The Fugitive
The Fugitive
Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.
匚卂尺ㄥ reviewedFebruary 14, 2025
Harrison Ford (born Horris Frump, but changed the name as another actor with this name already existed) plays fugitive Doctor Richmond Winkler.
Winkler is on the run from the law after accidently killing his wife while playing croquet. (Winkler hits his ball so hard, it bounces off a wall and knocks the wife out cold. She doesn't die from this, but it is when Winkler carries her back into the house, he carelessly drops her body into their pond en route, where she swallows a koi carp and duly chokes to death.)
Ford is used to playing men on the run. The little discussed straight to video 'The Man Who Ran At A Leisurely Pace' was a notorious box office flop, thanks largely to the man in question being caught by the law in the first ten minutes of the film. The rest of the film focusing on him filling in legal forms failed to excite audiences.
The Fugitive is a fun film full of twists and turns and breathtaking stunts. There is one scene where Ford jumps onto a fast-moving tram. For me, the best part of the film is where Ford dons all manner of disguises to hide from the law. Dressing up as a woman to attend an all female sycronised swimming class and later pretending to be a lamppost by arching his back carefully, these disguises are executed superbly.
The guy on the tail of the fugitive is wisecracking sheriff Tim Curry, who brings a delicious camp charm to the part. It is such a shame that he is only used in two scenes and has just two lines 'Where are you hiding Richmond?' and 'Oooh there you are!'
What makes this so interesting is that our fugitive is visually impaired and also has a false leg, which means he limps everywhere, frequently crashes into things and makes him stand out like a sore thumb in crowds. Ford plays this with sensitivity and charm.
When the film finished I rushed out to buy all the merchandise, including the two available action figures (The Fugitive figure was fun, but there was less play value with 'Man Who Thinks He Has Seen Fugitive In Shop' figure).