The Fugitive is a 1993 American action film based on the 1960s television series of the same name created by Roy Huggins. The film was directed by Andrew Davis and stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. After being wrongfully convicted for the murder of his wife, Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford) escapes from custody and is declared a fugitive. He sets out to prove his innocence and bring those who were responsible to justice while being pursued relentlessly by a team of U.S. Marshals, led by Deputy Samuel Gerard (Jones).
The film premiered in theaters in the United States on August 6, 1993 and spent six weeks as the No. 1 film, grossing $368,875,760. Considering its production budget of $44 million and related marketing costs, the film was considered a major financial success. The Fugitive was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, a rarity for a film associated with a television series. Jones won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It presently holds a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of "universal acclaim" from Metacritic.[3][4]
On August 31, 1993, the original motion picture soundtrack was released by the Elektra Records music label. The soundtrack was composed and orchestrated by musician James Newton Howard. The independent music label La-La Land Records would also later release a limited edition 2-CD set soundtrack as well.[5] The film spawned a sequel, U.S. Marshals, in which Jones reprised his role as Gerard. The sequel was directed by Stuart Baird, acquiring mostly negative critical reviews but earning over $100 million at the box office.
Plot
Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford), a prominent Chicagovascular surgeon, arrives home one night to find his wife Helen (Ward) fatally wounded by a one-armed man. Although Kimble struggles with the killer, the assailant escapes. The lack of evidence of a break-in, his being the beneficiary of Helen's lucrative life insurance, and a misunderstood 9-1-1 call, result in his conviction of first degree murder. On his way to death row aboard a bus, his fellow prisoners attempt an escape. The pandemonium results in a number of dead and wounded, causing the bus to fall down a ravine and into the path of an oncoming train. Kimble escapes the destructive collision and flees the scene. Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Jones), and his colleagues Renfro (Pantoliano), Biggs (Roebuck), Newman (Wood) and Poole (Caldwell), arrive at the crash site and formulate a search plan to apprehend the escaped convicts. Kimble sneaks into a hospital to treat his wounds and alter his appearance. He eludes the authorities and makes a getaway. Kimble is eventually cornered by Gerard at the leading edge of a storm drain flowing into a dam.
In an exchange of dialogue that became famous, Kimble shouts, "I didn't kill my wife!" and Gerard replies, "I don't care."[6][7][8] (It has been reported that Tommy Lee Jones improvised the line.[9][10])
Then, Kimble leaps from the viaduct into the raging water and escapes.
Chicago, Illinois, where the story takes place.
Kimble returns to Chicago to hunt for the murderer and acquires some money from his friend and colleague Dr. Charles Nichols (Krabbé). Posing as a janitor, Kimble enters Cook County Hospital's prosthetic department to obtain a list of people who had their prosthetic arm repaired shortly after his wife's murder. Following a police lead confirming Kimble's recent whereabouts, Gerard speculates that Kimble must be looking for the one-armed man. Later, Kimble breaks into the residence of one of the people on the list; a former police officer named Fredrick Sykes (Katsulas). Not only does Kimble confirm that Sykes is the murderer, but he also discovers that Sykes is employed by a pharmaceutical company, Devlin MacGregor, which is scheduled to release a new drug called Provasic. Kimble had investigated the drug and revealed that it caused liver damage, which would have prevented it from being approved by the FDA. He also deduces that Nichols, who is leading the drug's development, arranged a cover-up, and ordered Sykes to kill him; his wife's death was incidental. Gerard follows Kimble's lead to Sykes' home and draws the same conclusion.
As Kimble takes an elevated train to confront Nichols at the drug's presentation in a hotel, Sykes appears and attacks him. In the ensuing struggle, Sykes shoots a transit cop before being subdued and handcuffed to a pole by Kimble. Kimble arrives at the pharmacon conference and interrupts Nichols's speech, accusing him of falsifying his medical research and orchestrating his wife's consequent murder. They begin to fight while being chased by the marshals and police. Kimble, Nichols, Renfro and Gerard find themselves in the hotel's laundry room. Gerard calls out to Kimble and says that he is aware of the conspiracy fabricated by Nichols. Hearing this, Nichols knocks out Renfro and takes his gun. Nichols then attempts to shoot Gerard, but Kimble attacks him from behind, rendering him unconscious. Kimble surrenders to Gerard, who escorts him out of the hotel. Nichols and Sykes are arrested, while Kimble is exonerated and driven away from the crime scene by Gerard.
Cast
Actor Andreas Katsulas who portrayed the character of Fredrick Sykes; also referred to as the one-armed man.
Actor Harrison Ford was not originally cast for the role of Dr. Kimble.[11] Instead, a number of actors were auditioned for the part, including Alec Baldwin, Nick Nolte, Kevin Costner, and Michael Douglas.[11] Nolte in particular felt he was too old for the part even though he is only a year older than Ford. Although the role of Gerard went to actor Tommy Lee Jones, both Gene Hackman and Jon Voight were considered for the part.[11] The character of Dr. Nichols was recast for actor Jeroen Krabbé after the original actor who won the role, Richard Jordan, fell ill and later died during the early phases of production.[11]
Filming
Filming locations for the motion picture included Cherokee, North Carolina; Tennessee; Chicago; and Dillsboro, North Carolina.[12] Although almost half of the film is set in rural Illinois, a large portion of the principal filming was actually shot in Jackson County, North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains. The scene involving Kimble's prison transport bus and a freight train wreck was filmed along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad just outside of Dillsboro, North Carolina. Riders on the excursion railroad can still see the wreckage on the way out of the Dillsboro depot.[13] The train crash cost $1 million to film. The train used during the filming was real, and was done in a single take.[11] Scenes in the hospital after Kimble initially escapes were filmed at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva, North Carolina. Cheoah Dam in Deals Gap was the location of the scene where Kimble jumps from the dam.
The rest of the film was shot in Chicago, Illinois, including some of the dam scenes, which were filmed in the remains of the Chicago freight tunnels. The character Sykes lived in the historic Pullman neighborhood of Chicago. Harrison Ford used the pay phone in the Pullman Pub, at which point he climbs a ladder and runs down the roofline of the historic rowhouses.[14] During the St. Patrick's Day Parade chase scene, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris are briefly shown as participants.[15]
Music
The film's musical score was composed by James Newton Howard; Janet Maslin of The New York Times called the music "hugely effective."[16]Elektra Records released an album featuring selections from the score on August 31, 1993. La-La Land Records later released a 2-disc, expanded and remastered edition of the score, featuring over an hour of previously unreleased music, tracks from the original soundtrack, and alternate cues.[17]
Untitled
The Fugitive: Limited Edition Expanded Archival Collection Disc 1
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Main Title"
3:50
2.
"The Trial"
4:31
3.
"The Bus"
4:56
4.
"The Hand/The Hunt/The Tow truck"
4:04
5.
"The Hospital"
4:06
6.
"Helicopter Chase"
4:49
7.
"The Sewer"
4:24
8.
"Kimble in the River"
1:52
9.
"The Dream/Kimble Dyes his Hair"
2:45
10.
"Copeland Bust"
1:59
11.
"Kimble Calls his Lawyer/No Press"
1:57
12.
"Kimble Returns to Hospital"
3:06
13.
"The Montage/Cops Bust the Boys/Computer Search"
6:50
14.
"Kimble Saves the Boy"
2:54
15.
"Gerard Computes"
1:49
16.
"The Courthouse/Stairway Chase"
6:13
17.
"Cheap Hotel/Sykes' Apartment"
4:37
Total length:
64:52
Untitled
The Fugitive: Limited Edition Expanded Archival Collection Disc 2
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Kimble Calls Gerard"
2:37
2.
"Memorial Hospital/It's Not Over Yet"
3:03
3.
"See a Friend/Sykes Marks Kimble"
2:12
4.
"This is My Stop/El Train Fight"
4:02
5.
"The Hotel"
2:42
6.
"Roof Fight Pt. 1/Roof Fight Pt. 2/Nichols Reappears"
3:52
7.
"The Elevator/The Laundry Room"
4:58
8.
"It's Over/End Credits"
5:40
9.
"The Fugitive Theme"
3:04
10.
"Kimble Dyes His Hair"
4:23
11.
"No Press"
4:57
12.
"No Press (Alternate)"
0:45
13.
"No Press (No Sax)"
1:31
14.
"Cops Bust The Boys (Alternate)"
1:09
15.
"Computer Search (No Sax)"
2:49
16.
"Roof Fight Pt. 1 (Less Percussion)"
1:57
17.
"Roof Fight Pt. 2 (Less Orch Verb)"
1:17
18.
"Helicopter Chase/The Sewer (Synth Demos)"
7:44
19.
"Piano End credits"
2:47
Total length:
61:29
Release
Home media
Following its release in theaters, the Region 1widescreenPan and scan edition of the film was released on DVD in the United States on March 26, 1997.[18] A Special Edition widescreen format of the film was released on June 5, 2001 along with an HD version on May 23, 2006.[19] Concurrently, on September 8, 2009, a widescreen repackaged variant was also released.[20] Special features for the DVD included behind-the-scenes documentaries, audio commentary by Tommy Lee Jones and director Andrew Davis, an introduction with the film's stars and creators, and the theatrical trailer.
A restored widescreen hi-definition Blu-ray version was released on September 26, 2006. Special features include commentary by Tommy Lee Jones and director Andrew Davis, two documentaries, and the theatrical trailer.[21] On September 3, 2013, a 20th Anniversary Blu-ray edition for the film was released with a new digital transfer along with DTS-HD Master Audio tracking among other features.[22]
Novelization
Jeanne Kalogridis wrote a mass-market paperback novelization of the film.[23] She worked from the original screenplay, which characterizes a doctor unjustly accused of a crime, while being pursued relentlessly by federal authorities.
Reception
Critical response
Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received universal acclaim.[24]Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 96% based on reviews from 68 critics, with an average score of 7.9 out of 10.[25] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average out of 100 to critics' reviews, The Fugitive received a score of 88 based on 11 reviews.[24]
Like the cult television series that inspired it, the film has a Kafkaesque view of the world. But it is larger and more encompassing than the series: Davis paints with bold visual strokes so that the movie rises above its action-film origins and becomes operatic.
—Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times[26]
Desson Howe, writing in The Washington Post, channeled with an upbeat sentiment affirming, "A juggernaut of exaggeration, momentum and thrills — without a single lapse of subtlety — "Fugitive" is pure energy, a perfect orchestration of heroism, villainy, suspense and comic relief. Ford makes the perfect rider for a project like this, with his hangdog-handsome everyman presence. He's one of us — but one of us at his personal best. It's great fun to ride along with him."[27] Left impressed, Rita Kempley also writing in The Washington Post, surmised how the filmed contained "Beautifully matched adversaries" deducing, "One represents the law, the other justice — and it's the increasingly intimate relationship between them that provides the tension. Otherwise, "The Fugitive" would be little more than one long chase scene, albeit a scorchingly paced and innovative one."[28] In a mixed to positive review, Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle figured, "Director Davis valiantly tries to keep the breakneck, harried pace of an actual flight going throughout, and only occasionally drops the ball (the film's convoluted conspiracy ending is the first example to beat me about the face and neck just now — others will crop up after deadline, I'm sure)." On the lead actor's performance he said, "Ford may be the closest thing we have these days to a Gary Cooper, but really, where's David Janssen when we really need him?"[29]Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, emphatically expressed that the film was about "two chases, two suspense plots running on parallel — and finally convergent — tracks. Kimble and Gerard spend the entire film on opposite sides of the law. Before long, though, we realize we're rooting for both of them; they're both protagonists, united in brains, dedication, superior gamesmanship. The film's breathless momentum springs from their jaunty competitive urgency."[30]
The film however was not without its detractors. A columnist writing under the pseudonym GA for Time Out viewed the film as "A glossy, formula chase movie with the requisite number of extravagant action sequences". The critic added, "Ford is up to par for the strenuous stuff, but falls short on the grief, anxiety and compassion, allowing Tommy Lee Jones to walk away with the show as the wisecracking marshal on Kimble's trail."[31] In a formulaic fashion, columnist Ethan Ham writing for the Bright Lights Film Journal speculated that supporting actor Tommy Lee Jones' character was "much more disturbing than the inept police." Later explaining, "In Kimble's first encounter with Gerard, Kimble says, 'I didn't kill her!' Gerard responds, 'I don't care.'"[32] In the Chicago Sun-Times, noted film critic Roger Ebert voiced his enthusiasm with the picture observing, "The device of the film is to keep Kimble only a few steps ahead of his pursuers. It is a dangerous strategy, and could lead to laughable close calls and near-misses, but Davis tells the story of the pursuit so clearly on the tactical level that we can always understand why Kimble is only so far ahead, and no further. As always, Davis uses locations not simply as the place where action occurs, but as part of the reason for the action."[26] Rating the film with three stars, James Berardinelli of ReelViews professed, "Following the opening scenes, we're treated to over a half-hour of nonstop action as Gerard and his men track down Kimble. Directed and photographed with a flair, this part of the movie keeps viewers on the edges of their seats. Most importantly, when on the run, Kimble acts like an intelligent human being. Equally as refreshing, the lawmen are his match, not a bunch of uniformed dunces being run around in circles."[33]
Harrison Ford, bearded and numb with grief, breathes new life into the role last played by the stoic David Janssen some 26 years ago. Janssen played Kimble as the Lone Ranger with a stethoscope, moving from town to town, but Ford takes a darker, more gothic approach.
For the most part, satisfied with the quality of the motion picture, Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader said that "The mystery itself is fairly routine, but Jones's offbeat and streamlined performance as a proudly diffident investigator helps one overlook the mechanical crosscutting and various implausibilities, and director Andrew Davis does a better-than-average job with the action sequences."[34] Leonard Klady writing in Variety exclaimed, "This is one film that doesn't stint on thrills and knows how to use them. It has a sympathetic lead, a stunning antagonist, state-of-the-art special effects, top-of-the-line craftsmanship and a taut screenplay that breathes life into familiar territory."[35] Film critic Chris Hicks of the Deseret News accounted for the fact that the film "has holes in its plotting that are easy to pick apart and characters that are pretty thin, bolstered by the performances of seasoned vets who know how to lend heft to their roles." But in summary he stated, "the film is so stylish, so funny and so heart-stopping in its suspense that the audience simply doesn't care about flaws."[36]
Box office
The Fugitive opened strongly at the U.S. box office, grossing $23,758,855 in its first weekend and holding the top spot for six weeks.[37][38] It eventually went on to gross an estimated $183,875,760 in the U.S., and $185,000,000 in foreign revenue for a worldwide total of $368,875,760.[39][40]
Accolades
The film was nominated and won several awards in 1993–94.[41] Various film critics included the film on their lists of the top 10 best films for that year; including Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times who named it the fourth best film of 1993.[42] The film is also listed by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 most thrilling American Films.[43]
Jones returned as Gerard in a 1998 sequel, U.S. Marshals. It also incorporates Gerard's team hunting an escaped fugitive, but does not involve Harrison Ford as Kimble or the events of the initial 1993 feature.[61]
Also in 1998, a parody film Wrongfully Accused, based on The Fugitive, was developed with Leslie Nielsen portraying the principal character. Although the film spoofs many other motion pictures such as Mission Impossible and Titanic, the storyline revolves around Nielsen's character being framed for a murder, as he escapes from federal custody to seek out the real suspect behind the crime.[62]
^Dramatica.com. "The Fugitive: Comprehensive Storyform". Dramatica.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014. Even though his job is to capture fugitives from "justice," he can ignore the possible innocence of his quarry. In response to Kimble's declaration of innocence, Gerard replies at gun point, "I don't care."
^Knolle, Sharon (August 7, 2013). "The Fugitive: 25 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About the Harrison Ford Movie". Moviefone. Retrieved December 24, 2014. Jones improvised much of his dialogue in the film, including the famous "I don't care" line. According to producer Roy Huggins, Gerard's scripted response to Richard Kimble's saying "I didn't kill my wife" was "That isn't my problem."
^Barnard, T.J. (2013). "10 Astonishing Things You Didn't Know About Iconic Movie Scenes". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014. ...Ford, pointing a pistol at Jones, yells: "I didn't kill my wife!" Jones reply is perfectly weighed: "I don't care!" he shouts back. The beauty of this line, of course, sums up Jones' position in the movie – he doesn't give a damn whether or not Ford committed the crime or not, it's his job to take him in, and that's all that matters. Working out whether he's [innocent] is for somebody else to do. Thing is, Jones improvised this brilliant line, one that no doubt helped him to win his Oscar and shape his character...
