Mather, Tom - The Fugitive

The film The Fugitive (1993) starring Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble is a thrilling chase movie in which a man is framed for the murder of his wife. While on his way to prison, the prisoners on the bus end up causing the bus to crash, which inevitably leads to a spectacular accident in which the bus lands on train tracks, resulting in the derailing of a train. Amidst the chaos, Kimble manages to escape the crash and make his way back to Chicago where he proceeds to piece together a case that will prove his innocence. Despite being truly innocent, Kimble must avoid the law at all costs, and has many close calls throughout the film. Yet despite his need to stay hidden, Kimble can't help but do a few acts of charity along the way. These acts of charity help establish Kimble's innocence in the eyes of the audience. “Invoking feelings of sympathy and empathy in the audience was key to this drama film” (Pfeiffer 212).

The biggest scene that demonstrates this is when Kimble poses as a janitor for a hospital in order to gain access to one of the wards there. While he is trying to blend in, he is asked by a doctor to help transfer a patient downstairs. Instead of transferring the boy, he instead picks up his chart and starts to talk to the patient. He befriends the boy, making him feel at ease, as any doctor would and should. In the end he sends the boy upstairs for emergency surgery, diagnosing a problem that if missed, it could have meant the boys life. Kimble took the Hippocratic Oath and swore to protect his patients, and even if he wasn't actually the doctor of this boy, he still took it upon himself to save a human life despite being in the position he was in. He risked absolutely everything, the time he took in order to transfer the boy to the surgical ward could have been spent finding a safe location from the police. This is important to Kimble's character as it truly does help prove that Kimble is a good man and did not murder his wife. Not only is it important to the audience, but it is also important to Gerard, the U.S. Marshall pursuing Kimble. When Gerard confronts the attending physician about Kimble's presence in the hospital, taking the forged I.D. from her, she tells Gerard about how Kimble saved that boy's life. You see Gerard's facial expression change, as if he did not expect a man expected to be guilty of murder to be capable of such an act. It is at this moment where Gerard starts to piece together that Kimble just might be innocent, that there is another side to the story that the rest of the world hasn't seen. This is arguably one of the most important scenes in the movie, as Kimble through his random act of kindness gained an ally; something he hasn't had throughout the entire movie. Gerard at this point may still be pursuing Kimble, but at least now recognizes that there is something fishy going on, and that Kimble might not be the enemy any more.

Tom Mather