"The Fugitive" sets the bar for the
mindless Hollywood thriller. It's enlightenment value is absolutely
zero, but it delivers maximum excitement. I get the feeling that
if they added just one more flukey stunt, the whole film would
have collapsed into a sordid heap of sensationalistic mush. As
it is, the SOD (Suspension Of Disbelief) is pushed just far enough
to provide two hours jam packed with quality chases, stunts, crashes
and confrontations that will keep you clinging to the edge of
your seat.
Harrison Ford is well cast as Dr. Richard Kimball, the heart surgeon who plummets from his perch in Chicago high society when he is framed and sentenced to death for the gruesome murder of his beautiful wife. Harrison comes through with a typically solid performance, and makes the most out of the material. He really tugs on our heart strings and makes us eagerly adopt him as the protagonist.
Tommy Lee Jones is U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard. His job is to make life miserable for the fugitive, and one quickly gets the sense that he does his job extremely well. He isn't the real bad guy, but for the first 3 quarters of the movie, he will more than suffice as the antagonist. His relentless drive spearheads all the resources of the law onto the heels of our humble hero.
Eventually, Dr. Kimball makes it back to Chicago and conducts a very risky one man hunt for the real killer, or killers. This turns up a vast and sinister conspiracy with some real nasty bad guys. By this time, we hate them enough that we're real glad to see knuckles connect with noses.
Truth be told, maybe there is one flukey stunt too many, but I still enjoyed this movie for what it was. Too many Hollywood thrillers just don't thrill like they promise to, but this is one cliffhanger that really delivers. For that alone, it richly deserves it's runaway success.