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The Fugitive
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andrew Davis
Screenplay by	Jeb Stuart David Twohy
Story by	David Twohy
Produced by	Anne Kopelson Arnold Kopelson
Starring	Harrison Ford Tommy Lee Jones
Cinematography	Michael Chapman
Edited by	Dennis Virkler David Finfer Dean Goodhill Don Brochu Richard Nord Dov Hoenig
Music by	James Newton Howard
Production company	Warner Bros.
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	August 6, 1993 (1993-08-06)
Running time	130 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$59,000,000
Box office	$368,875,760

The Fugitive is a 1993 American thriller film based on the 1960s television series of the same name created by Roy Huggins. The film was directed by Andrew Davis and stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. When Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford) is wrongfully convicted for the murder of his wife, and escapes from federal custody, he is declared a fugitive. He sets out to prove his innocence and bring those who were responsible to justice while being pursued relentlessly by a team of U.S. Marshals, led by Deputy Samuel Gerard (Jones).

The film premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on August 6, 1993, grossing $368,875,760 in box office business from a $59 million budget. Considering its production and related marketing costs, the film was considered a major financial success. The Fugitive was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, a rarity for a film associated with a television series; Jones won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It presently holds a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of "universal acclaim" from Metacritic.

On August 31, 1993, the original motion picture soundtrack was released by the Elektra Records music label. The soundtrack was composed and orchestrated by musician James Newton Howard. The independent music label La-La Land Records would also later release a limited edition 2-CD set soundtrack as well. The film spawned a sequel, U.S. Marshals, in which Jones reprised his role as Gerard. The sequel was directed by Stuart Baird; acquiring mostly negative critical reviews but earning $102,367,405 at the box office.

Plot

Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford), a surgeon in Chicago, arrives home one night to find his wife, Helen (Ward), fatally wounded by a one-armed man. Although Kimble makes an effort to subdue the killer, the man escapes. The lack of evidence of a break-in, his being the beneficiary of Helen's lucrative life insurance, and a misunderstood 9-1-1 call, result in his conviction of first degree murder in a court of law. On his way to death row aboard a bus, his fellow prisoners attempt an escape. The pandemonium results in a wounded guard and a dead driver, causing the bus to fall down a ravine and into the path of an oncoming train. Kimble escapes the destructive collision and flees the scene. Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Jones), and his colleagues Renfro (Pantoliano), Biggs (Roebuck), Newman (Wood) and Poole (Caldwell), arrive at the crash site and formulate a search plan to apprehend the escaped convicts. Kimble sneaks into a hospital to treat his wounds and change his appearance; he later makes a getaway in an ambulance.

Kimble returns to Chicago to hunt for the murderer and secretly acquires some money from his friend and associate, Dr. Charles Nichols (Krabbé). Posing as a janitor, Kimble enters Cook County Hospital's prosthetic department to obtain a list of people who had their prosthetic arm repaired shortly after his wife's murder. Gerard realizes that Kimble must be looking for the one-armed man and begins a similar search to anticipate Kimble's next move. Later, Kimble breaks into the residence of a former police officer named Frederick Sykes (Katsulas). Kimble confirms the man is the murderer and discovers that he is employed by a pharmaceutical company that is working on a new drug called Provasic. Kimble had investigated the drug in the past and revealed that it caused liver damage, which in turn would have prevented it from being approved by the FDA. He also deduces that Nichols, who is leading the drug's development, arranged a cover-up, and ordered Sykes to kill him; his wife's death was incidental. Gerard follows Kimble's lead to Sykes' home and draws the same conclusion.

As Kimble takes an elevated train to confront Nichols at the drug's presentation in a hotel, Sykes appears and attacks him. In the ensuing struggle, Sykes shoots a transit cop before being subdued and handcuffed to a pole by Kimble. Kimble arrives at the pharmacon conference and interrupts Nichols's speech, accusing him of falsifying his medical research and orchestrating his wife's consequent murder. They begin to fight while being chased by the marshals and police. During the related confrontation, Kimble, Nichols, Renfro and Gerard find themselves in the hotel's laundry room. Gerard calls out that he's aware of the conspiracy fabricated by Nichols. Hearing that, Nichols injures Renfro and confiscates his gun. Nichols then attempts to shoot Gerard, but Kimble attacks him from behind, rendering him unconscious. Kimble is later exonerated and driven away from the crime scene by Gerard.

Cast

• Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble
• Tommy Lee Jones as Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard
• Sela Ward as Helen Kimble
• Joe Pantoliano as Deputy Marshal Cosmo Renfro
• Andreas Katsulas as Frederick Sykes
• Jeroen Krabbé as Dr. Charles Nichols
• Daniel Roebuck as Deputy Marshal Robert Biggs
• Tom Wood as Deputy Marshal Noah Newman
• L. Scott Caldwell as Deputy Marshal Erin Poole
• Julianne Moore as Dr. Anne Eastman
• Ron Dean as Detective Kelly
• Joseph Kosala as Detective Rosetti

Filming

Filming locations for the motion picture included, Cherokee, North Carolina, Tennessee, Chicago, Illinois and Dillsboro, North Carolina. Although almost half of the film is set in rural Illinois, a large portion of the principal filming was actually shot in Jackson County, North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains. The scene involving Kimble's prison transport bus and a freight train wreck was filmed along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad just outside of Dillsboro, North Carolina. Riders on the excursion railroad can still see the wreckage on the way out of the Dillsboro depot. Scenes in the hospital after Kimble initially escapes were filmed at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva, North Carolina. Cheoah Dam in Deals Gap was the location of the scene where Kimble jumps down into the waterfall.

The rest of the film was shot in Chicago, Illinois, including some of the dam scenes, which were filmed in the remains of the Chicago freight tunnels as well as in Deals Gap, North Carolina. The character Sykes lived in the historic Pullman neighborhood of Chicago. Harrison Ford used the pay phone in the Pullman Pub, at which point he climbs a ladder and runs down the roofline of the historic rowhouses. During the St. Patrick's Day Parade chase scene, former Mayor Richard M. Daley and former Illinois Attorney General Roland W. Burris are briefly shown as participants.

Soundtrack

Elektra Records released an album featuring selections from the score on August 31, 1993. La-La Land Records later released a 2-disc, expanded and remastered edition of the score, featuring over an hour of previously unreleased music, tracks from the original soundtrack, and alternate cues.

Release

Home media

Following its release in theaters, the Region 1 Code widescreen edition of the film was released on DVD in the United States on March 26, 1997. A Special Edition DVD was released on September 8, 2009; special features include behind-the-scenes documentaries, audio commentary by Tommy Lee Jones and director Andrew Davis, an introduction with the film's stars and creators, and the theatrical trailer.

A restored widescreen hi-definition Blu-ray version was released on September 26, 2006. Special features include commentary by Tommy Lee Jones and director Andrew Davis, two documentaries, and the theatrical trailer.

Reception

Critical response

Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received generally positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 94% of 53 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 7.6 out of 10. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average out of 100 to critics' reviews, The Fugitive received a score of 86 based on 49 reviews.

Like the cult television series that inspired it, the film has a Kafkaesque view of the world. But it is larger and more encompassing than the series: Davis paints with bold visual strokes so that the movie rises above its action-film origins and becomes operatic.

Desson Howe, writing in The Washington Post, channeled with an upbeat sentiment affirming, "A juggernaut of exaggeration, momentum and thrills — without a single lapse of subtlety — "Fugitive" is pure energy, a perfect orchestration of heroism, villainy, suspense and comic relief. Ford makes the perfect rider for a project like this, with his hangdog-handsome everyman presence. He's one of us — but one of us at his personal best. It's great fun to ride along with him." Left impressed, Rita Kempley also writing in The Washington Post, surmised how the filmed contained "Beautifully matched adversaries" deducing, "One represents the law, the other justice — and it's the increasingly intimate relationship between them that provides the tension. Otherwise, "The Fugitive" would be little more than one long chase scene, albeit a scorchingly paced and innovative one." In a mixed to positive review, Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle figured, "Director Davis valiantly tries to keep the breakneck, harried pace of an actual flight going throughout, and only occasionally drops the ball (the film's convoluted conspiracy ending is the first example to beat me about the face and neck just now — others will crop up after deadline, I'm sure)." On the lead actor's performance he said, "Ford may be the closest thing we have these days to a Gary Cooper, but really, where's David Janssen when we really need him?" Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, emphatically expressed that the film was about "two chases, two suspense plots running on parallel — and finally convergent — tracks. Kimble and Gerard spend the entire film on opposite sides of the law. Before long, though, we realize we're rooting for both of them; they're both protagonists, united in brains, dedication, superior gamesmanship. The film's breathless momentum springs from their jaunty competitive urgency."

The film however, was not without its detractors. Writing under the pseudonym GA for Time Out, the author viewed the film as "A glossy, formula chase movie with the requisite number of extravagant action sequences". The critic added, "Ford is up to par for the strenuous stuff, but falls short on the grief, anxiety and compassion, allowing Tommy Lee Jones to walk away with the show as the wisecracking marshal on Kimble's trail." In a formulaic fashion, columnist Ethan Ham writing for the Bright Lights Film Journal speculated that supporting actor Tommy Lee Jones' character was "much more disturbing than the inept police." Later explaining, "In Kimble's first encounter with Gerard, Kimble says, 'I didn't kill her!' Gerard responds, 'I don't care.'" In the Chicago Sun-Times, noted film critic Roger Ebert voiced his enthusiasm with the picture observing, "The device of the film is to keep Kimble only a few steps ahead of his pursuers. It is a dangerous strategy, and could lead to laughable close calls and near-misses, but Davis tells the story of the pursuit so clearly on the tactical level that we can always understand why Kimble is only so far ahead, and no further. As always, Davis uses locations not simply as the place where action occurs, but as part of the reason for the action." Rating the film with three stars, James Berardinelli of ReelViews professed, "Following the opening scenes, we're treated to over a half-hour of nonstop action as Gerard and his men track down Kimble. Directed and photographed with a flair, this part of the movie keeps viewers on the edges of their seats. Most importantly, when on the run, Kimble acts like an intelligent human being. Equally as refreshing, the lawmen are his match, not a bunch of uniformed dunces being run around in circles."

Harrison Ford, bearded and numb with grief, breathes new life into the role last played by the stoic David Janssen some 26 years ago. Janssen played Kimble as the Lone Ranger with a stethoscope, moving from town to town, but Ford takes a darker, more gothic approach.

For the most part, satisfied with the quality of the motion picture, Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader said that "The mystery itself is fairly routine, but Jones's offbeat and streamlined performance as a proudly diffident investigator helps one overlook the mechanical crosscutting and various implausibilities, and director Andrew Davis does a better-than-average job with the action sequences." Leonard Klady writing in Variety exclaimed, "This is one film that doesn't stint on thrills and knows how to use them. It has a sympathetic lead, a stunning antagonist, state-of-the-art special effects, top-of-the-line craftsmanship and a taut screenplay that breathes life into familiar territory." Film critic Chris Hicks of the Deseret News accounted for the fact that the film "has holes in its plotting that are easy to pick apart and characters that are pretty thin, bolstered by the performances of seasoned vets who know how to lend heft to their roles." But in summary he stated, "the film is so stylish, so funny and so heart-stopping in its suspense that the audience simply doesn't care about flaws."

Box office

The Fugitive opened strongly in the United States box office, grossing $23,758,855 in its first weekend and holding the top spot for six weeks. It eventually went on to gross an estimated $183,875,760 in the US, and $368,875,760 worldwide.

Accolades

The film was nominated and won several awards in 1993–94. Various film critics included the film on their lists of the top 10 best films for that year; including Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times who named it the fourth best film of 1993. The film is also listed by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 Most Thrilling American Films.

Sequel

Jones returned as Gerard in a 1998 sequel, U.S. Marshals, which also features Gerard's team hunting an escaped fugitive, but does not involve Kimble or the events of the first film.

Novelization

Jeanne Kalogridis wrote a mass-market paperback novelization of the film. She worked from the original screenplay, which characterizes a doctor unjustly accused of a crime, while being pursued relentlessly by federal authorities.

References

Footnotes

1. "The Fugitive". The Numbers. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
2. "The Fugitive (1993)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
3. "The Fugitive". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
4. "Fugitive, The (1993)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
5. "THE FUGITIVE (2 CD-SET): LIMITED EDITION". La-La Land Records. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
6. "The Fugitive Production Details". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
7. "Great Smoky Mountain Railroad Frequently Asked Questions (2008 archive copy)". Web.archive.org. 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
8. The Fugitive (dvd). Chicago, Illinois: Warner Bros. 1993. Event occurs at 1:26:15. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
9. The Fugitive (dvd). Chicago, Illinois: Warner Bros. 1993. Event occurs at 1:22:35. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
10. "The Fugitive (2-CD Set): Limited Edition". La-La Land Records. Retrieved October 21, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
11. "The Fugitive (1993) - DVD Widescreen". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
12. "The Fugitive (Wide Screen/Repackaged)". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
13. "The Fugitive Blu-Ray". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
14. ^ The Fugitive. Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
15. The Fugitive (1993). Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
16. ^ Ebert, Roger (6 August 1993). The Fugitive. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
17. Howe, Desson (6 August 1993). 'The Fugitive' (PG-13). The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
18. ^ Kempley, Rita (6 August 1993). 'The Fugitive' (PG-13). The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
19. Savlov, Marc (6 August 1993). The Fugitive. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
20. Gleiberman, Owen (1993). The Fugitive (1994). Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
21. GA (1993). The Fugitive (1993). Time Out. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
22. Ham, Ethan (1993). Marginalism in The Fugitive. Bright Lights Film Journal. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
23. Berardinelli, James (1993). Fugitive, The. ReelViews. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
24. Rosenbaum, Jonathan (August 1993). The Fugitive. Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
25. Klady, Leonard (8 August 1993). The Fugitive. Variety. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
26. Hicks, Chris (5 July 2002). Film review: Fugitive, The. Deseret News. Retrieved 2012-12-23.
27. "Weekend Box Office : 'Fugitive' Makes Off With $23.8 Million". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
28. "Weekend Box Office September 17–19, 1993". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
29. "The Fugitive". The-Numbers.com. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
30. "Labor Day Weekend Box Office: 'The Fugitive' Just Keeps on Running". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
31. "The Fugitive (1993): Awards & Nominations". MSN Movies. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
32. "The Best 10 Movies of 1993". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
33. "AFI's 100 YEARS...100 THRILLS". American Film Institute. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
34. "The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
35. "Nominees & Recipients". American Cinema Editors. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
36. "The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
37. "ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards". The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
38. "Academy Prizes". Japan Academy Prize Association. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
39. "Awards Database". Bafta.org. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
40. "Chicago Film Critics Awards - 1988-97". Chicago Film Critics Association. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
41. "Awards". Cinema Audio Society. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
42. "1993 Winners and Nominees". Directors Guild of America. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
43. "Edgar Database". TheEdgars.com. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
44. "The 51st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1994)". Golden Globes. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
45. "KCFCC Award Winners 1990-1999". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
46. "Previous Years Winners 1993". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
47. "1994 MTV Movie Awards". MTV. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
48. "Past Awards". National Society of Film Critics. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
49. "Awards 1993". Southeastern Film Critics Association. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
50. "Awards Winners". Writer Guild Awards. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
51. "U.S. Marshals (1998)". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
52. Dillard, J.M. (1993). The Fugitive. Island Books. ISBN 978-0-440-21743-5.

Further reading

• Deane, Bill (2006). Following the Fugitive: An Episode Guide And Handbook to the 1960's Television Series. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-786-42631-4. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
• Abaygo, Kenn (1997). Advanced Fugitive: Running, Hiding, Surviving And Thriving Forever. Paladin Press. ISBN 978-0-873-64933-9.
• Janssen, Ellie (1997). My Fugitive. Lifetime Books Inc. ISBN 978-0-811-90857-3.
• Bernstein, Arnie (1998). Hollywood on Lake Michigan: 100 Years of Chicago & the Movies. Lake Claremont Press. ISBN 978-0-964-24262-3.

External links

• Official website
• The Fugitive at IMDb
• Template:Amg movie
• The Fugitive at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Fugitive at Metacritic
• The Fugitive at Box Office Mojo

• 1993 films
• 1990s thriller films
• American films
• American action thriller films
• American crime thriller films
• English-language films
• Films directed by Andrew Davis
• Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winning performance
• Films based on television series
• Films shot in North Carolina
• Films shot in Tennessee
• Films shot in Chicago, Illinois
• Films set in Chicago, Illinois
• Films set in Indiana
• Police detective films
• Chase films
• Warner Bros. films
• Fictional portrayals of the Chicago Police Department
• Medical-themed films