In the Line of Fire poster
In the Line of Fire

What’s Aged the Best?

Wall collage; too-old-for-this trope; Castle Rock; Washington; flawed cops; Secret Service cooperation; flirting; binoculars; assassination plan; disguises; archival footage; elevator; answering machine

In the discussion (17)
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:55Read transcript
  • The villain’s assassination wall collage is an aged-best choice; its apparent replacement by online conspiracy activity is debated.
  • The familiar too-old-for-this warning is praised as an effective action-movie device.
  • The 1990s Castle Rock run is praised.
  • 1990s Washington locations are praised.
  • The functional alcoholic cop with poor social skills is praised as a recognizable hero type.
  • The Secret Service’s reported first full cooperation with a film is praised, with irony noted that the story centers on its greatest failure.
  • Frank’s horny but self-aware flirtation with Lily is an aged-best choice.
  • Tiny assassin binoculars are an aged-best choice.
  • Mitch’s donation-based access plan is praised as carefully designed, while its lack of an escape plan is acknowledged.
  • The homemade gun is raised as both impressive and frightening; the woodshop dedication is joked about.
  • Mitch’s outfits, disguises and deliberate weight gain are praised.
  • Young Eastwood footage incorporated into Kennedy material is praised as convincing.
  • Frank’s quiet description of Dallas the night before the final assassination attempt is singled out as a strong scene.
  • The Bonaventure elevator is praised as an iconic movie location, compared with elevators in The Silence of the Lambs, Die Hard and Dressed to Kill.
  • The roommates’ theatrical outgoing answering-machine message is an aged-best choice, prompting memories of shared messages.
  • Assassins making unnecessary trips to other cities is an enjoyed trope.
  • Mitch’s Hunter S. Thompson-like travel disguise is praised.