Witness
Tags: mystery, neo noir, murder, realism, dramatic, violence, romantic, suspenseful

Plot synopsis:
Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), a young Amish widow, and her 8-year-old son Samuel (Lukas Haas) are traveling by train to visit Rachel's sister. At the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Samuel inadvertently sees two men brutally murder a third. Captain John Book (Harrison Ford) is the policeman assigned to the case.Samuel witnessed the murder, a slashing, in the restroom and escaped the killers' detection by hiding in a stall. Book and his partner, Sergeant Elton Carter (Brent Jennings), question Samuel. He is unable to identify the perpetrator from mug shot photographs or a police lineup, but notices a newspaper clipping at the police station with a picture of highly regarded narcotics officer James McFee (Danny Glover) and recognizes him as one of the killers. Book remembers that McFee was previously responsible for a drug raid where evidence had mysteriously disappeared from the police department.Book confides his suspicions to his superior officer, Chief Paul Schaeffer (Josef Sommer), who advises Book to keep the case secret so they can work out how to move forward with it. As Book returns home, he is confronted by McFee in a parking garage and badly wounded in the ensuing gunfight before McFee escapes. Since only Schaeffer had been told, Book realizes Schaeffer must have warned McFee and is also corrupt.Book calls Carter and orders him to remove the Lapp file from the records. Book then hides his Dodge and uses his sister's VW to return Rachel and Samuel to Lancaster County. After the Lapps' safe arrival in rural Pennsylvania, Book collapses from loss of blood in his vehicle in front of the Lapp farm.Impressing upon them that hospitalization will allow the corrupt officers to find him, Book is gradually tended back to health by the Amish. As Book heals, he begins to develop feelings for Rachel. The Lapps' neighbor, Daniel Hochleitner (Alexander Godunov) had himself hoped to court her and this becomes a cause of friction. Later Rachel and John are caught dancingan affront to the conservative Amish way of life. Rachels father-in-law, Eli, takes her aside and warns that if she continues she could be shunned (ostracized) by the community. Rachel, in turn, feels she has done nothing wrong.The corrupt officers intensify their efforts to find Book, who is informed via a call from a payphone that Carter has been killed. While still in town, Hochleitner and the other Amish men are harassed by local punks. Breaking with the Amish tradition of nonviolence, Book retaliates. The fight gets noticed by the local townspeople and is reported to the police. The news reaches Schaeffer.John subsequently comes upon Rachel as she bathes, and she stands half-naked without shame before him. He walks away without a word. Soon after, the two realize they are in love, but because of the publicity the fight has gotten, Book knows he must leave. Upset, Rachel removes her bonnet, and she and John run to one another, embracing with a passionate kiss.McFee, Schaeffer, and "Fergie" Ferguson (Angus MacInnes), the second killer at the train station, arrive at the Lapp farm with pump action shotguns. Book, unarmed and in the barn with Samuel, orders Samuel to run to the neighbors for safety. The trio split up and search for Book. John tricks Fergie into the corn silo and suffocates him under tons of corn. He retrieves Fergie's shotgun and kills McFee. A crazed Schaeffer then forces Rachel and Eli out of the house at gunpoint; Eli signs to Samuel (who returned unseen upon hearing gunfire) to ring the warning bell. Although Schaeffer briefly forces Book to surrender to him, the loud clanging summons all other Amish within earshot. With so many witnesses present it is clear to Schaeffer that he cannot escape, and he gives up.As Schaeffer is taken by local police and Book prepares to leave, he shares a quiet moment with Samuel, then exchanges a silent, loving gaze with Rachel. Eli bids Book goodbye for his return to Philadelphia, saying "You be careful out among the English [i.e., non-Amish]", as he had said to Rachel at the beginning of the film, and showing Book that he now respects him like the people of his own faith. As Book drives away from the Lapp farm, he passes Hochleitner, presumably on his way to court Rachel, and exchanges an amicable wave of farewell.

Review: You have tremendous suspense, a top-flight popular actor as the hero, a touching romance story, plenty of action, a different kind of setting than normal, people you care about, nice photography, very moral and very immoral people, a little humor.....I mean, this is how it's done.I also appreciated seeing Amish people (of which I am not) portrayed in a better light than secular Hollywood usually puts them.
I also liked the wholesome female lead Kelly McGillis (although she was the only Amish character out of character, a bit loose than what you would ever find) and who didn't think young Lukas Haas was the cutest kid they ever saw on film?Harrison Ford gives a typical solid performance as John Book, a Philadelphia detective who winds up protecting the young boy ("Samuel Lapp"), his mom (McGillis as "Rachel Lapp") and others against crooked cops (Hollywood's favorite kind).
During that time, we also have the blossoming romance between the two leads and then a dramatic shootout at the end when the cops find out where "Book" is staying.There are many memorable scenes in this movie, from the boy hiding in the bathroom stall as a murder takes place; Ford slugging some goon who was making fun of the Amish; Ford and McGillis dancing in the hayloft to an old rock 'n roll tune; the Amish lifestyles and the raising of the barn; and the suspenseful ending.
I would like to clear up a couple of comments made by movieguy1021, who wrote:"One thing I didn't understand is how come everyone seemed to use such strong accents yet they've been living in America for a long time."Most Amish communities mainly speak Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a dialect of German, hence the accents in the film.
The film was Weir's first in Hollywood, after achieving great success with the Australian productions 'Gallipoli' and 'The Year of Living Dangerously (1982).'Following the death of her husband, a grieving Amish woman, Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), takes her young son Samuel (Lukas Haas) into the city.
Now with a price on his head, Book falls into hiding with the reluctant Amish community, and both parties come to learn a thing or two about the conflicting values of their respective worlds.Harrison Ford has rarely given a better performance.
The film is fantastic on that level, especially thanks to Peter Weir's direction, who brilliantly shows Ford gradually becoming accepted by the Amish men.There is very little dialogue among the characters, and Rachel (McGillis) talks even less, not because she doesn't have anything to say, but because Amish rules of life don't seem to allow her to.
The filmmakers seem to have some kind of answer to how the killer's storyline should be resolved, but it's not very good.Despite the flaw, the film is excellent based on the performances of the cast, the editor who had to put all the dialogue-less scenes together (and later, won the Oscar for it), and Weir's masterful handling of the story..
Now, Harrison was terrific in this movie--probably why I wasn't bothered too much about him being the center of attention--and I think he's a very underrated actor (sure he's widely known, but recognize him more as a macho action hero than an actor), but I think if Weir decided to expand that subplot it would've made a more interesting film.Kelly McGillis is convincing as the boy's Amish mother, who gets swept away by Book.
This beautiful love story contrasts corruption with goodness.Harrison Ford underplays his role so well it is scandalous  his Hollywood buddies must have laughed their arses off at him taking this role what some cop living with Amish?
The story focuses on a detective (Harrison Ford) protecting a young Amish boy who becomes the target of a ruthless killer after he witnesses a brutal murder.
Harrison Ford gets out of his action movies to have one of the best roles of his career playing John Book.Peter Weir's film is about a hard-nosed detective named John Book who investigates a murder that a small Amish boy witnessed.
Into their midst is thrown Harrison Ford, a tough city cop who must learn to cope with their insular society.The thriller aspects, while wonderfully handled, come second to the film's exploration of Amish culture.
I mention this scene because it best reveals the true character of the movie Witness, which is not so much a police drama, but a film about one man's introspection.Witness is set, for the most part, in Amish Country in Pennsylvania.
On the weaknesses front, we have implausibilities, a formulaic story development (a typical corrupt cop movie), a mixture between thriller and educational drama that does not exactly work, lots of long dialogue-free moments that should be inspiring, but are boring in quite a few cases (eg the barn scenes), some weak humour and a bad lack of thrills.
From the script to the screen, this flows very well and is a masterpiece in itself.What future filmmakers should watch when developing a small budget story that has significant story telling.It's close to flawless and will be for years to come.Somehow they even manged to get the Amish story to be kept interesting...I never fell asleep watching people milk cows or raise barns in this movie.Yeah, it's good...and you better agree with me too....
The film features striking scenes and a score that I found enjoyable even though it frequently had synthesizers in it.Harrison Ford is well-suited to the role of John Book, a tough policeman foreign to Amish ways.
Specifically, the crime story is put on hold when John Book must hide in the Amish community to avoid the murderers.A love story is developed between Ford and McGillis which is effective and convincing and leads to great moments like the dance scene.
This is probably Harrison Ford's best performance of his career, as Book has to protect the young boy and his mother (a terrific Kelly McGillis) by joining the Amish community and adjusting to their way of life.It's a very simple script, and McGillis is extremely convincing as Rachel, a mother who gradually falls for the man whose meant to be her protector.
The chemistry between McGillis and Ford builds and builds to a divine conclusion, while equally wonderful background music heightens the emotions involved.The final showdown with the killers makes Witness even more compelling viewing, and certainly proves the point that not everyone is to be trusted...The lack of dialogue in the scene in which Book and Rachel finally part adds to the sympathetic and emotional impact of their feelings for one another.
Peter Weir's film Witness does what should be expected in a genre piece using this subject matter: place a regular guy (Harrison Ford) in the midst of this Amish world as a culture clash occurs.
With this premise, and that Book is shot and must stay put in Amish country for a bit, Weir explores the nature of the characters in this situation as opposed to the by-the-numbers plotting of the story, which are (thankfully) darker than one might usually expect.And a good deal of Witness's success is Ford in the role.
So many great things about the movie stand out, Harrison Ford is perfect, yes it's a perfect performance, his John Book is gruff and rugged yet as the story moves on he nails the endearment and knowing traits that the character calls for.
Kelly McGillis is an actress who I feel drags down nearly all the films she leads in, yet here I forgive her because she is marvellous as Rachael, an Amish woman fighting her inner feelings as much as she is the bad outside world that wants to hurt her son.Peter Weir IMHO is one of the most under praised modern day directors around {yes even now}, and here his deft hands put the story together adroitly, whilst John Searle's cinematography is gorgeous and out of the top draw.
It's an almost perfect movie as regards acting and the process of making a film, I do however fly in the face of popular opinion as regards the score, it doesn't work for me i'm sad to say, Maurice Jarre's drawn out synth seems to me out of place for the piece we are watching, I personally would of liked a more subtle string arrangement, but that is me.For those looking for a first time viewing in the Drama/Thriller genre can do no worse than seek this one out, because it's put together so well, it delivers on a plot front, and the ending doesn't pander to studio yearnings, 9/10.The S/E DVD has a wonderful making of feature that is crammed full of quality input, and for Ford worshippers such as I, it contains none aloof input from the legend himself, that alone was worth the 5 Euros it cost me for this cracking film ..
Amish youngster, away from the family farm in Lancaster County for the first time while visiting Philadelphia, witnesses a men's room killing, the victim a police officer; a good-hearted cop smells corruption and goes into hiding to help protect the child, falling in love with the boy's mother in the process.
Happily the film doesn't bottle it with an unlikely happy ending but stays true with a rather downbeat final shot.The culture clash element is interesting and is better than other Amish movies I've seen (mind you Holy Matrimony is my benchmark!), it is a lot slower than the thriller sections but that is the point.
The movie was shot in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the actual Amish country and in Philadelphia.Witness was nominated for several Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor for Harrison Ford, and Best Director for Peter Weir.
Featuring a rich, startling performance from Ford and a powerful turn by Kelly McGillis (who had only appeared on "One Life to Live", a TV movie and the marvelous film "Rueben, Rueben" at that point in her career) "Witness" still manages to amaze with the suspense that Weir generates in the film.The contrast between the gritty urban police precinct and the bucolic Amish farm country is one of the best things about the film.
Witness is a great movie with a very well developed storyline and a terrific cast.It is a very enjoyable drama which contains elements of both crime and romance that manage to balance out very nicely in this despite how different the tones of the romantic scenes and the crime scenes are.Harrison Ford delivers one of the best performances of his career in this movie,I'm a huge fan of him,but he honestly isn't someone who would take my breath away with his acting skills and someone that I think deserves an Oscar,but he easily could have received one for this movie,he takes a break from his big franchise roles to play a much smaller and more human character,and this makes for very sincere acting.I feel like it definitely needed more scenes between John and Rachel,there is plenty,but I felt that in the last thirty minutes it started revolving around it much less and I would have liked to see it develop some more.Dramatic and very well acted,I would recommend Witness to anyone looking for a good crime film or romance.
A tuff cop is hired to guard two murder witnesses,a gentle Amish mother and her son,from the killers out to silence them.Best Performance: Harrison Ford.
Harrison Ford is John Book, the "good cop" police captain who inadvertently tips his hand to the bad cops, survives an assassination attempt and has to hide out in Amish country of all places.This movie can be looked at a lot of ways but the consensus seems to be that the basic cop story plot is simply an excuse to put a gritty Harrison Ford character in the bucolic and appealing Amish setting for an hour or so.
Everyone remembers the barn raising scene, but the moment where Book and Rachel dance in the dimly lit barn to the wonderfully slow cover of "(What a) Wonderful World" is a stunning and excellent scene, perfectly capturing the emotion between the two characters in a way just about everyone in the audience should be able to fondly relate to.The directer does a good job of showing you the way of life of the Amish (or at least, his version of it) without hammering you over the head with it, and Harrison's low-intensity acting is the perfect match for that.
The movie is book-ended by a story about police corruption, as a young Amish boy (well played by Lukas Haas) witnesses the murder of an undercover police officer, and then identifies the killer as another cop.
By showing the vast differences between the violent and corrupted world of crime in Philadelphia, with the apparently simple world of the Amish, we are given an opportunity to be reborn through the adventures of Book (Harrison Ford) and the Lapp Family (McGillis and Haas).Our perceptions and knowledge are altered by the end of the film.
This is a fabulous romantic thriller, with Harrison Ford at his most magnetic as the hardened big city detective, John Book, and Kelly McGillis portraying his Amish love interest, Rachel Lapp.
I actually think he should have took home the Best Actor Oscar home that year as opposed to William Hurt for Kiss of the Spider Woman (Though I understand why he got it) Plot In A Paragraph: A young Amish boy is a witness to a murder in a train station, Philadelphia detective John Booker (Ford) is assigned to the case.
Peter Weir directed this interesting thriller that stars Harrison Ford as Philadelphia policeman John Book, who is assigned to protect a young murder witness, an Amish boy named Samuel(played by Lukas Haas) while he was traveling with his mother Rachel(played by Kelly McGillis) at a train station.
"Witness" (1985 Paramount) starring Harrison Ford is the most important movie ever made set in Lancaster County Pennsylvania old order Amish country telling their story!
"Witness" (1985 Paramount) starring Harrison Ford is the most important movie ever made set in Lancaster County Pennsylvania old order Amish country telling their story!
This solid thriller stars Harrison Ford, given his first chance to truly act, as a detective who must infiltrate an Amish community in order to protect a little boy who accidentally witnessed a murder.
Ford's detective brings with him the violence and aggression of the outside world, but he also brings an understanding to the Amish, and especially to the mother of the little boy (played by Kelly McGillis), that at heart he's not much different than they are, even if their cultures are.It's a good if unremarkable film, hampered somewhat by an obligatory and unnecessary love story that merely serves to slow things down.Grade: A-.
In my opinion his last excellent movie was "The Fugitive", but he has done some very fine things before that as well as this "Witness" proves.While traveling with his mother Rachel, a young Amish boy called Samual Lap, witnesses a murder in a washroom at the train station in Philadelphia and detective John Book is assigned to the case.
Harrison Ford plays John Book, a Philadelphia detective who is assigned to take charge of a witness to a murder involving a police officer.
When Book discovers that certain members of the police force are responsible for the crime, Ford flees with the boy and his mother (Kelly McGillis) to hide in Amish country.Superb director Peter Weir, brings excellent direction to the film and draws top-notch performances from the cast.
The film gives a very vivid description of amish life, and it is great because its not one of those movies like "Out Of Africa", that just focuses on the lifestyle and becomes very boring, but "Witness" also throws in a lot of suspense, which makes it exiting.
Weir also brings humanity and humour to all his films - lightness of touch is one of his trademarks.The heart of the film is the growing relationship between Harrison Ford's John Book and Kelly McGillis' Rachel Lapp; he the tough city cop, she the young widow from a sheltered, devout rural community.
Once you look past that, though, you'll find Witness is basically another cop thriller, but with a twist to it that actually works.Ford is Detective John Book, your average detective, and he's called into a case where an Amish boy (Lukas Haas) witnesses a murder at a train station.
Peter Weir, an Austrailian director, made this film his first in the U.S. and Weir has carefully made a masterpiece."Witness" is a great and clever thriller about a young Amish widow, Rachel (Kelly McGillis) and her son, Samuel (Lukas Haas) take John Book (Harrison Ford), a bitter and impatient Philadelphia detective who's wounded and on the run from a good friend now foe, Schaffer (Josef Sommer) and a pair of corrupt cops, to their home in the middle of an Amish community.The few scenes that Book (Ford) has with Samuel (Haas) involves mostly facial expressions is one of the strong parts.
In steps Philadelphia cop John Book (Harrison Ford) who ends up trying to get the young boy to point out who the murderer was.
A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book (Harrison Ford) goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.First of all, I have to point out that this was the first big screen role for Viggo Mortensen.
Peter Weir's first Hollywood film places Harrison Ford as John Book, a big city police officer, who, after investigating a case involving police corruption, hides out in an Amish community.
This is definately a film that I would recommend for a date, or a film to watch with your spouse.When a young Amish boy witnesses a murder of a police officer in a Philidalphia train station, it is up to John Book (played by Harrison Ford) to protect the only material witness from the people that committed the crime.
Ford is Book, a Philadelphia detective who must protect a young Amish boy who witnessed a brutal killing that involved other cops.