The Fugitive
“I didn’t kill my wife.” “I don’t care.”
The week of Harrison Ford’s birthday seems like a good time to crack open his film back catalogue and dive into one of his greatest (non-genre) films: The Fugitive. The 1993 thriller stars Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble; framed for his wife’s murder, he goes on the run, hunted by the police and US Marshals, led by Tommy Lee Jones’ Samuel Gerard. Based on the 1960’s TV show (also called The Fugitive) it was made on a $44 million budget and went on to rake in $370 million, earn a Best Picture Academy Award nomination and a Best Supporting Actor win for Tommy Lee Jones. The iconic, “I didn’t kill my wife”/“I don’t care” exchange between the two leads in a tense storm drain showdown was improvised on set. According to producer Roy Huggins, Gerard’s line in response to Richard Kimble’s was originally written as, “That isn’t my problem.” Tommy Lee Jones, came up with, “I don’t care.”, and a classic film moment was born.
But did you know…
1) The scene where a train crashes into a bus was originally set to be filmed with miniatures. However, when it was deemed cheaper to just buy a real bus and train and mash them together for the cameras, that is exactly what the filmmakers did. You can still visit the wreckage in the Great Smoky Mountains.
2) Another memorable scene is the cat-and-mouse case between Ford and Lee Jones during a St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This was the actual parade; the filmmakers showed up and as Ford puts it, “We didn’t stage anything.” He later said “I just inserted myself in the middle of the parade.” Ford was so good at acting like a man trying to keep a low profile he managed to go several minutes before being recognised (presumably by being pointed at and someone shouting, “Han Solo!”).
3) The Fugitive was the first US film in a decade to be released in China, following the (semi) relaxing of rules and restrictions over foreign films being released there.
Our clip shows the bus/train crash in the finished film.
