In the Line of Fire (1993)
Thrillers don't come much better than this tale of a Secret Service agent (Clint Eastwood) playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with a professional assassin (John Malkovich) who is out to kill the President.
Wolfgang Peterson's film is a beautifully crafted piece that pulls you in immediately. Clint Eastwood is on top form as is the sinister Malkovich, but it's also the rest of the cast including Rene Russo as Eastwood's fellow agent, John Mahoney, Dylan McDermott and so on who add extra gravitas to the film. The same can be said of Ennio Morricone's subtle score.
Although not an action packed movie it's very well paced and laced with tension, leading up to a fantastic pay off at the famous LA Bonaventure hotel.
A film which is 26 years old this year and no matter how many times i watch it, it never feels dated nor does it become tiresome. They really don't make films like this anymore. People tend to think Clint Eastwood's best years were the seventies and i can't argue with that but his early nineties triumvirate of Unforgiven, this and A Perfect World i'd suggest are among the best he ever made.
|