The Fugitive (1993) ****

There is no such thing as a perfect film but The Fugitive , directed by Andrew Davis, comes as close as anyone is likely to get. Though too long in places and using dubious logic sometimes, The Fugitive stars Harrison Ford as wrongly convicted Dr. Richard Kimble hunting a one-armed man that has killed his wife. But the plot really doesn't matter.
The real movie is the seemingly endless cat-and-mouse fight between Ford and Tommy Lee Jones as a pugnacious and unstoppable U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard. The classic speech delivered early still stands out:

"Alright, listen up, people. Our fugitive has been on the run for ninety minutes. Average foot speed over uneven ground barring injuries is 4 miles-per-hour. That gives us a radius of six miles. What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area. Checkpoints go up at fifteen miles. Your fugitive's name is Dr. Richard Kimble. Go get him."

Ostensibly the film is based on a TV series by the same name. Alas, the film doesn't have twenty episdoes to tell the story in toto so Davis is forced to radically condenses Kimble's investigation into his wife's murder. The pay-off is sadly lacking as a huge, medical cover-up apparently is behind everything. But, again, the real point is watching not just Ford and Jones shadowbox one another - especially in one tense scene at an Irish Day parade! - but Davis masterfully pace the thriller to its conclusion. Davis makes incredible use of Chicago locations here as he did for Above the Law in the 1980s.

Looking back, there are some regrettable lapses. Scenes by Julianne Moore were unwisely cut - but then the added romantic sub-plot crowds a film juggling about five stories simultaneously. Another problem is sheer implausibility of the conspiracy and its resources - they can't hire a normal TWO-armed man??? But these small issues aside, Davis has made perhaps the definitive action film of not just 1990s but arguable one still unsurpassed in terms of its distinct acting, character and dialogue - especially the unforgivable forgotten dam scene early on in the film. Though he unfortunately never surpassed this gem it deserves repeated viewings.