Chasing Away Summer Movie Blues

As the spring term came to a close, my roommate and I had one shining hope to sustain us through our finals drudgery: summer movies. But the product didn't match the promise. We found ourselves exiting theaters with long looks of despair. The stars' hype outshone their lackluster films, and I soon realized that we might be condemned to yet another year of disappointment.

How can one help but become frustrated at Hollywood's latest offerings? Come on, "Jurassic Park"? I enjoyed the movie, but the its semiconductor-based actors and actresses had more personality than the live ones. I won't even mention what I thought of "Robin Hood: Men in Tights."

I walked into "The Fugitive" consciously lowering my expectations for fear of yet another let-down. My unsubstantiated apprehension originated from the fact that "The Fugitive" was a motion picture adaptation of an old television series of the same name.

But much to my pleasant surprise, I found the movie thoroughly enjoyable, almost to the point where I didn't mind dishing out seven dollars to watch the movie.

"The Fugitive" centers around Dr. Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford. Dr. Kimble is a prominent vascular surgeon working in Chicago's Cook County Hospital. He comes home one night from a late surgical emergency to find a one-armed intruder lurking in his home. After a brief scuffle, the one-armed man escapes. The stranger has beaten Dr. Kimble's wife (played by Sela Ward) who dies in her husband's arms.

Dr. Kimble is taken into custody, and when circumstantial evidence mounts against him, is convicted of his wife's murder and sentenced to death. During the trial proceedings, the doctor asserts his innocence, claiming that the true culprit is the one-armed man whom he found in his home.

The bus transporting Dr. Kimble and other prisoners--well, let's just say something exciting happens--and Dr. Kimble is able to escape. A team of U.S. Marshals led by Tommy Lee Jones's character Sam Gerard steps onto the scene to apprehend the fugitives.

Kimble remains uncaught, and Gerard's relentless pursuit of the "fugitive" begins. The cat-and-mouse chase leads back to Chicago, as the doctor tirelessly hunts for the "one-armed man."

"The Fugitive" is by far the best movie of the summer. How's that for objectivity? But seriously, it was the best action-thriller keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat movie in a long while, and definitely welcomed relief from what could have been a very long summer drought. There has to be something to this movie if it can keep someone like me with the attention span of a gnat engaged from start to finish.

What is most impressive about the film are the strong, conflicting emotions the audience feels for the main characters. We know that Dr. Kimble is innocent, and empathize with his plight. At the same time we experience both sympathy for and anger toward Tommy Lee Jone's character. Sam Gerard is just doing his duty, yet we find ourselves hating him for his relentless pursuit of Kimble.

An equally compelling relationship exists between the characters themselves. Gerrard's obsessive desire to bring in Kimble is epitomized in one confrontational scene staged over a rushing waterfall. Upon Kimble's protest that he was innocent, Gerard replies, "I don't care." When I saw this movie, I instantly drew analogies to Jean Valfean and Javert from the musical "Les Miserables"--except without the singing.

The two heavyweights Ford and Jones were absolutely fantastic. But what did you expect? Harrison Ford only has six of the highest grossing pictures of all time under his belt, and Jones has co-starred in such films as "JFK" and "The Firebirds."

Okay, if you're not convinced yet, then this will win you over:

The movie has a plot.

Isn't that amazing I almost didn't believe it myself until I actually saw it. Plots are so rare these days, especially in big name movies.

So go see it. You'll like it.