The Fugitive

On the DVD for season 2 of The Office of the special features is various cast members doing fake public service announcements ranging in topics from what to do if your attacked by a bear to not calling a bride on the day of the wedding to ask for directions. One of the fake PSA's provided by Jim was regarding the film The Fugitive and how it is a really good movie. I mean really really good.
Essentially that is exactly how I feel about this film. It is really really good. I am not a fan of the police procedural genre, but this film stands out because of it's unique premise and strong cast. At the center of the story is Harrison Ford's character Dr. Richard Kimble. From the beginning of the film we see Dr. Kimble convicted of the murder of his wife and in transit on his way to prison when he becomes part of escape attempt orchestrated by the other prison. The prison bus crashes is hit by a train in a sequence that remember seeing as kid and being completely blown away by. To this day I still consider one of the better action sequences I have seen in my life.
In comes Wyatt Earp, I mean Samuel Gerard played by Tommy Lee Jones. He has been placed in charge of apprehending the escaped felons including Dr. Kimble. Jones won an Oscar for his role here as the leader of his team and plays the role with an unflinching sense that his character's one goal is to do what's right by the law and by his team. Because of this he manages to avoid becoming the villain as he pursues Dr. Kimble.
His pursuit of Dr. Kimble is made easier by the fact that the good doctor is determined to prove he is innocent. You see it was the one armed man that did it and Kimble is filling to masquerade as a janitor at the local hospital and visit a prisoner locked up in the police station in his pursuit of the truth. Those are big risks given the fact that every police officer in Chicago is looking for him.
There are parts of the film that have become ripe for parody over time which is only natural. The film was directed by Andrew Davis whose previous work had included Steven Segal films (I do think Under Siege was pretty good) and his best work since was arguably Holes. Not exactly a stellar resume and yet this film has very few real flaws. The supporting cast provides an appropriate level of humor as they trade barbs with Jones and Ford handles being able to juggle feelings of dread as he slips past police officers with determination for clearing his name. It's not Indiana Jones or Han Solo, but he still plays the hero very well and in this case very sympathetically. Overall, I think Jim was right, this is a really really good film.