By Marc S. Sanders
While watching Wolfgang Petersen’s In The Line Of Fire for about the umpteenth time, it occurred to me that good, solid action pictures work so well when there is at least one or two characters who suffer from a past trauma. Recently, I wrote about John Rambo in First Blood where what haunts the character sets the story in motion. In Petersen’s film, both the villain and the hero attack one another’s personal sufferings to stay ahead of a game that could result in the assassination of the President Of The United States.
Clint Eastwood is aging Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan. He served on the team the day Kennedy was killed in Dallas. A deranged lunatic who initially goes by the name of Booth (John Malkovich), a salute to Lincoln’s assassin, forces Frank to play hand after hand through disturbing phone calls he makes to Frank where he discusses his eventual rendezvous with death when he will finally kill the President. Booth tests Frank mettle though. Does Frank have the guts to take a bullet for the subject he is supposed to protect?
In The Line Of Fire is a very effective thriller because of its lead performances from Eastwood and Malkovich – two actors of different ranges with very different personalities. Eastwood is famous for being the quiet kind of hero in films like Dirty Harry and Unforgiven. Malkovich is a character actor who hides within his roles, which is especially demanding of the character in this film. It is hard to find two roles in his career that seem similar.
Booth is a master of disguise. Wolfgang Petersen takes more the one opportunity to show the endless possibilities of what Malkovich as Booth could do to alter his appearance. The morphing of the digital composites-bald, hairy, thin, plump, glasses or no glasses-is a welcome disturbance. Interestingly, the basic John Malkovich that audiences are familiar with does not even make an appearance until at least a third into the movie. Prior to that he’s disguised as a hippie or Petersen has him concealed in dark corners where all that you are seeing are his eyes hiding behind a pair of binoculars.
What holds your attention in a script from Jeff Maguire is that you learn more and more about the man called Booth as the story moves on, all the way to final act. What would motivate someone to assassinate the most powerful leader of the free world? The odds of accomplishing the act are enormous against the security and protection devoted to one person.
You also witness the defeat that Horrigan endures as Booth stays ahead of him and torments him over his past transgressions. At first Frank is forced to recollect his past failures by what Booth brings up in one phone call after another. Later, Frank gets the upper hand as his investigation uncovers more. A later scene in the movie brings about a sensational exchange of dialogue between the two actors. The agent also has to contend with a difficult supervisor (Gary Cole) and a Chief Of Staff (Fred Thompson) who carry no faith in Frank’s efforts and are more concerned with the President’s image versus saving his life.
Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich are a terrific protagonist and antagonist. There are a few scenes the two actors share together but they arrive later. Before those moments, much material depends on the phone calls they have. So, they work well off each other without even being in the same room. The characters come at one another with the demons they dig up and the responses from Eastwood and Malkovich appear very convincing. Very effective work with script, direction, and performance.
The supporting cast is terrific too. There’s a romantic angle that could have been filler, but thanks to a good matchup between Eastwood and Rene Russo, as another Secret Service agent, there are some humorous moments as well as tender scenes for the heroic agent who is approaching a dinosaur period. Clint Eastwood is great to watch as a piano player in this film. Watch as he plays As Time Goes By when Russo rejects his advances and wanders off for the elevator. Shortly after, she succumbs and there’s a hilarious moment that pokes fun at what it takes to be an active agent.
Dylan McDermot is Frank’s younger partner. He’s quite good, representing the fear that goes with being a man willing to take a bullet for someone else. An opening scene presents a frightening moment for the character. On a Clint Eastwood level, it works with the signature charm that most are familiar with, but from McDermott’s perspective it is something else entirely, helping to shape his character for the rest of the film.
The characters in In The Line Of Fire are not tough guys beyond dares. They are conflicted. They experience fear and hesitation. They have pasts that haunt them as well, and the opponents use psychological warfare to weaken their enemy.
Because Maguire’s characters are so fleshed out, the suspense works nicely with Petersen’s direction and a recognizable Ennio Morricone soundtrack. The ending is great, not just for the action and editing, but the tension is quite palpable as well.
In The Line Of Fire has magnificent performances. You get a clear picture of what is necessary to be in the Secret Service, all the way down from the department’s appearance while jogging next to a Presidential limousine while wearing a suit, to the process of preparations, and what heights Presidential protection strives for to stay ahead of endless threats that come their way.
Wolfgang Petersen’s film is thirty years old, and the technology and procedures within the governmental departments have assuredly been updated since its release, but this picture does not appear dated or out of touch. This thriller still works.
2 UNPAID MOVIE CRITICS!!!! 