8.2 | / 10 |
Users | ![]() | 4.4 |
Reviewer | ![]() | 4.0 |
Overall | ![]() | 4.0 |
A Chicago surgeon falsely convicted of killing his wife is determined to prove his innocence by leading his pursuers to the man who actually committed the crime.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore, Joe PantolianoCrime | Uncertain |
Thriller | Uncertain |
Action | Uncertain |
Mystery | Uncertain |
Drama | Uncertain |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Czech: Dolby Digital 2.0
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 2.0
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Italian SDH, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Polish, Russian, Thai, Turkish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | ![]() | 5.0 |
Video | ![]() | 4.0 |
Audio | ![]() | 4.0 |
Extras | ![]() | 3.0 |
Overall | ![]() | 4.0 |
Twenty years after its spectacular train wreck opener first blew audiences out of their seats—with
no miniatures and no CGI—director Andrew Davis' The Fugitive remains a landmark thriller. In
the new documentary included with this Blu-ray, participants suggest numerous reasons for the
film's success, but the one most frequently cited is also the most basic: a great story told by gripping
performances. Of course, for a film to achieve the success and longevity of The Fugitive, many
factors have to conspire. Consider, for example, how the film would have played if editor
Dennis Virkler hadn't scrapped the original opening, which was a straightforward account of
Helen and Richard Kimble attending a charity event, then Kimble being called to an emergency
surgery, while Helen returned home to her fateful encounter with the one-armed man. It was
Virkler who reconceived the entire sequence as a series of disturbing slow-motion flashbacks in
black-and-white, accelerating the narrative and launching Kimble's escape at least ten minutes
earlier than originally planned. The next time you watch The Fugitive, try to imagine it without
that unsettling opening.
Warner Home Video released The Fugitive on Blu-ray in 2006 in the format's early days. That
disc has been widely criticized, including by my colleague Martin
Liebman, but I have the
advantage of never having seen it, either in its original, MPEG-2/encoded version or in the later
VC-1/encode with which Warner reportedly replaced it. I am simply evaluating the 20th
Anniversary edition as a long-time fan of The Fugitive and someone on whom the original
theatrical showing left a strong impression at a sneak preview in 1993. (I am not claiming,
however, to have a detailed recall of the film's colors, densities, textures and how the focus was
pulled in individual scenes.)
The consensus among those familiar with Warner's prior Blu-ray of The Fugitive seems to be
that the same transfer has been used for this 1080p, AVC-encoded 20th Anniversary version.
Regardless of whether this is a new scan or a refinement of the old one, the Blu-ray's image
accurately captures the flat, wintry look of the Chicago cityscape where most of The Fugitive
plays out (although some of the early sequences were shot in North Carolina). This "urban
naturalist" style is typical of cinematographer Michael Chapman (Primal Fear, Rising Sun),
although he can deliver a hyper-real look when required (Taxi
Driver).
The detail is impressive, both in the many closeups of Ford and Jones, and in larger crowd
scenes, such as the chaotic chase in the lobby of the Daley Center and the St. Patrick's Day
parade. Having read many complaints about aliasing and other visual artifacts on the previous
Blu-ray, I was alert for any such defects in this presentation, but I saw none. Black levels in key
night scenes, such as the early escape sequence and the chase on the Hilton rooftop late in the
film, are appropriate, and contrast is never overstated.
The Fugitive isn't a particularly grainy film, but it does have a natural grain pattern, which did
not appear to me to have been scrubbed away or oddly manipulated in any of the ways that leave
noticeable artifacts. Nor did I spot any edge halos or other indicators of artificial sharpening. The
average bitrate of 25.29 Mbps is within the range of what compressionists seem to aim for with
action films today (and certainly an improvement on the prior Blu-ray's reported 20.96 Mbps). If there were
compression artifacts, they were too subtle for my eye.
From the very begining of The Fugitive, when the initial credits open and close like bars and the
soundtrack clangs like prison doors, the Blu-ray's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track provides
powerful support to the film's suspense. The clanging sounds echo through the surround field as
they segue into something more like the blows struck by the one-armed man against Helen
Kimble, and then like the gavel of the judge who sentences her husband to be executed. The
sonic mix that accompanies the bus accident and train crash register forcefully with a harsh
sound of screaming metal. The roar of the water running through the dam sluices accompanies
Gerard's chase of Kimble through the drain tunnels, and the police helicopter that pursues
Kimble on the roof of the Hilton in the film's climactic sequence can be heard flying around the
room. Bass extension may not be as deep as on some more recent soundtracks, but the low
frequencies register with sufficient force to make the point.
Dialogue is generally clear, although Gerard and his deputies are often purposely overlapped so
that repeat viewings sometimes reveal stray bits of banter. James Newton Howard's score is one
of his very best, and it's instantly recognizable. The new "Thrill of the Chase" documentary
contains a telling comparison of a scene played with and without the score.
The 20th Anniversary Blu-ray includes all of the extras from the previous edition, plus two new
ones. The "carryover" extras are listed below; for further description, please see Marty
Liebman's earlier review.
One interesting aspect of The Fugitive is how its plot has become more credible with time.
(Spoiler alert: Stop reading now if you're new to the film.) When the film premiered in 1993,
some viewers, myself included, found it hard to imagine that a pharmaceutical company would
deliberately suppress evidence of a drug's dangerous side effects. Then, in 2004, Merck & Co.,
one of the world's largest drug companies, withdrew the widely prescribed (and highly
profitable) Vioxx from the market amidst allegations that it had withheld studies showing
increased risk of heart attack and stroke. No murder plots or frame-ups were alleged, but the
incident just goes to show that it doesn't take much creative license to transform the stuff of real
life into the basis for a great thriller. If studios tried it more often, we might someday get to see
something else as good as The Fugitive. In the meantime, this 20th Anniversary Blu-ray is highly
recommended.
30th Anniversary Edition
1993
30th Anniversary Edition
1993
1993
2010
2012
Standard Edition
1979
2012
1993
1998
2009
Extreme Cut
2009
Seven 4K
1995
2006-2007
2013
1972
1990
1989
The Dirty Harry Collection
1973
2005
2015
Collector's Edition
1991
1994
1997