Cinema Revisited: The Fugitive (1993)

Directed by Andrew Davis. Cast: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Wood, Ron Dean. Released August 6, 1993. Running time: 130 minutes.

During the 1990s, there was a run on making movie versions of classic TV shows. However, films like "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Sgt. Bilko," "McHale's Navy," "The Honeymooners," and "Leave it to Beaver," have been blissfully forgotten, while the original shows continue to be respected as classics. The concept of stretching an idea that worked for a 30 minute sitcom just didn't work at feature length.

However, there was one movie version of a TV show that was most effective. "The Fugitive" was a serialized account of Richard Kimble, accused of killing his wife, and spending several seasons running from the cops while hunting for the one-armed culprit. Featuring David Janssen in the title role, "The Fugitive" captivated 1960s audiences and its finale was one of the highest rated programs of its time.

Since it was a continuing story over several seasons, adapting the idea for "The Fugitive" in a feature film was to simply utilize the plot within the parameters of a single movie rather than a series of episodes. That paring down worked just fine, as the film is as compelling, suspenseful and exciting as the series had been.

Director Andrew Davis (Code of Silence, Under Siege) was likely hired to helm this project due to his knack for action sequences. And despite the need for narrative exposition throughout, Davis never allows his film to become uneven or disjointed. It maintains a steady rhythm throughout. The action merely supplements the compelling narrative and the engaging characters. Harrison Ford plays Richard Kimble as alternately determined and bewildered, both frightened and cagey. What adds to the enjoyment of the film is Tommy Lee Jones' take on lawman Samuel Gerard, who is on the hunt for Kimble. Played by a sober, serious Barry Morse on the TV series, Jones gives his interpretation of the character an amusing affability that makes his otherwise obsessive measures more amusing. It lightens the harsher scenes and makes the film more entertaining.

Both Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones were big enough stars to be allowed some creative contribution beyond acting. Jones' classic line in response to Kimble's professing of innocence, "I don't care," was originally, "That's not my problem," but was changed by the actor during production. Ford tore some ligaments during a scene running in the woods, but refused medical treatment until filming ended, so he could use the limp for the remainder of filming.

Now over a quarter-century old, roughly how old the TV series was when the movie was made, "The Fugitive" holds up as exciting, well-crafted entertainment from the period. While it doesn't diminish the original series, that also holds up over an even longer time, the movie does a good, effective job of compacting the basic plot of a serialized program as a feature film. It is the only movie version of a TV series to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.