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In the Line of Fire

1993

Wolfgang Petersen

Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, René Russo, Dylan McDermott ...

6.7

20,837

Mystery. Action. Drama Aging secret service agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood), on duty the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, is still unable to forget his failure on that fateful day, even as he nears retirement in 1993. When Mitch Leary (John Malkovich), a psychotic man calling himself Booth, threatens to kill the current president, Horrigan is the only one who takes the threat seriously. Over time, a cat-and-mouse game develops between the ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Vincent Canby The New York Times	"Although the film moves at a dizzy pace (...) there are no false moves (...) [It] is one of the few Hollywood suspense melodramas that don't seem to ignore the realities of the world outside. It uses them"
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"A smart, tense, well-made thriller (...) What's surprising is how much time the movie finds for small touches of realistic detail and emotion (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"An explosive blend of pounding tension and wisecracking humor. This is formula dished out by experts."
		Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly	"Though the movie is engrossing, it lacks something: fire, weirdness, originality (...) [Petersen] knows how to cobble a scene together, but he’s not exactly a wizard at pace"
		Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"This is a pretty good thriller, though not one you're likely to remember for very long."
		Tom Hutchinson Radio Times	"Hugely enjoyable (...) Petersen piles on the suspense with ruthless skill, while Eastwood reveals the same vulnerability that made his performance in 'Unforgiven' so compelling and convincing (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Hal Hinson The Washington Post	"Eastwood does throw himself completely into the role (...) The film is wasted as Frank and his partner (played, unremarkably, by Dylan McDermott) run up one blind alley and down the other."
		Barry McIlheney Empire	"This is as close as a major theatrical release can come to being the perfect video rental (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"

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