Despite having a classical movie plot of someone being falsely accused of murder, "The Fugitive" is a well written and acted movie which is probably the reason why it aged so well.
The movie was based on the hit television series of the same name starring David Janssen, which in 125 episodes developed a cult following. The movie remake starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, takes place in Chicago versus LA in the original. The story is about Dr. Richard Kimble who found his wife murdered and struggled with a one armed man intruder. The man escapes and Dr. Kimble is accused of murder and is sentenced to death. He ends up escaping from the prison transport when the prison bus collides with a train. This was one of the best special effects scenes of the time. See what I mean below:
He is pursued by US Marshal Samuel Girard (Tommy Lee Jones). Richard Kimble had the opportunity to escape and took it to clear his name. In his pursuit of innocence, we see Kimble demonstrate a great sense of intelligence and see him continually take calculated risks. He then discovers that all this is linked to big business and medical corruption which involves one of his closest friends. The story ends with Richard Kimble clearing his name.
This is one of the rare movies out there that has perfect balance between dialogue and action. It keeps the tension going throughout the movie, not letting go for one second. The performances of both Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones are excellent. They just play so well against each other. I can not stress enough the excellent quality of the screenplay.
The Bottom Line
As I mentioned below, this 90s movie aged very well. You can watch it today and enjoy it just as much as when it was released. Everything from the screenplay, the acting and even the special effects (train / bus collision) survived the test of time very well. I guess with this type of criteria, in a certain sense it would be considered a classic. It had received great reviews when it was released, and I have to admit that those reviews still stand today. While reflecting on the movie, I came to the conclusion that "The Fugitive" had an old school movie type of feel to it. It placed the importance on acting, character and dialogue, which was the golden standard of the past. In the golden age of movies, each of these criteria where able to stand on their own and it is the case with "The Fugitive".
I give the movie a 9/10. A great watch for the entire family.
I also wanted to give you a feel of the original series so here is the show's intro: