genre or even a particular type of character.

And let's not even get into the same said repetition in motion pictures. Mad Slasher films? Millions. Cop/Buddy films? Billions. "High-Concept" comedies? Trillions.

Then there's a whole other genre that combines the best of both worlds: Movies Based On TV Shows. In this field, there are a few successes (Wayne's World, Mission: Impossible, the Star Trek films) and more than a few failures (Car 54, Where Are You?, Wild Wild West, I Spy). So what does it take to succeed in a genre whose road is paved with failures? Stay as close as possible to your source material, make sure your actors are up for what they're doing and above all, don't insult the original's fans.

Most everyone will know what I'm talking about when I mention the 1963 TV series "The Fugitive", created by Roy Huggins. Its characters are engraved in the collective subconscious of those who watched the series back in the day as well as those who watch its reruns on cable. Doctor Richard Kimble (David Janssen) is unjustly accused of murdering his wife, but escapes arrest in order to find the One-Armed Man who actually committed the deed. All the way he is dogged by the unflappable police lieutenant Phillip Gerard (Barry Morse) who vows to catch Kimble...dead or alive. And after four seasons Kimble does, finally, catch the One-Armed Man and prove his innocence (sorry if I spoiled it for you).

So, when Warner Brothers Pictures announced its intention to make a movie of this well-loved series, groans aplenty from fans and armchair critics worldwide arose. Their thought: how are they gonna mess up THIS one?

Some fears were alleviated when the director was announced: Andrew Davis. Now here is a man who has made some of the best action films of recent years. It was he who helmed Code Of Silence, what some consider to be the best movie of star Chuck Norris' long career. Davis was also behind the lens for The Package, Above The Law, Under Siege (Law and Siege being highpoints in Steven Seagal's filmography) and Chain Reaction. Davis' signatures as director were intense action, smart characters, exciting stories and hair-raising set pieces: all four things that would be critical to any movie based on "The Fugitive".

More sighs of relief came when the cast was announced...or at least casting for the two leads. Harrison Ford, a man who seemed born to play the "normal man forced to action", was to be Doctor Kimble, and pursuing him as U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (a slight name and title change, but oh well..) would be Tommy Lee Jones (with whom Davis worked with on Package). Everything was set to succeed, so did it?

To tick off from the checklist used on Davis' other films, one should make note of the story first and foremost. The Fugitive's take on Huggins' original idea (written here by David Twohy and Jeb Stuart, both alums of action master Walter Hill), upped the ante as far as emotional impact; you can empathize with Kimble's anguish over the loss of his wife as well as his frustration and confusion as he struggles to keep himself hidden from the authorities and seek out the truth. And at the same time, you're right there with Gerard as he follows every clue, searches every outhouse and doghouse for his quarry and refuses to let up for a minute in his investigation, even as he begins to see cracks around the stories he hears. What other film could make the hunter and the hunted both so compelling?

The characters in The Fugitive are smart. At least as smart as your average Joe. Credit that to the acting as well as the story. In his later years, Ford has become a more thoughtful actor and allowed himself to chip away at the macho exterior of his action personae. As Kimble, he permits some overwrought moments, like when he breaks down during police questioning at the thought of his wife being dead. His face is lined with worry, his eyes darting with fear. Later on, while he hurriedly shaves off his beard (with trembling hands) and struggles to disguise himself at every turn of his escape there is no question that, perhaps, this would be how we would react in the same circumstance...albeit, if we were as resourceful and determined as he. You watch him here and you may remember Indiana Jones, but there's no question that Ford has found a more mature foothold in the same criteria.

Tommy Lee Jones, however, is a different story. Jones seems to have made a career out of playing characters that seemed to know more than they would say, grin at their own personal observations and play little mind games with those around them. It's not fair to say that he plays Sam Gerard as he would any other character he's ever played, but it IS true. Not that this is a complaint, mind you; Jones can act rings around most other actors who try to play the same type of role (except for James Woods, perhaps) but purists tend to believe that when Jones signs on for a part, it is no longer the director's or writer's...it belongs to HIM. Seriously, Jones is on top of his game here and takes control every time he's onscreen.

There are some spectacular set pieces. The now-legendary train wreck scene (using real trains, no less) not only carries a huge action payoff but plays for all the drama, pathos, tension and, if you will, emotional impact that such a scene can possibly bring And even in such a scene, there are character motivations put into play that add to the movie at large - rare for an action film nowadays. Then there's a leap from a water reservoir that is incredible, stunt-wise, but as you watch the build-up to it you'll no doubt find yourself stunned by how much you're caught up in the moment. As the camera pulls up and reveals the plummeting waterfall and the churning waters lying in wait below, it's a supreme moment of vertigo and anticipation that, for once in a movie like this, is more than a momentary thrill.

The Fugitive, then, is a good film and everyone acquits themselves well. As a matter of fact it's safe to say that this is one of THE BEST of the Movies Based On TV Shows genre ever made. As I said before, there's absolutely nothing here that you haven't seen in other movies. Sometimes, it's a matter of style that sets different movies in the same vein apart. Other times it's the effort that's put forth on both sides of the camera. Certainly the world wouldn't have ended if The Fugitive were never made. But the fact that it was made and it effortlessly earned its way into the coveted $100 Million Movie Club worldwide just goes to prove that even if there's no new thing under the sun, it doesn't necessarily mean that some people don't want to hear a good story told to them again.

The Fugitive is that good story.