The Fugitive

One of the great mysteries in television who-done-its is the identity of the one-armed man from the 1960s television series The Fugitive. The declaration “It wasn’t me. It was the one-armed man” has entered into pop culture and is often spouted by a character in a movie as a bit of levity. But levity aside, this concept has stayed in people’s minds over the decades since that television series was on the air, even if some people no longer remembered where it originated from. The mystery of the one-armed man piqued audiences curiosity and is right up there with the identity of the one who killer Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks. 

By the 1990s, there was a growing interest in revitalizing old television shows into movies. Star Trek had proven it could be done as early as the late 70s, and others followed suit. We got The Addams Family, The Beverly Hillbillies, Dragnet, and many others. The fad hasn’t gone away, either, as we have seen recent entries like 21 Jump Street, Dark Shadows, and The Fall Guy hit the big screen within the last few years. Most of these films are either critical failures or box-office disappointments, but occasionally one hits a homer, usually sparking an inferior sequel. Such was the case with The Fugitive when it was resurrected for the big screen in 1993. The formula for a successful film was all there in the series. A man is convicted of killing his wife but escapes custody, intent on proving his innocence and finding the real killer. This is juicy stuff. The television format was for him to go from town to town, under an assumed name, help the locals in some way, and occasionally find a new clue to the mystery, all while avoiding the law which keeps getting close but never quite catching up to him. More than a decade later, the same formula would be utilized for the hugely popular Incredible Hulk series. 

This film follows the same formula, albeit truncated down to the length of a feature film. It opens with some black-and-white footage of the murder of Helen Kimble (Sela Ward), showing us just enough to understand what is happening while obscuring the identity of her killer. The film doesn’t waste any time drawing out the court case against her husband, Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), either. What little we get is a revelation that he was the sole beneficiary of her personal wealth and that she made a 911 call that is misinterpreted as her naming her husband as her killer. He is quickly found guilty and sentenced to death. 

While being transported to prison, an attempt is made by several inmates to escape custody, leading to the prison bus crashing and then getting hit by an oncoming train. Most of the prisoners are killed, but Dr. Kimble and one other inmate escape along with two guards. Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his team are called in to track down the escapees, and the rest of the film is a cat-and-mouse game between the two men while Dr. Kimble is also trying to gather the evidence to uncover his wife’s true murderer and exonerate himself. 

There is nothing particularly wrong with The Fugitive. It’s a well-crafted thriller with an interesting, if somewhat unoriginal, premise. The best part about the film is having two people who are both on the good side be against each other for the majority of the film. It’s a fun dynamic that we don’t often see in films. Aside from this, though, there really isn’t anything that elevates this film into the ranks of best picture of the year. There are some truly great films nominated for the top Academy Award this year, and The Fugitive just pails in comparison. To say that this film didn’t stand a chance at winning is an understatement. In 1993, it was Schindler’s List, and then everything else was just an afterthought. There is only one exception, and that is the award given to Tommy Lee Jones over Ralph Fiennes. That was a head-scratcher when it was announced, and it still is. Tommy Lee Jones is the best thing about The Fugitive, but Ralph Fiennes is on a whole other level. 

Harrison Ford was cast in the lead role after it was offered to Alec Baldwin. A lot has been said about the fluidity of the screenplay during filming, but the final result feels like something written for Baldwin. Ford has a persona that bleeds over into this character, where even were we not familiar with the concept of The Fugitive, we never believe he killed his wife. That persona would change in a few years when Ford started taking on roles where he was the villain, but that largely hadn’t happened at this point in his career. Baldwin would have brought with him that sense that he was capable of the murder and just might be guilty. Baldwin also has a harder edge to him and a physicality that Ford just doesn’t have. Ford had done action films, most notably the Indiana Jones franchise, but brawling isn’t really his strong suit. When the plot tasks him with fighting, it just isn’t all that exciting to watch and is a real let-down in the film’s finale.

The second half of the film loses a lot of steam, especially as it gets closer to wrapping things up. The resolution and the reasons behind the murder of Kimball’s wife are not satisfying, nor is it surprising. Realistically, it is a failure of the screenplay to fall back on the old trope of the genre, but when we have a friend of the accused continually coming back into the plot, it’s a dead giveaway that that person is the real guilty party. The film also sprinkles a couple of details early on, hoping we’ll forget about them until they become relevant, but it is done so obviously that we don’t forget. The biggest of these is returning Kimball’s keys to him in the opening scene. Anytime in a mystery, someone has possession of the main character’s keys, or cell phone, etc., they are involved in the crime in some way, especially if the crime involves framing someone. It’s clumsy and obvious. This film was nominated for several Academy Awards, but the script was not amongst them. 

It is a well-shot film, though, and that was rewarded with a nomination for the cinematographer, Michael Chapman. Director Andrew Davis loves to feature his hometown of Chicago in his movies and always finds a way to romanticize the city as well as to call attention to details that make Chicago unique. Featured prominently in the film is the St. Patrick’s Day parade, a Chicago staple and Davis, whose love for the city is famous and opens doors to film there, shot one of the most iconic moments in the movie during the actual parade. It’s an impressive set piece that glamorizes the city and brings this tradition to a larger audience. That, coupled with the beautiful images of the Chicago River, dyed green for the holiday, create a moment that really stands out and sells Chicago to an otherwise unfamiliar audience.

It may not sound like it, but I do genuinely like this film. But I cannot overlook its faults. I especially like Tommy Lee Jones in this one. He’s stealing the film from Ford at every turn, and it is no surprise that he and his team are the returning characters in the sequel, U.S. Marshals. They are much more enjoyable to watch than anything Richard Kimball is doing. Sam Gerard also has a character arc that Kimball does not have. He goes from not caring whether Kimball is innocent to actually caring by the end. He starts out with only one objective: capture Kimball or kill him. There is a brutality to his character that gets him in trouble, sometimes, such as when his team catches up to the other man who escaped the prison bus. That man takes a hostage, one of Sam’s team members, and Sam doesn’t hesitate to shoot him in the head rather than even attempt to negotiate. Later, even after he has some doubts about Kimball being guilty, he shoots at Kimball, aiming for his head. The only thing that saves Kimball in that moment is some bulletproof glass. This is a man that is fairly rigid in his thinking, and only his witty banter and smart-aleck repartee keep us on his side. 

This is not a film that deserves its spot amongst the five best pictures of the year. It is a good action picture, but it just cannot sustain its full length and fizzles towards the end. There is too much emphasis on Kimball’s investigation, which is not presented in a way to keep things interesting, and not enough on keeping the film rolling at a decent pace. Without Tommy Lee Jones and his team, the film would be completely forgettable. That being said, I still enjoyed it for what it is, but it is telling that I haven’t watched this film since the mid-1990s and will probably not revisit it again for another twenty or thirty years. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Arnold Kopelson

Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones (won)

Best Cinematography: Michael Chapman

Best Film Editing: Dennis Virkler, David Finfer, Dean Goodhill, Don Brochu, Richard Nord, and Dov Hoenig

Best Original Score: James Newton Howard

Best Sound: Donald O. Mitchell, Michael Herbick, Frank A. Montaño, and Scott D. Smith

Best Sound Effects Editing: John Leveque and Bruce Stambler

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Release Date: August 6, 1993

Running Time: 130 minutes

Rated PG-13

Starring: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, and Jeroen Krabbé

Directed By: Andrew Davis