Review: In the Line of Fire - 1993

Story - Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president.

Cast - Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo

Crew - Wolfgang Petersen (Director) Jeff Maguire (Writer)

Runtime - 128 minutes

         

Clint Eastwood, a man many remember for his Western characters in movies from the '60s portrays an aging secret service agent, trying to prevent the president's assassination. This movie is paced perfectly, time flies by. The suspense and the development of the story, trying to catch a rogue CIA agent played by John Malkovich is sublime. 

While watching this movie I was disappointed to think we probably won't get movies like this anymore, nowadays it feels like it's either big blockbuster movies or small indies, the mid-budget dramas are barely done these days if ever. 

Both actors give everything they have in this movie, having these back-and-forth arguments over the phone as if it were a dance, learning more about their personalities, past, and what they are probably thinking at the moment. Besides the action, some of the quiet moments really make everything sink into our consciousness, seeing how a beaten-down agent is trying his best to prevent another tragedy and to redeem himself from his previous mistakes.

It possesses some incredible shots and great direction by Wolfgang Petersen, it is the first movie I have seen of his, and I will try to watch more in the future.

In the Line of Fire is an engaging thriller, one that will leave you satisfied for the evening, one could call it a dad's movie but I think it is an everyone's movie. One that will trap you into a place of desperation, where doing the right thing can seem difficult or even impossible to accomplish, and to take a bullet if that means you can save another person's life.

         

Final Score -4.5/5