It's a shame Andreas Katsulas died of lung cancer. The original one-armed man from the TV series (Bill Raisch) also died of lung cancer. Man, being the one-armed man is such a curse to those that play that guy.
I saw it in the theater at age 23. My dad never went to movies, so I would take my mom to see ones she was interested in. On this occasion, though, Dad decided to join us. We loved it, but it holds a special place in my heart, because it was the only film the three of us saw together in the theater.
*_If you want another "unfolding" movie with lots of intrigue, I highly recommend_** Sneakers **_(1992). It has an all-star cast (Which i will not spoil here) and a great musical score!_* *_Also greatly recommend_** The Score **_(2001), another one with a surprising cast, tension and a very different setting_*
And if you liked Sneakers, you must see The Hot Rock. Robert Redford is in both movies. Both are a bit funny. Both involve a Heist. Both have great casts and both are good popcorn movies.
This is one of the most Chicago films ever made! Not just in the setting of the city as a whole, but its use of the non-touristy areas like Pullman and where Kimball rented the room. His landlady is a terrific example of the excellent casting done here, as well-she is a perfect example of the Polish immigrant women I encountered all over the city in the 1990s (now where I live in the NW suburbs, it’s Russian ladies I meet). The reporters were all actual Chicago TV reporters (you see a younger Lester Holt among them), and one of the two cops is played by a retired CPD cop. Also, Kimball’s lawyer is played by Richard Cusack, the father of John and Joan.
I grew up in Roseland, just up the hill from Pullman. The 111 street bus goes through that neighborhood, near where the bar Kimball steps out of going to Sikes residence. I lived a block away from that bar when I moved there with my first wife. Oh yeah, for Chicago scenes this is as fun as The Blues Brothers.
@@b.victoradams9346 And the director Andrew Davis who filmed several films in Chicago. Also.... Jane Lynch, Dr. Lentz, the two CPD Detectives Kelly and Rosatti, the cop who Sykes shoots on the train, Deputy Marshal Poole and the Corrections officer who lied about the train crash.... all from Chicago.
yes I remember reading the actor who played the Polish lady is from the NW side, or suburb and I would wager that the guy who played her son is native as well. Along with Lester Holt I recognized Pam Zeckman.
Based loosely on The Fugitive tv series, which was based loosely on the real life high profile Sam Sheppard murder case. His conviction was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court on the grounds that the unprecedented media presence during the trial and the refusal to grant a change of venue, denied him of his due process rights to a fair and impartial jury. He was acquitted in the second trial. Also, did you notice that Tommy Lee's sidekick Cosmo was Cypher from The Matrix?
I was wondering if anyone was going to mention the Sam Shepherd case. My late ex-MIL was in Shepherd's hospital giving birth to her first child when they brought Shepherd in for treatment that night. It was a very interesting case that was studied for years after. We even did a "deep-dive" into the case when I was in high school in the mid 70s. I've always thought that the murderer was the female neighbor, who believed Shepherd's wife was having an affair with her husband.
juileanna moore had a bigger role in the film as a love interest for Richard, he would get in touch with her and ask for some more help because he saved the kid she would help him, but they felt like it was too soon for him to have another love after the death of his wife. So they edited her role down, but she got pretty good billing in the opening credits.
Scenes of a budding romance between Kimball and Moore's character were actually shown to test audiences before the film came out. Those audiences didn't like this happening in the midst of Kimball seeking out his wife's murderer, so this is arguably the biggest reason those scenes didn't make the final film.
Great reaction! FUN FACT: Director Andrew Davis improvised a tribute to The Fugitive TV show. There was a two part episode ( Never Wave Goodbye) that featured a chase scene in a parade that Davis wanted to improvise a tribute to. Despite his improvisation, the sequence came off as meticulous and well-crafted. I look forward to your future reactions! ❤
This movie was a big deal when it was in theaters. I saw it opening weekend and then again like a week later. It was a hell of a theatrical experience.
Harrison Ford then was Tom Cruise now. He has a movie out, you go. Not that they were all hits, but he had a pretty good batting average. I would say this was his last great action role.
@@citizenbobx”Tom Cruise now??” I don’t think so. Yes, Tom Cruise is one of the biggest stars ever. But now he’s washed up. I think what you mean to say is Harrison Ford was then was what Tom Cruise was in the late 90s and early 2000s.
@nsasupporter7557 In the past decade, he's got Maverick last year, the two previous MIs, with a few smaller roles that still turned a profit to more than offset the "misses" I mentioned. So I don't think that what I said was a stretch. Granted, between COVID and the strikes and the overall turn away from theatrical releases and scripted entertainment, I'd say EVERYONE'S run is about to come to an end.
Hi, Shannelle! So, this was a big screen version of a popular sixties TV show of the same name called "The Fugitive" which ran for several years on prime time TV. Each week, Dr. Richard Kimball would evade authorities in his ongoing search for the elusive one armed man who murdered his wife. After several years, the series concluded with Dr. Kimball found the real killer and was exonerated. The series was so well liked it led to it's recreation for a big screen feature that you've just watched.
The score does a lot of heavy lifting because Harrison Ford has very little dialogue. I absolutely love this movie. Like you said, it’s really tight. As much as I enjoy goofy action movies, there’s something so wonderful about this more mature thriller. Those practical crash effects are just amazing.
The Fugitive was originally a TV series from !963 to 1967. My parents watched it religously so when this movie came out, it was kind of an emotional movie for me...
It was Jane Lynch’s fourth role in a movie. At the time, she was still a working actress in Chicago. Throughout the 1990s, she would get bit parts in movies while also doing commercial work. One of the commercials she did was a Frosted Flakes commercial targeted at adults. The commercial was directed by Christopher Guest, who later remembered her and cast her in “Best In Show.” The rest is history.
Suggestion: MINORITY REPORT: I don't want to give away any spoilers, but if you want something adjacent to "The Fugitive," Minority Report would be a great follow-up. It was the first collaboration between Spielberg and Tom Cruise. Released in 2002, and I frankly think it's gotten better with age (dated effects aside). Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick.
I wish the screenplay and Harrison Ford had also been nominated. The editing and score nominations can really be seen in how the movie's drama and tension are maintained within that perfect pace.
Harrison is really good but he had little dialogue compared to Tommy Lee Jones. Jones gave more emotional dynamics to drive the movie forward in comparison.
The big reason the screenplay was not nominated was because they were working on finishing it while still filming the movie! Because of that it was shot mostly in order. It’s also estimated that up to 70% of the dialogue was ad libbed! The cast was given direction as to where the scenes should start and where they should end so the plot could advance. Tommy Lee Jones encouraged his fellow Marshalls to put their own spin on their characters words, which leant a lot of authenticity to their parts. The praise the script gets is due in large part to the talent of the cast. Absolutely amazing.
Fun facts. Dr.Sam Sheppard, the real life fugitive, was released from jail after being acquitted. He then became a pro wrestler in Tennessee territory and invented the Mandible Claw submission move!
@@victortzul2516 Excellent movie and shot near where I grew up. I had a few friends who were extras in the barn raising scene and I used to go to the Dairy Queen in the opening scene
Shinn vs Ramirez. Arizona argued that innocence is not enough to throw out a conviction. US Supreme Court agreed 6-3 in a decision written by Clarence Thomas.
So the subway cop who interrupts Kimball and Sykes on the train is played by Neil Flynn, who also played "Janitor" in Scrubs. There's a Scrubs episode where J.D. and Turk discover that the mysterious and abrasive janitor in their hospital had a part in "The Fugitive," and it's hilarious. Apparently Neil Flynn plays the same Janitor character in "Clone High" as well.
Harrison Ford mentioned this was one of his all-time favorite movies to make because he grew up in Chicago, and making a movie in his hometown felt like a "coming back around" milestone for him.
My Mom’s favorite movie of all time. One of my favorites as well. Good timing reacting to this; in less than two weeks it will be 30 years since it came out in theaters. Saw the TV show several months ago and we liked it as well. There was a very similar courthouse scene in the first season and my Mom and I were amazed by that.
As a kid, I loved watching the reruns of the old TV series. When the movie came out, I rolled my eyes--until I saw it. So well done, and a great homage to the original series.
September 17th will mark the 60th anniversary of the debut of the TV show this film was based on. It lasted four seasons and the finale in August 1967 remains one of the highest-rated shows in TV history.
Something that I think they should have in the trivia. The cop on the train ended up on Scrubs. He is the Janitor. They have an episode where JD thinks the Janitor IS the cop on the train, he denies it the entire episode until the end where he finally does his line and pose from the movie. Season 3 ep 8
Neil Flynn was reunited with Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as one of the two FBI men who interrogate Indy after he goes through decontamination following the atomic test exposure.
Love this movie. My favorite reference to it was in Scrubs when the Janitor was hiding the fact that he was an extra in it, when his actor actually was an extra in the movie.
@@nsasupporter7557 He was a U.S. Marshal, not a detective. And they don't give Oscars according to the uniqueness of the role, they give Oscars for the performance.
@@bossfan49 and my point is, his performance wasn’t anything special. There were other nominees in that category that deserved it way more and there are many other people who agree with me
I remember seeing this in theaters and this was a BUSY summer for movies. Jurassic Park was out around the same time, In The Line of Fire was out too, very action heavy summer, really good. Honestly, there’s a run on quality movies between 1989 up until maybe 2004 or so where you’d be hard pressed to find bad ones. Yeah, The Fugitive was a solid movie that actually is kind of overlooked now. Not entirely sure why. Ford was cranking out good flicks at the time. Presumed Innocent, Witness and Regarding Henry are around this time too.
Wrongfully Accused (1998) is a spoof on The Fugitive starring Leslie Nielsen. It's written and directed by Pat Proft, who co-wrote the Naked Gun trilogy and the two Hot Shots!.
It was a pretty big deal. The trailer was just the "Our Fugitive has been on the run..." scene, and it ended in "Your fugitives name is Dr Richard Kimble. Go get em." Since the TV show was still fresher in the minds of people (you'll catch references to it before the movie, usually a "one armed man did it" reference) so the name drop plus the title card got people pretty excited. I know my dad was super hyped for it.
It's a great suspenseful action movie, but it's elevated so much by the quiet moments. The way he saves that boy, and the way Tommy Lee Jones' character gradually changes his mind. He doesn't ever say it, but his facial reactions are spot on, and you can feel him puzzling it over. He's obviously a cynical cop, so it takes a lot for him to entertain the idea, but when Richard keeps behaving in ways that aren't consistent with a killer, he's forced to be open to the idea.
@Shanelle As you love trivia have another look at the award winning TV series that this film played homage to. The Finale was watched live by 72% of US households with TVs at the time and is still number 6 by percentage of the most watched TV shows ever. The recurring plot was the Dr helping / saving people over 4 seasons of being hunted and trying to solve the mystery of his wife's death and this film encapsulated that beautifully. p.s. I'd recommend the sequel U.S. Marshals (I know there's some debate about that though).😄
One of the few TV-to-movie adaptations to be nominated for Best Picture. Directed by Andrew Davis, who would later go on to direct Disney’s HOLES. While they were filming this movie, Harrison Ford shot a brief cameo returning as Indiana Jones for “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles”… which gave George Lucas the idea to develop KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.
All of the reporters in the movie were actually local TV reporters. John Drummond, one of the featured reporters, worked the crime beat in Chicago for decades on CBS.
I was a bit young to see this movie in theaters when it came out, but once it home release I got to see it. Absolutely love it to this day! The legal fallout and repercussions from something like this would be absolutely staggering. It didn't dawn on me until much later viewings just how much the Chicago PD were covering up for the one-armed man. "There's a unit there now," says the dispatch coordinator after Kimball's break-in of Sykes' residence which meant CPD were watching out for one of their own. Not only were marked units there in a hurry, but an unmarked car of plain clothes detectives were sitting right there! Almost as if they knew Kimball would target this particular one armed man. Fantastic story telling! There's totally an In-N-Out on the fifth floor.
The reason they had a car there already was because they ran the search on the prosthetics computer and Sykes was one of the 47 possibles they came up with - they figured Richard would visit his place eventually and they were hoping to catch him when he did. They weren't able to narrow down the search as much because they didn't know the key detail that the one-armed man's prosthetic was damaged in the fight (you'll note Richard entering in the date of the last adjustment, remembering the arm twisting - he even twists an actual prosthetic to match to confirm that it would've been damaged and would have needed fixing). So while the CPD does look guilty as sin, there's no evidence in the film that they did anything conspiratorial as much as they were just incredibly incompetent and didn't recognize that Sykes was lying to them when they interviewed him. Sam, on the other hand, picks that up right away and immediately tells Cosmo that Sykes is dirty as soon as they're outside his house.
YES!! One of my favorite Harrison Ford mustang movies when I was younger! I remember watching this on VHS years ago. I didn't see STAR WARS till later. Anyway, a lot of actors were considered for the role of Richard Kimble, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alec Baldwin, Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Richard Dreyfuss, Dennis Quaid, Patrick Swayze, William Hurt, Jeff Bridges, and Nick Nolte. Jon Voight, Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman were considered for the role of U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard. Tommy Lee Jones took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the movie.
The formula of the 60s TV show (which I never saw) was that Kimball was on the run and in hiding in different places each episode, with the cop chasing him. Kimball would both evade the cops and help locals. So the many cases of Kimball helping people throughout the movie was a nod to that structure. (There have been other shows which followed this formula, including The Incredible Hulk, a show I did watch.)
hey nice connection! The Incredible Hulk also had its share of memes copying the "sad walking away piano song" which if you search you'll find scores of videos still today. I didn't realize that maybe they took that formula from The Fugitive. I think television writers know of The Incredible Hulk and The Fugitive to write references, possible now obscure references in their own shows such as... Family Guy for example or Rick and Morty. History is sometimes erased but... there are still clips and shorts documenting phenomena of the past... The trailer for the TV series The Fugitive is remarkable... in black and white and a voiceover explaining everything... It's like the movie is a remake of the old trailer.
@@mannygee005 One key advantage is the format was that the regular cast was only two characters (two actors for The Fugitive and three actors for Incredible Hulk, counting Ferrigno) so the show could spend more of its budget on guest stars, or just make very cheap episodes. (The only show that had fewer regular cast members that I can think of was Columbo.)
Sykes, the one-armed man, is played by a dynamite character actor, Andreas Katsulas. He had a number of bit parts, including playing Romulans on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but his monster role was as G’Kar on “Babylon 5.”
If you want to see what's left of the train, it's right outside Dillsboro, North Carolina on the banks of Tuckasegee River. The tunnel scene is on the same railroad line and the dam scenes are from Cheoah Dam outside Robbinsville, NC
It was inevitable that you’d love how well this was done. It has a 70s tv matinee aesthetic, but with a polish to the script, direction, and acting that never lets it feel like it’s lost in that era. That aesthetic gives it a realism that wouldn’t have worked if it went with the Speed or Die Hard thriller/action route of its general contemporaries. I also knew you’d appreciate the train wreck shots. That is almost on a par for me with the dinosaur reveal in Jurassic Park for jaw-dropping effect, except with the train wreck it’s all practical and it’s sensational. You absolutely get a sense of weight of that diesel and the freight behind it, you can feel the massive bulk and it’s momentum. That was monumental cinema right there.
Fun fact - I rode on that prison transport bus many times as a kid. They bought my home towns (Downers Grove, IL) old public transit busses. We rode them every summer to the 4th of July festival downtown.
The little touch that I appreciated was after Kimball hits Nichols in the back with the pipe, Nichols is facedown, passed out, with his gun still pointed at Girard. Gerard doesn't say anything, but immediately realizes just how close he was. And if you like movies to figure out, you absolutely need to review The Sting
This was THE movie to see when it came out. To date myself, I remember the movie section of papers was nothing but showtimes for theaters showing this for MONTHS!! I didn’t see it in theaters, but once I saw on cable, I got how captivating it was.
Before I forget to comment, the dam he jumped off of is in western North Carolina. Most now call it the Fugitive Dam. The bridge at 13:46 is a good location for a picture of it. Its a couple of miles south of the infamous Tail of the Dragon road and 60 miles west of Dillsboro. US Marshals is a good follow up with Tommy Lee Jones and others reprising their roles.
While this may be common now, in a rarity for the early 90s, the movie was so successful that it was still playing in some theaters when the home video came out.
True Story: The mustached Correctional Officer on the bus who lied about Harrison Ford escaping is legendary character Richard Riehle from Milwaukee. A few Summers ago he was in town visiting and I ended up at the same wine bar with him as he cameod as our Trivia Host! Afterward I drank with he and his friends for two hours. He was gracious, kind, funny and accommodating to my incessant questions. He has appeared in over 100 films and he said "Office Space" was by far his most enjoyable experience. He played the "Jump To Conclusions" guy, Tom Symkowski. He also told me a story about acting in the Martin Scorsese film, "Casino" that blew me away! Fascinating, nice guy!
The train crash scene was achieved using fairly standard effects for the time. They filmed the crash and then projected it behind Ford as he was jumping/running away, the set was extended in front of the projection screen to give it realism. Other examples of this technique can be seen in Aliens during the drop ship crash and Stand by me when the kids jump off the bridge, here its almost an exact copy of that shot.
As a member of the US Marshall fugitive apprehension team, Tommy Lee would not be investigating any crime, that's why he "don't care". He's nor a detective. Plus, Harrison had his day in court and was, albeit wrongfully, legally convicted of the crime so every single member of all law enforcement considers him guilty, so there is no crime to investigate anymore. A stripper I worked with was an extra in this movie. She's in the banquet scene wearing a blue dress and Harrison walks by her. She said she was completely in awe of his presence and he was even more handsome in person than he is on screen.
The one armed man was played by Andreas Katsulas. He is most famous for playing G´Kar in Babylon 5 and was such fantastic actor that he could convey emotions trough ton of make up.
The US Marshals Service don't care if he is guilty or not. Their job is to apprehend fugitive criminals. That is what makes the "I don't care" line so good.
This is one of my favorite films of all time, if not the favorite. A couple of other quick bits of trivia: Prior to the finale of M*A*S*H, the finale of The Fugitive tv show where Dr. Kimble tracks down the one armed man was the highest rated television episode of all time. Also the train cab that splits off and comes after Richard is on a separate line with the tracks obscured by dirt and leaves. When asked how he managed to pull it off in one take, Director Andrew Davis replied, "They only gave me one train."
I was young but I remember going by myself to the theaters to see The Fugitive because I had seen the reruns of the TV series, and since then I've owned a copy on VHS and DVD and I've watched it a number of times.
This was a big sleepover movie, along with Jurassic Park, for 10 year old me and my friends in 1994 or so when they were on TV and video. The best reference is from Scrubs where part of the mystery around Neil Flynn’s Janitor character is whether or not he had a part in The Fugitive. Flynn plays the cop shot on the train
Great review! I also appreciate Roger Ebert's apt observation about this movie, that it clearly shows how Kimball can stay ahead of the marshalls, but only so far. The tension of how they're able to keep up with him is intoxicating.
It's kind of funny in this movie they make doctors look like experts in everything. He knows outdoor survival skills, he knows how to forge ID, he has hand to hand combat skills lol
They didn't make " doctors " look like they or he were/was expert at everything. No. They made Kimball that way because he was, as his colleague character in the film told the cops,, because, "He is a very, very smart man."
I did see this in the theater. I would see anything and everything with Harrison Ford in the 80’s and 90’s!! So many other movies with him I recommend: Witness, Frantic, Regarding Henry to name a few. 😊
The Old Fugitive TV show was great too. The original show is from the 60s. I love this movie. Tim Daily did a reboot of TV show after voicing Superman for the Superman animated series.
My Mom was excited for this movie because she's a fan of the original series. She didn't think he on the run for long enough, after seeing the guy in the series be on the run for many years. :)
What a great movie..no focus on gender nonsense or patriarchy, no political infused crap..just good story telling...just a story with a MC who we can get behind while not hating his pursuer. I wish Hollywood would remember how to make good movies like this again.
The stunt shot of Ford escaping the train was achieved using something similar to the Peppers Ghost effect used for the ballroom. Disney's Haunted Mansion Ford performed the stunt off-camera which was mirrored on top of the action in realtime.
This was actually a pretty big summer blockbuster in 1993. These days the big franchises are comic book movies, but in the 90s-early 2000s it was remakes/adaptations of older tv shows. They generally tended to be more comedic like The Addams Family and the Brady Bunch movie, but there were exceptions like this and Mission Impossible that were more serious. But yeah, this was a big hit at the time. I think this was the second highest grossing film of the year behind Jurassic Park.
Not sure how far back you read comments, but here’s insight into the train scene. These shots were filmed along the tracks adjacent to the Nantahala River in North Carolina. The Smoky Mountain Railroad runs a stretch from Bryson City to the Nantahala Outdoor Recreation Center, a crossroads with the famous Appalachian Trail. The site of the filming still preserves a couple of the rail cars for the tourists to see passing by. The jump effect off the dam takes place at the nearby Fontana Dam, Fontana Village. Part of the TVA development, power from the dam was used providing energy to the Manhattan Project atom bomb development in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The train sequence was monumental for the time.
I use to put on this VHS every night to help fall asleep while in university, and every night I would fast forward to the point that I would last recall from the night before
This is my 2nd favorite Harrison Ford film, 3rd is blade runner and 1st is Air Force ONE. TLJ absolutely deserved his oscar for this film. Looking forward to your next live stream in a few days shanelle.
In the 1963 TV series David Jansen chased the one armed man for 5 years. In the final episode he catches the one armed man just as Lt. Girard (a police lieutenant) catches up to Kimble. The one armed man falls from a water tower to his death, but not before Lt. Girard hears him confess to Kimble that he was the man who murdered his wife. It was the first TV series to have a final episode that ended the series with a final conclusion to the series. The night the final episode aired it was viewed by 78 million people (big numbers in 1967).
Oooo please watch “High Spirits”!!! You would love it! 80s comedy about ghosts in an irish castle. Starring Steve Gutenberg, Daryl Hannah, Liam Neeson, Peter O’Toole and a few other big names! It’s absolutely hilarious!!
The tv show was more like a western with Kimble wandering through small towns trying not to give himself away. Fun fact, the series finale where Kimble finally cornered the one armed man was the highest rated episode of TV up to that time.
