The Fugitive (1993)

July 29, 1993 (Westwood)August 6, 1993 (United States) — July 29, 1993 (Westwood)
August 6, 1993 (United States)

The Fugitive is a 1993 American action thriller film, directed by Andrew Davis, with a script co-written by Jeb Stuart and David Twohy, from a previous story draft which Twohy had written. Based on the 1960s TV series, itself loosely inspired by the trial of Sam Sheppard, the film stars Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, and Jeroen Krabbé.

After being framed for the murder of his wife and sentenced to death, vascular surgeon Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford) escapes from custody following a bus crash. Kimble sets out to find the real killer and clear his name, while being hunted by the police and a team of U.S. marshals, led by Deputy Samuel Gerard (Jones).

The Fugitive premiered in Westwood, California, on July 29, 1993, and was released in the United States by Warner Bros. on August 6, 1993. It was a critical and commercial success, spending six weeks as the number-one film in the United States, and grossing nearly $368 million worldwide against a $44 million budget. It was the third-highest-grossing film of 1993 worldwide, with an estimated 44 million tickets sold in the United States. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture; Tommy Lee Jones won for Best Supporting Actor. It was followed by the 1998 film U.S. Marshals, in which Jones reprised his role as Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard, along with some others of his earlier marshals team.

Storyline

In Chicago, vascular surgeon Dr. Richard Kimble is arrested for the murder of his wife, Helen. Despite his claims that he caught a man with a prosthetic arm in the act, Helen's misinterpreted 911 call and substantial life insurance policy serve as evidence against Kimble. He is convicted of her murder and sentenced to death.

En route to prison, Kimble's fellow prisoners stage an escape. In the chaos, the driver is shot dead and their bus crashes into the path of an oncoming train. Kimble risks his life to pull a wounded officer to safety before fleeing. In response, relentless and uncompromising Deputy US Marshal Samuel Gerard and his staff launch a manhunt.

Meanwhile, Kimble sneaks into a hospital to treat his injuries and disguises his appearance. The wounded officer is brought to the hospital and recognizes Kimble, who escapes in an ambulance. The marshals block Kimble's path, so he slips into a storm drain, pursued by Gerard. Kimble asserts his innocence, but Gerard responds that he does not care. Cornered at the end of a steep dam spillway, Kimble makes the dangerous jump into the waters below to escape.

Determined to find his wife's killer, Kimble returns to Chicago and seeks help from his friend, Dr. Charles Nichols. Posing as a janitor, Kimble infiltrates Cook County Hospital to identify patients who required recent prosthetic adjustments. Afterwards, Kimble is asked to move a young patient on a gurney. Noticing he has been misdiagnosed, he changes the boy's file, saving his life. A doctor notices his interference and alerts security, forcing him to flee. Gerard investigates the incident and, after deducing Kimble is searching for his "one-armed man", also compiles a list of suspects.

Gerard and Kimble encounter each other at Chicago City Hall while approaching the same suspect. In the ensuing chase, Gerard loses Kimble in the St. Patrick's Day parade crowds. Later, Kimble breaks into the home of another suspect, Fredrick Sykes. Kimble recognizes Sykes as his wife's killer and discovers evidence linking Sykes to his former colleague, Dr. Alec Lentz, and Devlin-MacGregor, a multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical company developing a drug called Provasic. Kimble had reviewed Provasic and discovered it causes liver damage, which should have prevented the drug being approved for sale. He calls Gerard from Sykes's home to lead him there. Suspicious at what he finds, Gerard puts Sykes under surveillance, but he sneaks away. Kimble realizes that the Provasic-afflicted liver samples he sent to Lentz were tampered with, to hide the side effects. They were then approved in Lentz's name, on the same day that he died under suspicious circumstances. Kimble deduces that Nichols was responsible.

Aboard a train to the medical conference in a hotel where Nichols will unveil Provasic, Kimble is attacked by Sykes, who shoots an intervening police officer dead. Kimble subdues Sykes, but the police assume Kimble killed the officer and order him shot on sight. At the conference, Kimble publicly confronts Nichols for killing Lentz and concealing Provasic's side effects for profit and a directorship at Devlin-MacGregor. The pair fight through the hotel, pursued by Gerard. Kimble accuses Nichols of sending Sykes to kill him for opposing Provasic, inadvertently resulting in Helen's murder as Kimble was unexpectedly called to work. Gerard calls out to Kimble, asserting his belief in his innocence after finding evidence of Nichols's guilt. Nichols knocks out Gerard's colleague, takes his gun, and readies to shoot Gerard, but Kimble saves him by knocking Nichols out with a pipe. Kimble surrenders, and Sykes and Nichols are arrested.

While reporters query the police over failings in the case, Kimble is escorted to Gerard's car, where he reminds him of his earlier claim that he did not care. Gerard wryly asks him to keep it a secret that he does.

The Fugitive (1993)

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Storyline

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