The Fugitive

It's a Hollywood flick, but also lays out the blue print to why Hollywood flicks like these work. The first is the choice of who the leads are. Even the most highbrow of critics applauded the appeal of the actors in this movie. At the time Harrison Ford was the most bankable star and Tommy Lee Jones was the best incarnation of charm meets antagonism. Those qualities today are a cliche with the show House and others. Then there is the script. It's a chase between two likable characters, but more importantly it's a respect game. Secondary characters are everywhere that the audience doesn't like. They are on both sides of the law from the stubborn Chicago police officers to the one armed man. Jones' character sides with one side, but the story is a continuous pull for him to side with Ford. It's what the audience wants most. This isn't a new idea for a story. It's actually done all the time. What makes The Fugitve memorable is that the interest and care in this struggle is so much more. Jones doesn't give in or show interest until the very end. His revelation of Fords innocence is as much of a relief to the audience as the woman in a love story finally falling for the right man. This film isn't true a love story per say, but it does bank on the emotional connection between Jones and Ford. The emotional core of The Fugitive should be studied for basic formulas in Hollywood. I once called the movie "today's best love story", but the purpose of that comment was to show how a thriller could encompass essential qualities found in not just a love story, but all kinds of movies. A basic screenwriting class would profess many aspects of The Fugitive.