A Reel 25: THE FUGITIVE

“I didn’t kill my wife!”

This month marks the 25^th anniversary of Andrew Davis’ THE FUGITIVE.

Loosely based on the 1960’s TV series of the same name, THE FUGITIVE was a surprise hit in 1993; earning seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and was the third-highest grossing film (domestically) of the year, behind MRS. DOUBTFIRE and Steven Spielberg’s JURASSIC PARK. It told the story of a Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), who is unjustly imprisoned for killing his wife, and through a series of fortunate accidents, manages to escape and goes on the run in an effort to clear his name. He is hunted by U.S. Marshal Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his team in a chase that goes through woods, rivers, waterfalls, cities, towns, farmhouses and henhouses.

Despite being an action film, THE FUGITIVE became a character piece thanks to its powerful cast. After years of playing whip-flinging archeologists and space smugglers, Harrison Ford was cast in the role as Dr. Kimble, after Alec Baldwin, Nick Nolte, Kevin Costner, and Michael Douglas were considered. Tommy Lee Jones took the role of the Top Cop in pursuit, besting contenders Gene Hackman and Jon Voight. Despite only sharing a few scenes together, the combo of Jones and Ford drove the film, with each character playing on the side of righteousness but in their own, different ways.

Filming took place in locations in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Chicago. The pulse-pounding scene in which Kimble’s prison-transport bus is struck by a freight train (shot in one take), was filmed along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina. James Newton Howard, who was coming off an Oscar nomination for his score for THE PRINCE OF TIDES, composed the score.

Striking a balance of action and mystery-solving drama, THE FUGITIVE was a box office hit and critical darling. It’s seven Oscar nominations would include a Best Supporting Actor win for Tommy Lee Jones, and he would also win a Globe. Harrison Ford would earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.

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Aside from awards and nominations, THE FUGITIVE has a legacy that has sneaked into our everyday lives. Dialogue from the film such as “I didn’t kill my wife” and “I don’t care” are quoted often and turned into internet memes, and blaming a “one-armed man” for problems is also commonplace. The site of the famed train wreck in North Carolina still has wreckage lying about, and the site has become a popular, although unofficial tourist stop for movie fans and the curious. As a film, THE FUGITIVE was a reminder for just how good Tommy Lee Jones could be, and that Harrison Ford had more to offer than the shallow characters he was known for. The film itself is a cat-and-mouse action flick mixed with a healthy dose of whodunit, and Dr. Kimble’s never-give-up attitude, driven by love, is something we can all relate to. Smart, relentless, and endlessly entertaining, THE FUGITIVE is a thinker’s action film that makes us all care.

“Your fugitive’s name is Doctor Richard Kimble. Go get him.”