it was easy to fear the worst .
begin with a classic 1960 's television series , add a big budget and an a - list star in the lead role , and stir .
script , you ask ? who needs one , kid . . .
we 've got ourselves a formula .
that was my fear : a bloated monster without any sense of direction .
then , much to my amazement , everything that could possibly go wrong .
. .
did n't .
the fugitive is as lean , taut and tense as anything the action genre has produced in the last several years .
under the direction of andrew davis ( 1992 's under siege ) , the fugitive grips you by the throat from the outset and never lets go . expect box office to go through the roof , deservedly , and expect an academy award nomination for tommy lee jones .
the premise is a simple one .
dr .
richard kimble ( harrison ford ) is wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife after struggling with the real killer , a man with an artificial arm .
after an escape attempt by some other prisoners during a transfer goes awry , kimble finds himself on the run .
his one goal : to find the one - armed man ( andreas katsulas ) before u . s .
marshall sam gerard ( tommy lee jones )
finds him .
where the fugitive surprises the most is the script , by jeb stuart and david twohy .
in a genre where one is almost always asked to allow leaps of logic , the script repeatedly astonished me with its intelligence , its attention to detail and its respect for the audience .
in an early sequence , kimble sneaks into a hospital to shave of his beard , slick back his hair and change into a lab coat .
on his way out , a police officer jokingly tells the man he does n't know is kimble to zip up his pants .
it 's a small moment , but it punches home
the urgency of kimble 's situation , and exactly what a man concerned about not being recognized might easily forget .
later , while trying to lose himself in a parade , kimble thinks to drop his overcoat , the most likely way he 'd be recognized from behind .
it 's these details which convince us that when a colleague of kimble 's tells gerard that he 's too smart to be caught , he may just be right .
credit must also be given to the special effects and stunt coordinators .
the bus crash which allows kimble 's escape is a spectacular sequence , as is a leap from a dam into the water below .
the action is crisp and brutal , and never romanticized .
special kudos go to director davis for maintaining a relentless pace which underscores the single - mindedness of the two leads .
and
what a pair of performances those leads are .
tommy lee jones is nothing short of brilliant as gerard , because he manages an incredibly challenging feat .
for the first third of the film , there is really no * villain * per se ; kimble is on the run , and gerard is out to find him .
it would have been very easy to turn gerard into a malevolent , vindictive inspector javert , but that never happens .
instead jones plays him as a sharp , committed man who 's just doing his job , so that when he responds to kimble 's comment , " i did n't kill my wife , " with a matter - of - fact , " i do n't care , " we know exactly what he means .
it 's not his job to determine guilt or innocence .
it 's his job to bring in a fugitive .
this is a well- written character played with relish by an actor at the top of his form .
the only unfortunate thing about jones ' stunning turn is that it 's likely to overshadow harrison ford , and that 's a shame .
for his entire career , ford has been underappreciated as an actor due to his pigeonholing as an action hero . however ,
he does a fine job with the less flashy part of kimble , always keeping at the forefront the advantage this man has because of his intelligence .
the fugitive could only work to its fullest if the two protagonists always seemed to be on equal footing , and ford is up to the task .
this summer has been loaded with action / suspense films , and most of them have been doing brisk business .
however , it 's time for clint , sean , and various dinosaurs to step aside .
the chase is on .
my advice is to catch it .
a spectacular sequence special kudos go to director davis for maintaining a relentless pace credit must also be given to the special effects and stunt coordinators crisp and brutal as lean , taut and tense as anything the action genre has produced in the last several years what a pair of performances those leads are this is a well- written character played with relish by an actor at the top of his form the chase is on . my advice is to catch it he does a fine job much to my amazement , everything that could possibly go wrong . . . did n't punches home nothing short of brilliant repeatedly astonished me with its intelligence , its attention to detail and its respect for the audience grips you by the throat from the outset and never lets go . expect box office to go through the roof , deservedly , and expect an academy award nomination