The Fugitive (1993)
Director: Andrew Davis
Writer: Roy Huggins (characters) and David Twohy (story)
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama/Thriller
Story
Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) is accused of murdering his wife. Everything seems to point to him being the murderer as far as evidence goes, but we know Richard is not guilty from the beginning. Dr. Kimble is sentenced to execution by lethal injection after his trial and is then sent on a bus to another facility. The transport of Kimble and other convicts does not go as planned though when one of the convicts makes a scene to allow the others to attack. Dr. Kimble and another convict end up getting away after the wreck and Dr. Kimble is now The Fugitive. He has one more chance to prove his innocence, but he has to stay out of jail to get all of the evidence he needs. Marshall Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) is hot on Kimble’s trail as he attempts to find his wife’s real killer.
Everything Else
The directing of The Fugitive is nothing that stands out as being great, but the text book action sequences combined with the sound direction makes The Fugitive a great film. Most of the action sequences make sense and flow well with the story. The suspense also heightens well with each close call for Kimble. Kimble is almost caught on more than one occasion which makes the movie quite exciting.
The character interactions were good as well. Harrison Ford did well as Dr. Richard Kimble, but Tommy Lee Jones even got an award for best supporting actor in 1993 for this performance here and rightfully so. Jones’s character is constantly just a step behind Kimble and this brings out some of Jones’s best acting talents. Jones has the ability to be confident and yet be very believable as being exhausted from a search for a fugitive. The film also had Julianne Moore in it for a few minutes and Joe Pantoliano was in one of the larger cop roles.
The Real Deal
The Fugitive is a movie I grew up with. In fact, it was one of the first movies I owned on VHS. When I was younger I could watch The Fugitive over and over again and never got sick of it. I had not seen it in such a long time, but when I saw it last week I still loved it. It is a great, well made movie that has just the right amount of suspense, action, and drama. There are a few intense scenes with some blood, but they are not too bad compared to most out there today. The language is really the only other thing that may keep some away. Although, if it is a Sharon Movie then I would argue that just about anyone could handle the intensity of the action and gore. The Fugitive may not be the best movie ever made, but the solid writing, directing, and acting put together make this a movie which is able to age well and is good for repeated viewings.
Sharon’s Take
I know this is a Sharon movie, but it's been so long since I've seen it, I don't feel all that qualified to comment on it. I do remember all the great action, and thinking, "how is he going to escape out of this situation?" Plus it stars Harrison Ford. Has he ever been in a bad movie?
The Short Version
Raw Score: 833,234
Sharon Movie? Yes
5/21/2008
Sharon Movie: The Fugitive (1993)
5/13/2008
NO RULES REVIEW: Memento
Memento (2000)
Raw Score: 913,872
Sharon Movie? No
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Jonathan Nolan (short story Memento Mori), Christopher Nolan (screenplay)
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
The Skinny Version
Plot
It is a true work of art and was incredibly inspiring for someone that wants to make films some day. This is a movie that I was very glad to be able to see in the theaters. Leonard (Guy Pearce) is a man suffering from short term memory loss and is trying to track down the man who he thinks killed his wife. This movie was overlooked by many in the theaters because it was a movie with little advertising and it slowly grew into a big hit once the word got out. If you haven't seen it then you need to. Everything he does he tries to keep notes and tattoos about so that he can remember what he is doing. The movie pulls you into Leonard's life and attempts to share the chaos with you.
The Real Deal
Teddy Gammell (Joe Pantoliano) is a cop that is trying to help Leonard stay on the right path. Throughout the movie you have to try and figure out what is actually happening or what you believe to be true. This movie will mess with your head and keep your attention throughout. There is much more to talk about on this movie, but I will save it for the Deeper Thoughts blog. Great directing and I have to see every movie that Christopher Nolan makes now. I have yet to be disappointed. Memento is one of the truly great movies of the past few decades. I remember seeing this movie in the theater and ending up speechless at the end. I loved it. Here is the review of Memento directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Guy Pearce. This allowed you to get some background on the character and what he is thinking while trying to figure out what was actually happening or has already happened really. The idea is to bring you into Leonard's world where he does not know what is going on or why it is. 
Performance
Following was also a great film that altered the time of the movie only it was less meaningful for the story. In Memento the way the movie is edited to run backwards and forwards to the middle of the movie was incredible. Joe Pantoliano is always an interesting character. Maybe it is just his personality in real life, but he just seems goofy. This movie shows his strength in a supporting role. He seems like a nice guy, but sort of sleazy at the same time. Joe did a great job with the character of Teddy because you never know whether to trust him or not. I loved the creativity of the movie. After I saw Memento I wanted to see other films that Christopher Nolan had directed only to find one, Following. That is the whole point, but Joe Pantoliano makes this very easy for the viewer. Carrie-Anne Moss is Natalie, the girlfriend of the guy that Leonard seems to be after for his next John G. Carrie-Anne does a great job with making a character that is lost in all of the chaos and one of those people that seems to want to take advantage of situations. This is where the movie truly shined along with the writing that Jonathan Nolan did for this movie. The brothers worked hard to make this movie as true to the rare medical condition as they could. She has actually done quite a few things with Matrix being one of her larger roles before this film. She did a good job. 
Cinematography & Directing
Guy Pearce was already well known by many for L.A. Confidential. I did not even know who he was until after Memento. After I saw Memento, I wanted to see all of Pearce's films. Guy Pearce did a tremendous job with the part of Leonard proving his ability to act. He is very convincing as someone who does not know what just happened as weird as that sounds. He did not have to show much emotion in this film, but that did not keep him from giving a great performance. I have since been much less impressed with his performance in Time Machine and much more impressed with his performance in Factory Girl. Factory Girl was a more difficult role for him and it is definitely worth a look. The acting was very good overall in Memento.
