In the Line of Fire (1993)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writer (WGA):

Jeff Maguire (written by)

Release Date:

9 July 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

An assassin on the loose. A president in danger. Only one man stands between them...

Plot:

Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president.

Plot Keywords:

President | Secret Service | Assassin | Phone Call | Government

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 10 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 22	12:30 AM	AMC
Wed. July 22	12:45 PM	AMC

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan
John Malkovich	...	Mitch Leary
Rene Russo	...	Secret Service Agent Lilly Raines
Dylan McDermott	...	Secret Service Agent Al D'Andrea
Gary Cole	...	Secret Service Presidential Detail Agent-In-Charge Bill Watts
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	White House Chief of Staff Harry Sargent
John Mahoney	...	Secret Service Director Sam Campagna
Gregory Alan Williams	...	Secret Service Agent Matt Wilder (as Greg Alan-Williams)
Jim Curley	...	President
Sally Hughes	...	First Lady
Clyde Kusatsu	...	FBI Agent Jack Okura
Steve Hytner	...	FBI Agent Tony Carducci
Tobin Bell	...	Mendoza
Bob Schott	...	Jimmy Hendrickson
Juan A. Riojas	...	Raul

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

128 min | Portugal:138 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints) | SDDS (8 channels) (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #32342) | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Philippines:R-18 | Peru:14 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

This marks the first time that the Secret Service offered its full cooperation in the making of a film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the agent is checking the pack of photos against guests arriving for the dinner, Mitch's photo is a single frame. He then looks at Mitch, doesn't recognize him, and shuffles the now two-frame photo to the bottom of the pack.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Al D'Andrea: [running late] Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, Frank, thank God. Thank God. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

Soundtrack:

As Time Goes By

I Can't Look Away

'In the Line of Fire' is one of those Hollywood films that shows up on tv quite a bit, but although I've seen it a few times, I usually end up sitting through the whole thing again. Why? - It's GOOD! Clint Eastwood is great as usual, and the character he plays is interesting and more fleshed out than usual. The character, Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, is haunted by the fact that he was on the detail that failed to protect President Kennedy in Dallas, and now he's forced to match wits with a professional assassin that is openly declaring that he will kill the president. However, the film doesn't make him a depressed, brooding, and obsessed character. He's charming and personable, and is realistic as a guy that has experienced a lot in life and is comfortable in his own skin. He's even quite convincing when he flirts with the pretty younger agent played by Rene Russo. The killer, played by John Malkovich at his best, is cerebral, deliberate, and enjoys playing high stakes games of life and death. He even goes by the name of another presidential assassin, John Booth.

The film is consistently enjoyable, and it delivers all the goods - suspense, action, romance, and drama - all in their proper amounts. It's a fun film that is really helped by the great actors in it!