In the Line of Fire (Special Edition)

 

 

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UN TRÈS BON FILM , COMME CLINT C'EST LE FAIRE ... ET OUI ÇA LÀ RAPPORT AVEC LA POLITIQUE AMÉRICAINE , JE VOUS LAISSE LE DÉCOUVRIR ... BRAVO CLINT POUR TOUT TA CARRIÈRE , MON CHER.

This retro review is for the special edition release of the 1993 film,"In the Line of Fire".This well directed suspense/thriller by Wolfgang Peterson shows a well cast movie and all with "game on".
The story involves one Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan(Eastwood)who is a "living legend",in his own tongue-in-cheek words.He is the only active and still working agent who ever lost a president on his watch(JFK);which has haunted him for years and continues to dog him with his peers.Enter one killer/psycho by the name of Mitch Leary who is hell bent on killing the president.He starngely knows Horrigan's background and throughout the movie plays a cat and mouse game with him and the rest of the secret service.Horrigan and his staff always seem to be a step behind the killer and as close as they sometimes come,they can never quite put their hands on him.
Leary slowly and methodically weaves his plan,letting no one get in the way and leaving no loose ends.For example,when he opens a phony bank account and the rep catches him in a lie about his background,he follows her home and coldly kills her because he might be able to i.d. him,and her roommate because she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
When Horrigan does finally obtain a lead in the form of fingerprints he is stone walled by none other than the CIA.Eventually it comes out to a much chagrined Horrigan,that Leary was an ex-CIA assasin who has now gone rogue.With this information the impetus to catch him steps up a few notches.All realize that Leary is VERY capable of doing exactly what he plans to do.It is during the president's campaigning in California that the noose tightens and the Secret Service finally get their man.Horrigan saves the president's life by taking the assasin's bullet.Trying to escape Leary uses Horrigan as a shield and they ride an elevator several floors where the big showdown occurs.The movie ends with Horrigan and love interest,fellow agent Lilly Raines(Rene Russo),sitting on the steps of the Lincoln memorial contemplating their future.
This movie got Malkovich an OSCAR and Golden Globe nomination,so memorable was his performance.He played the psycho to a tee;on the one hand very methodical and serious minded and on the other given to violent fits of rage.All this wrapped up in a character with no conscience who could kill in cold blood in an instant.
Eastwood gives one his best performances on screen.For all his critics who claim he is wooden and lacking range,I invite them to see this.Eastwood embues his character with a very natural and appealing quality,but one who has been haunted deeply by his past.He pulls it off brilliantly and effortlessly.
Technically the movie in this transfer is very good.The picture is quite clear and crisp in it's widescreen format and the sound is great in Dolby 5.1 or 2.0.There is a myriad of special features which include the trailer,talent files on the films director and three main stars,shorts on "Catching the Counterfeiters","How'd they do That?","The Ultimate Sacrifce:In the line of Fire", and an inside look at the real Secret Service.There is also a directors commentary and deleted scenes.
All in all a fine release of a fine and well done film.Eastwood the films hero and Malkovich his nemesis,play their parts with equal panache and a naturalness that makes for a more believable and enjoyable movie going experience throughout;excellent performances by both.The movie clocks in at around 127 minutes but it doesn't feel that long;one of my time worn but sure fire ways of telling me that I'm watching something better than run of the mill.This movie is a winner all the way.

The only actor i liked in this political action thriller was John Malkovitch. I mean he is one of the greatest actors alive today and this movie shows why. I loved his other movies like 'Being John Malkovitch', 'Con Air' and 'Of Mice and Men'. The tension and anger could be felt by the charecter Malkovitch played. On the other hand, this was clearly Clint Eastwood's best preformance too. The reson why this great half and half movie didn't win an oscar is because of
a. The title.
b. Based on fictional charecters and at the same time discriminating the US Government by showing lack of professionalism.
c. Only three major actors.
d. Release date.

So anyway, some might say that this is just another action flick, which it is, so if you'd like to see Eastwood play a hard nosed secret agent and hunt down a humerous, serial killer physcopath played by Malkovitch, then this movie will do alright. It may be a typical movie but the good thing about movies everybody would like to see is the highly awaited climax. So watch this if you are an action fan.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Eastwood is great..Russo is sexy and Malkovich is creepy
Clint Eastwood(Blood Work, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly), a cop..was one of the guys who protected John F. Kennedy before he was assassinated... Read more

Published on Dec 11 2003 by Michael Bolts

4.0 out of 5 stars good
This interesting little suspence tale starring Clint Eastwood, Rene Russo, and John Malcovich goes into the world of politics. Read more

Published on Oct 4 2003 by KB

5.0 out of 5 stars Eastwood Vs. Malkovich, with the President in the Middle...
Clint Eastwood, in his first film after completing his masterpiece, UNFORGIVEN, chose a winner with Wolfgang Petersen's suspenseful IN THE LINE OF FIRE. Read more

Published on Sep 7 2003 by Benjamin J Burgraff

4.0 out of 5 stars The only Eastwood movie I own
Believe it or not, this was the first Clint Eastwood movie I bought and only the second I?ve seen (the first was ?Blood Work?). So consequently I cannot compare this to a ? Read more

Published on July 26 2003 by wellwellwell

4.0 out of 5 stars Redemption?
A smart, taut thriller with a sense of humor, In the Line of Fire was directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, Air Force One, A Perfect Storm) and produced by Clint Eastwood,... Read more

Published on Jun 19 2003 by Nicholas Stix

5.0 out of 5 stars Smarter than Your Average Thriller
This is a marvelous film which you surely will enjoy if you like the genre. By far the best performance I've seen by Eastwood--
outstanding. Read more

Published on Feb 15 2003 by stranger2himself

4.0 out of 5 stars A good thriller
Unlike the usual thriller where you can see how it ends long before the ending, this one actually has some mystery and tension. Read more

Published on Nov 1 2002 by zinnias9

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE BEST THRILLERS OF THE NINETIES
Yesterday, for the fifth time in ten years, I saw IN THE LINE OF FIRE. And I will see it some more times again. Why ? Read more

Published on Oct 28 2002 by Daniel S.

4.0 out of 5 stars Secret Service Gets Boost from Eastwood
This review refers to the Special Edition DVD(Columbia)......

He was there when Kennedy was assassinated. It still haunts him 30 years later. Read more

Published on Oct 26 2002 by L. Shirley

5.0 out of 5 stars What a brilliant thriller!
I stumbled onto this movie years ago. I hadn't seen any commericials or trailers. It looked OK to me, so I rented it for the evening. Read more

Published on Oct 18 2002 by djordman

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