The Dean of Cinema

Written by Dean Zarbaugh II

A murdered wife. A one-armed man. An obsessed detective. The chase begins. Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.

By now most people are aware that The Fugitive is based off an actual case. That case involved a Doctor Sam Sheppard who was arrested, convicted and incarcerated for his wife’s murder in Bay Village, the peaceful cottage suburb outside Cleveland, Ohio. What most people don’t know is that the coroner that railroaded Dr. Sheppard had a long and storied career as the head of the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. In fact, the good doctor, Samuel Gerber, loved the spotlight after getting a taste of it during Eliot Ness’s famed Torso Murderer investigation back in 1930’s Cleveland. That killer was never officially found, but Gerber made sure to get his name in the paper as much as possible during that time, contradicting past statements and findings, or making comments about Ness and the direction of the investigation. Fast forward twenty years, and Gerber again finds himself in the middle of case that has the press in a frenzy, and calling for his imprisonment for not acting faster. Suddenly, as if by magic, Sheppard was placed in custody the very next day. He was eventually convicted for the crime, and it wasn’t until the appeal was taken up by F. Lee Bailey, yes, the man responsible for the acquittal of OJ Simpson, that Sheppard’s conviction was overturned for one of “not guilty.” Gerber would continue to serve as coroner even after this fiasco until 1986. A near 50 year career. Isn’t that something?

Anyway, back to The Fugitive, which takes many liberties with the actual story, but all of them work for the adaptation. The actual story isn’t anywhere near as thrilling. There was no one armed man, no board member from a pharmaceutical company pulling the strings, or foot chases through St. Patrick’s Day parades, and it took many years for Sheppard’s case to be overturned. That doesn’t make for an exciting movie. The script from writers Jeb Stuart and David Twohy is taut with suspense and drama. That should come as no surprise as Stuart was one of the writers for Die Hard previously. The action gets started right away with the murder of Helen Kimble in her home, and Richard Kimble’s subsequent arrest and conviction. The next two hours is filled with fun, thrilling action like train derailments and helicopters chasing cars that keeps you on pins and needles until the real killer is finally revealed. The Chicago PD wants Kimble dead, the Marshals want him back in prison, and Kimble wants to clear his name. The justice system refuses to listen to his account of the events and won’t entertain any other conclusion other than Kimble did it because his wife was rich. They got their man and the case is closed. We still live in a society where this kind of miscarriage of justice can and does still happen. The police and prosecutors are quick to jump to conclusions without waiting for all the facts to come to light. We read stories about wrongfully convicted people being exonerated and released from prison after decades behind bars, having their lives ripped from them by a misappropriation of justice. They were all quick to dismiss Kimble’s account of events, and only had one conclusion in their minds: Kimble did it. We know this isn’t true and only helps us root for Kimble to succeed in finding the real killer.

Andrew Davis does a superb job directing The Fugitive having previously helmed action films like Under Siege, Above the Law, and Code of Silence. Directing The Fugitive and working with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones must have been paradise after having to direct Steven Seagal. Joining Davis behind the camera is legendary cinematographer Michael Chapman who previously lensed a couple of masterpieces that you may have heard of like Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull. Chapman brings the film to life with his camerawork and lighting. The action feels real because it is! They actually derailed a locomotive just for this movie. It’s still a site you can visit in southern Ohio! Even with a run time of over 2 hours, the film flies by thanks to Davis’s sense of pacing and the great editing work from the editors. Davis brings you up close and personal into Kimble’s journey for redemption. We see the authorities closing in on him as he’s on the brink of proving them wrong. Will Kimble succeed before it’s too late? Davis and company keep you on edge of your seat throughout.

Harrison Ford is in top form as Doctor Richard Kimble, the titular fugitive on the run from the US Marshals. He gives Kimble a gentle humanity that belies the crimes he’s convicted of committing. Every opportunity he gets to save someone, he takes it, even if it means going out of his way or putting himself at risk of being captured. These aren’t the actions of a cold-blooded killer, but a good-hearted doctor obsessed with healing people. Harrison Ford is one of the best actors at giving a soft side to the gruff characters he plays. He’s a normal, every day guy just trying to clear his name. Ford is one of the greatest actors of all time and The Fugitive is a highlight in a career of incredible performances. The man is simply a legend. Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, Dr. Richard Kimble. The career actors starting out today would kill for.

Tommy Lee Jones won an Academy Award for his performance as Deputy Sam Gerard of the United States Marshals service, tasked with hunting Kimble down and capturing him. Gerard is a no nonsense type of guy who does things one way: his way. Don’t like it? You can go. Beneath all that bravado and determination, Gerard genuinely cares about and respects his team and always has their backs. At times, you can even see his begrudgingly respect Kimble’s inability to stop. Gerard is a hound dog. Once he gets on someone’s trail, he doesn’t give up until they’re in custody. If that means trudging through sewers and dam spillways, so be it. Whether you committed the crime or not, Gerard doesn’t care. His job is to bring you in and dammit, that’s what he’ll do. Jones was so good in the role, they focused the sequel, U.S. Marshals on Gerard and his team as they go about capturing a different fugitive in Wesley Snipes. No, it wasn’t for tax evasion 😉 Ironically, I wore out my old copy of U.S. Marshals on VHS growing up because it has always been one of those comfort movies for me, almost more so than its predecessor.

The Fugitive is a pulse-pounding thrill ride from start to finish and only gets better on subsequent viewings. It’s one of those classic comfort films that you can revisit again and again and never get bored of watching. If I’m flipping through the tv stations and I find it’s playing, I’ll stop and watch no matter how much time is left. It’s a rare perfect movie that fires on all cylinders and doesn’t disappoint. It’s filled with action, suspense, coverups, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked. One of my favorite movies of all time.

GRADE: A