Although he will always be remembered as Han Solo or Indiana Jones, it is as Dr. Richard Kimble that Harrison Ford found his greatest role. Based on an old television show, Ford makes this role his and does some of his best acting.

Falsely accused of brutally murdering his wife, Kimble gets sentenced to die. He escapes from a prison bus, in an amazingly tense sequence. He then heads back to Chicago to find the real killers.

The Fugitive has several great action sequences; the bus/train wreck, the chase and dam jump, the escape from the correction facility and consequent pursuit through the St Patrick's Day Parade. What makes these more than just action sequences are the fine performances of Ford and Tommy Lee Jones.

Ford, better than anyone, plays an average Joe who finds himself caught up in something diabolical. Here, his average Joe is a vascular surgeon who ends up being an action hero. It is Ford's specialty role. He also does a variation on this character for Air Force One. What makes Ford good at it, is that he never becomes a superhero. He doesn't just happen to know karate or any other such nonsense. He is an extremely vulnerable character.

Tommy Lee Jones threatens to steal this movie. He has all of the good lines. He earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for this role. Within the first have hour of the film, Jones spouts such memorable lines as "Think me up a cup of coffee and a chocolate donut with some of those sprinkle on top." "We got a Gopher." "The guy did a Peter Pan off of this dam, right here." "Get a cane pole, catch the fish that ate him." The most memorable line in the movie though, is a brief exchange between Ford and Jones inside the dam. Ford says, "I didn't kill my wife." to which Jones responds, "I don't care."

Great acting, great action and great lines. But wait, there is more. The score is very good as well. I watch this movie every March. The last time I watched it, I found myself humming along to the background music. It is some very contagious music.

Director, Andrew Davis needs some kudos here. He keeps the pace moving along very well. The entire look of the film is March drab. That sad time of the year when the snow has melted and spring has yet to produce a blossom. The opening shots of Kimble's wife's murder are quite unsettling. Then Kimble becomes a fugitive. Then, he becomes a detective. His direction keeps the movie on a smooth pace no matter which direction it goes in. Davis does not have a distinguished list of directed films. His most recent have been Holes and Collateral Damage. However, his work on The Fugitive is a flawless piece of cinematic entertainment.

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