“What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse in that area.”

Justin’s rating: I totally owned this soundtrack on cassette and wore it out. No apologies.

Justin’s review: 1993 was such a great year for movies, and I feel privileged that I was working at a video store at the time and free to go to the movie theater as often as I wanted. I am perhaps most fond of the big blockbusters of that year, including Jurassic Park, Demolition Man, and The Fugitive.

While it’s quite the stretch to call this last one a cult movie, it certainly ended up being an influential flick that spread its pop culture fingerprints across the rest of the decade — including a sequel few people remember and a parody. And when I went back to watch it this week, I simply had to acknowledge that this is a taunt and entertaining thriller that still hooks me from the bold opening credits to the catharsis of an ending.

Based on a 1963 TV series that nobody in my generation even knew of, this remake easily surpassed its inspiration. I think what really works here is the reversal of how we normally encountered cop flicks at the time. Usually, we the viewers were rooting for the law to chase down whatever bad dude is up to no good that day. But for once, we’re cheering on an innocent man — Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) who’s framed for his wife’s murder, escapes imminent incarceration (and execution), and goes on the lam while trying to hunt down the real killer.

And — here’s the brilliance of it — we’re also cheering on the U.S. Marshal Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) who’s chasing him. Two guys on the opposite sides of this situation trying to outfox each other… and we like both as we get to know them better. That’s what makes The Fugitive a whole lot of fun to watch.

It also doesn’t hurt that everything here is crafted to perfection. The way the movie weaves together this rather complex scenario in about 15 minutes at the beginning before launching us on a thrilling escapade across Illinois and Chicago is genuinely impressive. Then we get the famous bus escape sequence and the belated introduction of our law enforcement hound dog. The urgency keeps pressing and pressing and pressing, and as long as Kimble is running, Gerard is doggedly two steps behind him.

This isn’t an action flick where everyone’s pulling off impossibly perfect heroics. Rather, it’s a case of two guys who are both very smart in their own ways tackling an escalating situation. Ford is quietly intelligent and often compassionate, but it’s Jones who absolutely steals the show as the sarcastic Marshal. He and his crew get all the laughs with their laconic quips. They’re also the ones who introduced the word “hinkey” into my vocabulary.

So yeah, there are those two set pieces — the train and the dam — that have gone down in movie legend, but I’m convinced that those were just to put butts in seats for a somewhat more cerebral detective story. Kimble and Gerard end up, in their own fashions, chasing down the real culprit.

It’s not a perfect film, I should say. The second half is not quite as exciting as the first, and the actual mystery is not that surprising. But the whole package makes it a great ride from start to finish. And Gerard’s growing admiration — and wry amusement — of his prey brings another welcome dimension to their relationship.

I know I beat on the drum of “they don’t make movies like this any more” but, c’mon, they don’t. This was the kind of movie that you could bring anyone in the family to and probably guarantee that they’d have a good time. It’s the kind of movie that elected to pull off its most difficult stunts with practical, live action (Ford did his own big moments!) rather than CGI. Even the sound design here gives moments like the rumble of the L-train, the roar of the dam, and even camera pans over Chicago some real heft.

What’s amusing is how the director and actors behind The Fugitive honestly thought that this was going to be a lame flop… right before it became one of the biggest success stories of 1993 and one of their best films of that decade. Maybe they were underestimating James Newton Howard’s pulse-pounding soundtrack, David Twohy’s script, the Oscard-nominated editing, and the thirst of the general audience, because this outperformed everyone’s expectations in the most delightful way.

Intermission!

• Those opening titles really get your immediate attention
• I always liked how the flashback to the party ends with the cheerful music continuing even as the scene changes to the police station
• You’d think a capital crimes case would go on a little longer than that, but we have an exciting movie to get to
• I love Gerard’s face when he gets put on hold by the sheriff
• “We’re always fascinated when we find leg irons with no legs in them.”
• “Well think me up a cup of coffee and one of those chocolate donuts with some of those sprinkles while you’re at it.”
• Always nice when you’re a surgeon who can stitch yourself up
• That egg sandwich always looked good
• “Every time I look in the mirror, pal.”
• “Why don’t you yell at her sometimes?”
• “You gotta be kidding me. YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!”
• “We got a gopher!”
• Gerard pulling out that second pistol
• “This guy did a Peter Pan right here right off of this dam!”
• Kimble walking into the dark train tunnel is a nice moment
• “I. Don’t. Bargain.”
• “Don’t ever argue with the big dog. The big dog is always right.”
• “He did it for the money.” “He was a doctor, he was already rich.”
• “Is nice bed. Plenty space.”
• “We’re pretty smart guys.”
• “We’re eating oranges and making IDs.”
• All the cops in the elevator
• St. Patty’s Day parades are filled with escaped fugitives
• “Don’t let them give you any s**t about your ponytail, either.”
• “Doctor Nichols lied to me. Go get him.”
• The Janitor from Scrubs as the cop on the train (which they then reference in that series)