Idiot-Deluxe
In the Line of Fire is an insanely entertaining action/suspense film from 1993, starring (the great) Clint Eastwood as the aging secret service agent Frank Horrigan, cast opposite of him, in the role of the villain, is John Malkovich who delivers what's probably the most inspired performance of his career, as the fiendishly vindictive rogue agent/assassin, Mitch Leary. Also starring is a young and still very beautiful Rene Russo and she quite capably fills the roll of the young-female-secret-service-agent and she's also Clint's squeeze or "love interest" in the film - although it is a highly contentious relationship between the two at first. But, as if you couldn't guess it, Clint's charm and heroism eventually win's her over. Also starring as Eastwoods partner, in what's probably his only notable film role, is Dylan McDermott, who, when in the presence of such an inspired cast and helmed by a director of Wolfgang Peterson's caliber, even he rose to the occasion.This film is masterful by the way it's creates such a potent atmosphere of tension between the two main character's, in which we see Eastwood pitted against Malkovich, in the classic good-guy vs. bad-guy format and the events that transpire, play out in the form of what's an incredibly exciting game of cat-and-mouse; and since it revolves around assassinating the President, the games stakes could not be any higher. I say "game", because that's how Malkovich's character, Mitch Leary, treats it as and he's unfailing sporting of his grand scheme of assassination towards his nemesis Frank Horrigan and agents of the Secret Service; and he constantly keeps them in the loop all the way through to conclusion, which brilliantly leads up to the films climatic ending. But there's more to say before we get there. Just remember that there's apparently an established code of etiquette among psychotic assassin's - one which colors greatly this movies mood.Throughout the movie Leary taunts his pursuers through a series of phone calls, that are always flavored with cryptic threats, which tends to cast a dark pall over the film. Though it goes well beyond that (especially in the second hour of the film), as the tension only intensifies, when it becomes obvious that there's a killer on the loose. Malkovich plays his role with a remarkable level of energy and conviction and his looming presence cast's a very long shadow over his enemies which, impressively, is the Secret Service AND the FBI. Yet it's on the conscious of agent Horrigan, that the threat of Leary weighs most heavily, as the ever-present threat of this shadowy specter remains at large. All this tension effectively builds up into a vast morass of terrible uncertainty which must be vanquished, if the nightmare that is Mitch Leary is ever to end. If that doesn't spell it out for you here's another, the tension that's created is: Positively Palpable.Throughout the second half of the film the ante is upped and Leary is actively on a killing-spree, murdering several people who he perceives as being in the way and/or knowing too much and for Horrigan, one of his victims comes very close to home. Who might it be? All while following the president's re-election bid/campaign trail around the country, which at a series of campaign rallies, leads us up to some of the films best and most exciting moments; once again pitting old, steely-eyed Clint against his nemesis - Mitch Leary, who also happens to be a master of disguise. With Horrigan's obsessive nature towards catching (or killing) Leary, not to mention all the additional safety precautions he ask's for on the Presidents behalf, this invariably (and quickly) causes a lot of internal friction between himself, other members of the Sercret Service, all the way up the ladder to the White House Chief of Staff (played by the late Frederick Dalton Thompson).In lieu of Horrigan's efficient investigating and Leary's devious, but very sporting-like MO, this effectively ensures that the game will always be kept very close and the stakes are always at their highest: Presidential Assassination; this again, creates profoundly intense levels of suspense, which are potently and thrillingly sustained until the very end of the movie. In the Line of Fire is a lot more than just a great action film with "all it's guns blazing"; it's a film that has very few rivals when measured in the terms of it's compellingly gripping levels of suspense and 23 years after it's release, it still, very much remains among Eastwood's best films. A tall order for any movie and the only other movie of Clint's that has anywhere near this level of suspense and nervous tension, is the first Dirty Harry film - but even that falls well short of In the Line of Fire. Which, as time has proved it to be, a true heavy-weight contender in the realm known as: The Suspense Genre.
view_and_review
Clint Eastwood is so adept at playing the over-the-hill badass--and this movie is no exception. "Unforgiven", in which Clint plays the past-his-prime gunslinger, is still one of my favorite movies (if you haven't seen it, shame on you).Here, Clint plays Frank Horrigan, a secret service agent that is the only still active agent to have been on duty when JFK was assassinated. That day plagues him and it becomes all the more relevant when he is dragged into a cat and mouse game with another potential president assassin, Mitch Leary (John Malkovich).As adept as Clint is at playing a golden aged hero, Malkovich is equally adept at playing a psychopath. The drama and intensity of In the Line of Fire was brought to life by Malkovich. Mitch Leary was a respectable bad guy. However ignoble is aim was he was going to achieve it in the most noble and sophisticated fashion. Mitch Leary was both cold-blooded and honest. He toyed with Frank Horrigan and the entire secret service but left tiny bread crumbs just to keep it interesting for himself and, by extension, the viewer. I so enjoyed the chess match between the two of them.Rounding out the starring cast was Rene Russo and Dylan McDermott. Rene played an agent and Frank's love interest (naturally) and Dylan played Al D'Andrea, the rookie. Their roles were inconsequential because the real show was Eastwood and Malkovich. I wish they'd done more projects together.
classicsoncall
When I watched this film the other evening, what struck me from the perspective of having been around when John F. Kennedy was assassinated was how familiar all the press clippings appeared to be in Mitch Leary's apartment. The pictures and headlines were ubiquitous in the aftermath of the assassination, and it struck me how viewers born after that event will never have that same kind of perspective. Not sure if that really means anything, but it's something I've been thinking about since watching the picture.Considering Clint Eastwood's character to be one of the Secret Service agents assigned to the Kennedy detail, I'm glad the film writers didn't take the approach of making Frank Horrigan a discombobulated mental case because of the assassination. Eastwood displayed just the right amount of angst over his connection to Dallas without obsessing about it. Casting John Malkovich against Horrigan as the disgruntled ex-CIA agent was a brilliant move, he exhibited a cold menace in the early going to keep Horrigan off balance. There was a great line he used to taunt Horrigan with when he said "What do you see when you're in the dark and the demons come?" Without knowing anything about how the Secret Service actually operates, the film had some interesting points to make about protecting the president. There was also the upcoming election intrigue taking into account the president's standing in the polls and how the Chief of Staff (Fred Thompson) obsessed about closing that gap with personal appearances in light of a credible threat. Another interesting observation which can only be made in hindsight, is the phony name used by Leary early in the picture when he was calling himself James Carney. How could anyone know that in 2014, the presidential press secretary would be someone named Jay Carney. It calls to mind all those weird coincidences when considering the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln.
LeonLouisRicci
If you can stand the Hollywood Conceit of Romance with Sloppy kissing and groping between a Geezer and a Thirty-Something Hottie you might give this one a Pass because it is an Above Average Thriller with a Venomous Villain. If you can believe Clint Eastwood as a Jazz Pianist you might give this a Pass because it has much more going for it.There are a number of Suspenseful Set-Pieces and John Malkovich without doubt steals the Film from the One-Note Eastwood who really struggles delivering Lines at times and is unwatchable as He exchanges Loving Stares with Rene Russo. Overall, this is kept from sinking to Cringe inducing Territory by a Multi-Faced Malkovich that is as Creepy as they come. It moves along at a brisk pace and it needs too as it moves quickly from badly Written exchanges and exposition Scenes among Good Ol Boy Ballbusting and a predictable Sub-Plot with a Partner that is never fleshed out and comes across as totally Contrived.A Watchable Film that tries just a little too hard to be Heady, and the best of it outweighs those excruciating Filler bits and delivers an Entertaining, but Puffed-Up Piece of Product.
