The Fugitive is one of the major projects in Harrison Ford’s career. The 1993 action thriller elevated the actor’s stardom after turning out to be a notable critical and commercial success. But it is surprising that the movie owes its success to one of the most controversial figures- Steven Seagal. If it was not for a Steven Seagal film, Ford and Tomy Lee Jones could never get their blockbuster.
Recently when The Fugitive celebrated its 30th Anniversary, Rolling Stone shed light on some unknown facts about the much-celebrated action classic. As the actors, producers, and other crew members united to talk about the Harrison Ford movie, they revealed how Under Siege had a huge contribution to their movie.
What’s the connection of Steven Seagal to Harrison Ford’s The Fugitive?
The Fugitive did a major job of elevating Harrison Ford to new heights of stardom. The Indiana Jones fame was massively praised for his role as Dr. Richard Kimble. But as per the makers, Under Siege had a primary role in making the movie possible. It was the 1992 Steven Seagal movie that convinced them that director Andrew Davis would be perfect for The Fugitive.
Steven Seagal is one of the most controversial actors after being repeatedly accused of s-xual harassment. But even after that, the producer of the 1993 movie Stephen Joel Brown explained how the box office profits of Under Siege gave them confidence about The Fugitive. They were convinced that Andrew Davis had a good knowledge of the action-thriller genre and could pull it off seamlessly.
“Under Siege really elevated Andy, and it gave us and the studio the confidence that he could handle a big action movie. I watched it with Arnold [Kopelson, producer]. He said, ‘This guy should direct The Fugitive.'”
Andrew Davis enjoyed more spotlight farther as it was not only the producers who were convinced of his capabilities. The lead Harrison Ford also checked Under Siege and agreed to everyone on his involvement in The Fugitive. Davis stated:
“And then I got a call Sunday night from the head of Warner Brothers production, Bruce Berman. He said, ‘Congratulations.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Well, Harrison Ford saw Under Siege over the weekend, and he wants you to make The Fugitive.” I said, ‘OK. Amazing.'”
The Fugitive inspired by a 1960 television series of the same name centers around the story of Dr. Richard Kimble framed for the murder of his wife and sentenced to death who goes on a quest to find the killer. The film grossed $353 million with 7 Oscar nominations. Tomy Lee Jones won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The late renowned critic Roger Ebert also praised the movie as one of the best of 1993.
Also Read: Harrison Ford Almost Lost $10B Star Wars Role to Rocky Legend Sylvester Stallone – What Went Wrong?
What did Roger Ebert say about The Fugitive?
It can’t be denied that The Fugitive has a special factor that made it special, unlike the other action flicks of that era that couldn’t leave a mark. When Ebert wrote about the movie in his review, one of the top movies of 1993 earned praise for ticking off all the checkboxes of an ideal action thriller.
The late critic wrote:
“Thrillers are a much-debased genre these days, depending on special effects and formula for much of their content. The Fugitive has the standards of an earlier, more classic time, when acting, character and dialogue were meant to stand on their own, and where characters continued to change and develop right up until the last frame. Here is one of the year’s best films.”
According to Rolling Stone, the lack of focus on CGI and romantic subplots was one of the reasons that made the Harrison Ford starrer such a compelling and excellent product of the genre. A spin-off sequel titled U.S. Marshals starring Tomy Lee Jones was also released but it was nothing compared to its predecessor and ended up being a disappointment in every aspect.
The Fugitive can be streamed on AMC+ while Under Siege can be rented on Apple TV+.
Source: Rolling Stones
