In the Line of Fire

In the Line of Fire (1993)

Directer: Wolfgang Petersen

Writer: Jeff Maguire

Cast: Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott, Gary Cole, Fred Thompson, John Mahoney, Gregory Alan Williams, Jim Curley, Clyde Kusatsu, Steve Hynter

Synopsis:

Veteran Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan (Eastwood), who was assigned to JFK in 1963, is a legend in the agency as he is the only active agent to have lost a president, a fact that continues to haunt him to this day. Those memories come flooding back when he and his partner, Al (McDermott), are assigned to investigate a threat on President Traveler's (Curley) life by the deranged ex-CIA agent Mitch Leary (Malkovich). Leary has spent hours studying Horrigan and his involvement in the events at Dallas, and he taunts Frank with phone calls about his failure that day. Frank must track Leary down before the violent sociopath can carry out his plans to assassinate the President.

First Impressions:

I caught this one on video after my brother, who worked at our local video store, kept recommending it to me. At this point in my life, I was really becoming interested in the craft of moviemaking and was starting to discover certain directors and actors that I liked. This was the first Wolfgang Petersen film that I'd ever seen, but I had heard about him and knew he was fairly well regarded. I really quite enjoyed the film on first viewing. I thought it was a well-told thriller with some decent action and, of course, got extra points because Clint Eastwood was just the coolest. This is one of those films that I've owned in several different formats, but it's been a while since I've seen it. So let's jump right in and see how it holds up.

Story/Direction: 

"Do you have what it takes to take a bullet, or is life too precious?"

To me, the theme of this film's story is really one of redemption. When the movie begins, Frank appears to be a standard veteran agent with years of experience showing the ropes to his younger partner, Al. However, when he's called in to investigate Leary's apartment following a call from a concerned landlord, he's confronted by news images of the events in Dallas 30 years prior. This brings the memories of that day flooding back, and we see that Frank isn't necessarily as put together as we originally thought. We find out that Frank is haunted by the events in Dallas and sees JFK's assassination as his failure. For most of the rest of the film, we see Frank's attempts to right this old wrong as he requests to be put back on protective detail, even though he's way too old and out of shape for that kind of duty. The case becomes an obsession to him and brings him into conflict with other agencies and other members of the Secret Service, even his own partner. 

The real draw in the film is the interplay between Frank and Leary, most of which is done through phone conversations. I think Petersen did a great job in portraying these scenes in a way that makes them interesting to watch. By constantly cutting between close-ups of each man's face, it almost seems as though they're in the same room talking to each other, rather than being miles away. It really helps ramp up the tension, in my opinion. Petersen also keeps the audience on the edge of their seats by showing us Leary's side of the story as he prepares his plan. However, there's very little dialogue during these scenes, leaving it up to the audience to try and figure out what he's planning. It's very much like The Jackal in that the film shows us two stories playing out simultaneously. 

The film also includes a good little mystery to unfold as it trails Frank and Al's attempts to locate Leary and stop him. Maybe "mystery" isn't the right word because we know who the bad guy is, and the heroes aren't really investigating a crime as much as they are trying to stop one. Again, though, the underlying investigation is fascinating as we see Frank try to uncover the clues that Leary has left for him as part of the sick game he's playing. All in all, I'd say the story is pretty satisfying, which is vital for a thriller like this to work.

Acting/Characters:

I found Eastwood's portrayal of Frank to be a little out of character for him, well out of character compared to the other roles he'd take at this point in his career. By the early 90s, Clint had settled nicely into his "grumpy old cowboy" phase and often played terse and crotchety characters. However, Frank Horrigan is a little different, he can be grumpy, sure, but he's got a charm to him that you don't see in Eastwood characters that much. Whether he's playing piano at his local bar or shamelessly flirting with fellow agent Lilly Raines (Russo), Frank is a likable character despite the inner darkness he clings to. It's an excellent performance.

Speaking of agent Raines, let's talk about Rene Russo. Specifically, let's talk about how awesome Rene Russo is. Much like Lorna Cole in Lethal Weapon 3, Lilly Raines is more than a match for her male costar. Lilly is tough and no-nonsense, and while she does end up being the film's "love interest," it's on her own terms rather than just succumbing to the hero's charms. One of the main things I liked about the character was that the filmmakers resisted the temptation to have Frank be the veteran who teaches the callow young girl how to be a good agent. No, it's pretty clear from the get-go that not only is Lilly a more than competent agent, she's also smarter than Frank. It's a really great role from a really great actor. Top marks.

Finally, let's talk about the great John Malkovich. I think he often gets overlooked when discussing the best actors of his generation, which is a shame because he's great in almost everything he does. He plays Leary very subdued for the most part, which really makes those moments when he explodes more effective because it turns the crazy quotient up to 11. He's just so quiet and subdued that he screams unbalanced serial killer. There's a scene halfway through the film, where after shooting a pair of hunters in the woods, Leary just sits in the grass staring calmly at the bodies like a child waiting for his mom to bring him some milk and cookies. It's disconcerting and very effective.

Visuals:

There's not much in the way of VFX in this film. What little special effects the film has been focused on inserting Clint Eastwood into black and white photos and videos of the JFK assassination. This was a fairly big trend at the time, with many big films, most notably Forest Gump, using computers to alter historical films and photos. At the time, it looked pretty good, but a modern filmgoer can spot the alterations pretty easily. Still, for the time, they looked pretty good. 

Score/Music:

The score for this film was composed by the late great Ennio Morricone, and it's not one of his more well-known efforts. However, I thought the music fit well with the subject matter and didn't detract from the film. I found it fairly similar in style to the music he composed for The Untouchables, making heavy use of driving violins to help punctuate the urgency of the action on the screen. 

Action:

Even though this isn't an action movie, there are some pretty good action sequences in this film. The best of the lot is probably a terrific chase along the rooftops of a D.C. residential neighborhood, ending in a tense standoff. Though not really an "action" scene persé, the climax of the film is another good standoff with a satisfying conclusion. Much of the film's excitement comes from tension leading up to these moments, though it works well for the most part.

Final Verdict:

I really like this movie. It's tense, exciting and has interesting characters that are easy to root for. Check it out if you're into thrillers, Clint Eastwood or just good flicks in general.