Probably the greatest modern post Hitchcock action thriller. A terrific cast led by two towering performances from Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones makes the most of an intelligent script and superb direction. The 60's television series provided a firm base for the story, but this feature length, densely plotted movie, takes proceedings to new heights of drama, and excellence.
The central premise is as old as the hills. "The wrong that must be righted". Ford playing Dr Richard Kimble is falsely accused of murdering his wife and the forces of good, the Police, become the agents of bad, in trying to recapture him after he escapes in a spectacular train and bus crash, as good an action sequence as you will ever see at the cinema.
Tommy Lee Jones is imperious as Marshall Sam Gerrard charged with tracking him down. Wonderfully gnarled and taciturn, Gerrard starts out simply doing his job, but things change as he not only comes to respect his quarry, but also starts to have doubts about Kimble's guilt.
The first half is all action, particularly the magnificent scene where a cornered Kimble dives down the face of a dam to escape his pursuers. The second half becomes a detective movie as Kimble returns to Chicago to find the real murderer- and clear his name. Full of twists and turns, there is an inevitable showdown at the end, and a text book ending as to how you wrap this sort of story up.
Director Andrew Davis's previous work gave no hint of his ability to deliver such a masterpiece, although his previous effort "Under Siege" will have sharpened up his action skills. And subsequently, he never quite scaled these heights again.
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