Friday, April 25, 2014

Wlos: The Fugitive


            The Fugitive is a 1993 film starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones that showcases the thrilling nature of an escaped prisoner, Dr. Richard Kimble (portrayed by Harrison Ford), as he is chased through the city of Chicago while attempting to prove his innocence.  In the early part of the movie, Dr. Richard Kimble is wrongfully convicted of killing his wife, and is sentenced to death for doing so.  Kimble remains adamant that he is innocent despite being proven guilty in a court of law, but his deadly punishment makes his hope for virtue unfeasible.  However, when two fellow prisoners attempt to mount an escape while they are being transported on the interstate, a new prospect of optimism is granted upon Dr. Kimble as the convicts actions land the prison transport vehicle on train tracks as a train approaches.  “The action sequence that received most notoriety was the spectacular train crash from which Kimble escapes his journey to death row.  Superbly directed, the scene is a chaotic, manic event. . .” (Pfeiffer 209).  It is in this scene of wreckage that we observe new perspectives of innocence as Dr. Kimble’s actions within the smashed and folded setting are ultimately pure.
            We observe many actions of purity in Dr. Kimble’s actions within the wreckage scene, but the most defining symbol is the fact that he was the last person to leave the car before it was hit by the train.  This is significant because it showcases the fact that Richard Kimble did not have anything to run from, like the other men did.  Fellow prisoner, Coplin, who was guilty of his crime, had something definitive to run from and the guard who ran before Kimble did created a dilemma to run from by abandoning his partner.  Kimble on the other hand had nothing but his values with him, he could act calm and collectively, without feeling an sensation of hurry.
            Another aspect of the scene that gives an interesting perspective on innocence is the fact that Richard Kimble is called upon to help the guard that sustained injuries but not the prisoner who foamed at the mouth and was subsequently shot.  This displays disregard for those who are convicted and considered not innocent. 
            The Fugitive is an epic of criminal justice.  The film showcases many faces of the criminal justice system in how detectives search for offenders, how accused offenders are convicted, and how a wanted man is dehumanized by the project searching for him.  However, one must read between the lines to discover notions of innocence and justice that are not as black and white.  While the occurrences at the train wreck are not necessarily poetic, they are doubtlessly deep in meaning.  The fact that Kimble was the last to leave the wreckage and was not called upon to offer medical assistance to the prisoner that went down are simply a result of the logistics of the character’s actions.  However, such occurrences nonetheless showcase a pattern of behavior that is unquestionably enforced by inner viewpoints and motives which can only be identified by close observation.


Andrew Wlos


1 comment:

  1. “Richard Kimble did not have anything to run from, like the other men did.”
    Wow, that’s actually a really interesting point to look at. It shows that in comparison to both a rightfully convicted murderer, and a supposedly “innocent” prison guard, Kimble holds the moral high ground. It’s something of a judgement of character that we make in that scene, wherein the guard has committed no crimes, but is morally weaker than Kimble, as is the man shown to be Kimble’s equal. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to him, which separates him from the other characters in the scene. It’s a separation that really drives forward Kimble’s individuality as not simply an escaped convict… something that Gerard begins to piece together as the case progresses, as he changes from his “I don’t care” pursuit based solely on Kimble’s status as an escaped prisoner, to an understanding and pursuit of the truth, rather than just the man on the lam. Both the audience and Gerard progress through their understanding of Kimble’s character at different points in the film. This scene is our chance to see his true character, and Gerard makes the distinction later on in the film.

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