4. THE FUGITIVE
THE FUGITIVE took 4 seasons, 120 episodes, and condensed it into a sleek 130 minute feature-length film. There was big star power behind this adaptation, with Harrison Ford taking the lead and Tommy Lee Jones in an Oscar winning role as the fast talking US Marshall pursuing him. The TV show had the wrongly accused Kimble show up in new locations almost every week, with a little side plot that he would inevitably get involved in. The film keeps things focused on the whole running and chasing aspect and ends up being a fantastic thriller. Ford is excellent in the lead role, where he speaks very little. That makes Jones his perfect nemesis with the fastest dialogue in the west. Iconic scenes such as the train bus/train collision escape as well as the jump from a dam, makes this a perfect stand alone film. There was a sequel, U.S. MARSHALLS, which added Robert Downey Jr. to the mix, but that was a sequel with a rinse and repeat structure of its predecessor. The TV show may have had more depth, but when it comes to tense thrillers packed in tightly, you can’t beat THE FUGITIVE of 1993.
