"The Fugitive"



Allow me to suggest an exciting way to spend an afternoon - sprint to a theater near you and see "The Fugitive." Based on an ultra-popular television show from the 1960s, this action-thriller parallels the famous Sam Sheppard Case of Bay Village.

Returning home one night, Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) finds his wife has been killed by a one-armed man. The assailant gets away, and Kimble is charged and convicted of the murder.

On his way to be executed, Kimble's transport bus crashes and he escapes. From that point on, "The Fugitive" becomes a nail-biting game of cat and mouse. Kimble is relentlessly hunted by Detective Sam Gerard, who ends up as the good doctor's nemesis.

One of the more interesting points about the film is its portrayal of good and evil. Although Kimble is running from the law, it is him we cheer for as he evades the police and simultaneously searches for the mysterious one-armed man.

We can't dismiss Gerard, however. Even though he's chasing the wrong guy, he has the support of the law behind him. The real bad guy isn't revealed until the final minutes, leaving the audience rooting for two men who are trying to take each other down.

There are, then, two actual chases in the movie: Gerard is hunting Kimble and Kimble is looking for his wife's murderer. This all makes for one suspenseful ride.

To top it off, there are two superb actors in the leading roles. Ford is back doing what he does best: playing a normal guy who finds himself in an abnormal situation. Through facial expressions alone, Ford conveys Kimble's weariness and frustration at continually escaping from the law.

Hot off an explosive performance in "Under Siege," Tommy Lee Jones excels as the obsessed Gerard. He executes his character's volatile personality to a T, making Gerard's bark far worse than anyone's bite.

One of the dangers of doing a cat and mouse movie is making some of the escapes unbelievable. Not so in "The Fugitive." Hardly anything ever feels contrived or foolish.

So go see "The Fugitive," a sure-fire way to chase away boredom. n



Review by M. H., Westlake, OH