The Fugitive

‘The Fugitive’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

It’s rare I use the word perfect to describe a film, but it certainly applies to 1993’s “The Fugitive.”  Now, when I say this film is perfect, I’m not saying it is one of the greatest films in the history of cinema.  It is perfect because it is a film that is exactly what it needs to be for its genre in terms of what is expected of it and how it goes out and executes its formula.  When I’m using that as my template, it’s a perfect action/thriller flick.  The film is two hours and ten minutes, and there is not a wasted moment or scene throughout the course of its running time.  It’s one of those movies where it has you hooked in its story from start to finish.

The film stars Harrison Ford as Chicago surgeon, Dr. Richard Kimble, who is thrown in prison after being falsely accused of murdering his wife, played by Sela Ward. Richard says a one-armed man did it, and he’s completely innocent.  However, all of the clues make him look guilty. The police think he did it because his wife had a lot of money and a lucrative life insurance policy. With no signs of forced entrance, all signs point to the husband.  At the moment, he doesn’t have a leg to stand on in their eyes.

Kimble is able to escape from prison when his transportation bus is hit by a train on its way to death row.  He’s now free, and he is bound and determined to prove his innocence and find this one-armed man.  Deputy US Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) has one mission in life now: to catch Richard Kimble and bring him back to death row. From here, we are treated to a delightful game of cat and mouse between Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Throughout the course of the movie, Ford is always one step ahead of him, even when they are face-to-face.  His character is incredibly smart and wily. Because of this, he’s not going to make any mistakes or leave himself vulnerable to getting caught.

Ford is really, really effective at being a charming and intense underdog to root for in “The Fugitive.”  On the other hand, Jones’ character is also incredibly well-written and fleshed out by the script, which was written by Jeb Stuart and David Twohy. He’s not really a bad guy or a villain. He’s just doing his job, and, at the time, is completely unaware of the fact that Richard is innocent.  He also brings great comedic timing to the role, which makes for a fun action film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a performance which relies on his perfectly timed facial reactions. Veteran action director Andrew Davis also knows how to make the big action scenes mean something, as the pacing here is terrific.  He trusts his actors, and he trusts his script as well.

The movie was partially filmed in Chicago, and Chicago plays a big part in this movie. He captures the hustle and bustle of the city with a great visual eye.  The cinematography is top-notch, as it also shows the toughness and the grit that comes from the city.  When you have great acting, great direction, a great script, and a great sense of place, you have a great action movie.  There are so many scenes that were brilliant because they never insulted the intelligence of the audience. When Ford is able to get free from Jones time after time, it makes sense because of the set-up and the execution of the scenes.

I’m embarrassed to say this, but this was my first time watching “The Fugitive,” either the movie or the TV show.  As they say, better late than never.  I wish Hollywood would do more brainy action films like this today.  It really starts with trusting your screenplay and your actors.  When you have that, everything else falls into place.  This is a great film with tons of action, suspense, and a sense of humor that is put in at just the right moments.  They didn’t overdo it with the comedy to where it was poking fun at the movie. It was done because the moment and the scene called for it.

There is also a great supporting cast here, filled with actors and actresses you have come to know and love such as Julianne Moore, Joe Pantoliano, Ron Dean, Jane Lynch and Neil Flynn. “The Fugitive” is fun with a capital F.  It is a film I look forward to revisiting many times in the future now that I own it on 4K. It’s remarkable how they were able to cram so much into this movie without it ever feeling tedious or laborious. It’s a movie where you are invested in everything happening on screen, and as Roddy Piper once said, “Just when you think you have all the answers, I change the question.” You find yourself as an audience member wondering how Dr. Richard Kimble is going to find his way out of a jam, and he does it time and time again.  Even though it took me far too long to sit down and watch “The Fugitive,” it was well worth the wait. I love this movie.

* * * * out of * * * *

4K Info: “The Fugitive” is released on a single disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It comes with a digital copy of the film as well. It is rated PG-13 for a murder and other action sequences in an adventure setting. It has a running time of 130 minutes.

4K Video/Audio Info:  Let’s start with the visuals on this film: WOW! This film looks incredible on 4K. You are able to see all of the pores on the actor’s faces, and they have really brightened up the look and feel of this film without making it look too over-saturated or washed out.  They have cleaned up the picture a lot while also maintaining the cinematic grain that is part of the film’s charm.  This is one of the best looking 4K’s of 2023.  The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is also lively without being too punchy or loud. It’s perfect. I give both the audio and visuals an A+ here.

Special Features:

Introduction by Andrew Davis and Harrison Ford

Commentary by Andrew Davis and Tommy Lee Jones

“The Fugitive: Thrill of the Chase”

“On the Run with the Fugitive”

“Derailed: Anatomy of a Train Wreck”

Theatrical Trailer

Should You Buy It?

“The Fugitive” is celebrating its 30th anniversary with this 4K release on November 21st, and let me tell you right now, this is a day one purchase if you are a film historian and lover.  If you have seen the film before and own the Blu-Ray, you need to upgrade to this magnificent 4K that showcases everything that is beautiful about HDR and Dolby Atmos. If you have never seen the film before, like yours truly, you can confidently buy this film on day one without hesitation or regret.  It is worth every single penny. There is also a 4K steelbook release, which looks awesome!  Warner Brothers did a magnificent job with this 4K transfer of “The Fugitive.”  Yes, the special features are imported over from the Blu-ray, but at least you get them here, including a commentary track with Tommy Lee Jones and Director Andrew Davis. I loved this movie, and I equally loved what they did with this release. It comes HIGHLY recommended!

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

Thanksgiving is Gone, but the Calories Linger On

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

snoopy-and-woodstock-thanksgiving

Hey everybody. I am really struggling with fundraising right now and could use your help. As in the past, I am running the 2017 Los Angeles Marathon on behalf of AIDS Project Los Angeles, and I have been tasked with raising $1,100. If all my Facebook friends donated just $5 dollars, I would not only meet that goal but surpass it by a wide margin. Before reading on, click here to find out how you can make a tax-deductible donation and stick to the tax man before the year’s end.

I’m finally back in Los Angeles after the Thanksgiving holiday, a time that knows no diet plan. It certainly was a calorie-laden holiday, and my father and brother put together quite the feast. The fact I didn’t suffer much in the way of heartburn was extraordinary as second and third helpings were inescapable. But while on vacation, I wasn’t about to skimp on my marathon training, and running was of the upmost necessity after gobbling down turkey, creamed corn, apple and pecan pie, stuffing and the occasional serving of vegetables. I actually did my recovery run on a treadmill, but I increased the grade to 3% to make it more challenging for myself. My family and I were staying at a house by the ocean, and I did a lot of walking on the beaches and grassy paths which left my heart beating faster than just about anything else, maybe even sex.

This past week had me catching up on making money to pay the kind of bills Donald Trump has avoided paying for years, and this kept me from doing my maintenance runs. So, coming into this 14-mile run, I felt like I was going to fall behind everyone else in an embarrassing way. But at least this time I made it to Griffith Park before everyone else ran off without me.

On my way over to Griffith Park, I had my soundtrack and film score iPod playing on shuffle mode as I was trying to find the right piece of music to get myself pumped up. The best I could come up with was the “Helicopter Chase” theme from James Newtown Howard’s score to “The Fugitive.” Listening to this piece of music quickly reminded of Harrison Ford’s role of Richard Kimble, a doctor wrongfully accused of murdering his wife who ends up escaping police custody and going on the run in an effort to clear his name. Being someone afflicted with an infinite persecution complex, I relate to what Kimble went through even though I am not a vascular surgeon and did not kill my wife (for the record, I am not married).

Today I was planning to run at a 3:2 pace as running at a 3:1 pace was not the same as it used to be for me. But upon learning the rest of the 15-minute group was going to run at a 2:2 pace, I decided to adjust accordingly as I felt it would be nice to run with the group for a change instead of by myself.

Well, it turns out running at a 2:2 pace was the best thing for me as I never struggled for energy or “hit the wall” at any point during this 14-miler. The extra minute of walking allowed me more time to recover, and it felt good to keep up with my fellow pace group runners instead of falling behind which I have found myself doing these last couple of years.

Another notable presence on our running route was the Burbank Police Department, and a motorcycle cop did not hesitate to stop us in our tracks when he found us running on the street instead of the sidewalk. He was quick to inform us that the walking path which runs down the middle of Chandler Boulevard was built for people like us. We never got the opportunity to tell him about how running on asphalt is easier on our joints than concrete, but it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

Following this, we saw a number of Burbank cop cars pulling one driver after another over to the curb, so clearly they were trying to meet some sort of quota. Not that I don’t support the police, but making an unscheduled and forced donation to them always feels like thievery to me. It doesn’t matter if you deserved to get a ticket or not because, who wants to pay it? A lot of people go 80 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone. Not me, but a lot of people.

One thing my pace group did get to do on this run, and it is something I always hoped we would do, was sing a marching song. One of the runners serves in the military, and he got us to sing along with him. Here’s my favorite part:

“If my chute don’t open wide,

If my chute don’t open wide,

I got another one by my side,

I got another one by my side.

If that chute don’t open round,

If that chute don’t open round,

I’ll be the first one on the ground,

I’ll be the first one on the ground.”

Hey, it was either that or something from “Full Metal Jacket,” and some of the marching songs in Stanley Kubrick’s film are not exactly appropriate for the ears of Burbank citizens.

It took long enough, but the weather is finally getting colder, at least in the morning. It was seriously frigid when we arrived in Griffith Park, but the temperature did rise as the sun came up. I think we managed to beat the heat for the most part, and we arrived back where we started just before it became unseasonably warm.

I am in the slowest pace group now as several other runners have since dropped out of the program for one reason or another, so only the coaches were still around when we returned to Griffith Park. Part of me feels a little disappointed in myself as I kept thinking I would be in a faster pace group after running so many marathons, but instead I have slowed down to where I wonder if I will ever be the svelte individual I was back in my high school days. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

But seriously, I felt really good about changing the pace on this run. I came through it without feeling hopelessly exhausted, and I felt satisfied in a way I haven’t in some time. There was plenty of chocolate milk left over to cure me of my runner’s hangover, and I drove back to my apartment for a well-deserved nap which lasted much longer than it should have (not that I’m complaining or anything). Next week we have a recovery run, and we will need it after this one. Coach James encouraged us to do our maintenance runs on Tuesday and Thursday so we would have time to recover and to keep increasing our mileage on them. I’ll do my best, but like Boy George once said, time won’t give me time dammit.

Thanks for reading.