Roger Ebert's review
Roger Ebert’s review is discussed: 4 stars
In the discussion (2)
- The hosts report Ebert awarded four stars
- They discuss his praise of the film as accomplished entertainment
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The Rewatchables episode
aired February 6, 2024
Most Rewatchable Scene
Dam chase versus the opening 24 minutes
In the discussion (13)
- Opening interrogation
- Bus fight and bus/train crash
- Marshals taking over the investigation
- Dam pursuit and jump
- Copeland’s capture
- St. Patrick’s Day chase
- Kimble calling Gerard from Sykes’s apartment
- Subway fight
- Cardiology-conference confrontation
- Final Kimble/Gerard exchange
- Mallory favors the dam chase
- Chris favors the opening 24 minutes and 20 seconds
- Bill favors the opening crash material; the definition of a single scene is debated
What’s Aged the Best?
Chicago, Ford, Jones and the ensemble
In the discussion (12)
- Chicago as a filming location
- Seven-month shoot-to-release turnaround
- Helen’s affection for Richard
- Corporate-pharmaceutical villainy
- Tommy Lee Jones’s improvised lines
- Supporting cast, including Joe Pantoliano, Jane Lynch and Julianne Moore
- Bearded versus clean-shaven Harrison Ford is debated
- Nichols’s early villain cues
- James Newton Howard’s score
- Keeping Cosmo alive
- Sela Ward
- Kimble’s acts of kindness
The Big Kahuna Burger Award for Best Use of Food and Drink
Mr. Johnson’s egg sandwich
In the discussion (1)
- Mr. Johnson’s egg sandwich is the clear pick
The Den of Thieves Benihana Award for Scene-Stealing Location
The dam; parade also mentioned
In the discussion (2)
- The dam is chosen as the strongest location
- The parade is an alternative
The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot
Parade; Kimble entering a dark tunnel
In the discussion (2)
- Chris chooses the parade
- Another pick is Kimble walking into the dark tunnel
Mallory Rubin Award: Did This Movie Need a Better Sex Scene?
Mallory proposes brief Helen flashbacks
In the discussion (2)
- Mallory says yes to the category
- She proposes recurring brief flashbacks of Richard and Helen that preserve the film’s pace
The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?
Charles Nichols; Sykes and the defense attorney also considered
In the discussion (6)
- Nichols’s failure to neutralize Kimble
- Nichols’s denial of knowing a colleague
- Pathology approvals dated after Lentz’s death
- The implausible no-side-effects claim
- Sykes killing the wrong person and failing again
- The defense attorney is nominated; his shortcomings are deferred
The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film
The conspiracy’s murder plan
In the discussion (2)
- Killing Kimble is questioned when professional sabotage or framing might suffice
- The killer’s connection to the company is too conspicuous
What’s Aged the Worst?
Defense failures, disguise logic and sequels
In the discussion (11)
- Kimble’s legal defense
- Forensic/DNA handling is criticized as dated
- Failure to show Kimble testifying
- Slow parallel prosthetics investigations
- Oversized opening credits
- Joe Pantoliano’s wig
- Pre-CGI concealment of the actor’s arm
- U.S. Marshals and later adaptations
- Removal of Julianne Moore’s romantic subplot is debated and defended
- People failing to recognize Ford’s distinctive face
- The final Nichols/Kimble fight
Is There a Better Title for This Movie?
Keep The Fugitive
In the discussion (2)
- The existing title is unanimously defended
- A one-arm pun is floated as a joke
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
Ponytail, tunnel exchange and donut order
In the discussion (3)
- The advice about Newman’s ponytail
- Kimble’s innocence protest and Gerard’s response in the tunnel
- Gerard’s coffee-and-donut order
Casting What-Ifs
Nolte, Baldwin, Hackman, Voight and Richard Jordan
In the discussion (5)
- Walter Hill’s proposed Nick Nolte version
- Alec Baldwin described as an early choice
- Gene Hackman and Jon Voight considered for Gerard
- Richard Jordan’s illness and replacement
- Reshooting the party scene and Ford’s beard differences
The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award
Harrison Ford’s interrogation performance — disputed
In the discussion (4)
- Chris nominates Ford in the interrogation
- Bill supports the choice
- Mallory objects
- The group clarifies that overacting is an admired quality on this podcast
Dr. Richard Kimble Inappropriate Body Award
Dr. Richard Kimble
In the discussion (1)
- Ford’s muscular physique is judged unusually impressive for the surgeon character
The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award
Ron Dean; honorable mentions for the ensemble
In the discussion (3)
- Ron Dean is selected
- Daniel Roebuck is an honorable mention
- Joseph Kosala is identified as the other interrogating officer
The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance
Copeland; Mr. Johnson and Nichols also considered
In the discussion (3)
- Copeland the convict is favored
- Mr. Johnson is another candidate
- Charles Nichols is rejected as too prominent
Recasting Couch
Ewan McGregor, Jake Gyllenhaal and others
In the discussion (7)
- Ewan McGregor in a London version
- Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Reynolds proposed, with objections
- Scarlett Johansson proposed
- Timothée Chalamet as a young prodigy is joked about
- Jake Gyllenhaal receives support
- Chris Rock as a 1993 marshal sidekick
- Pre-Taken Liam Neeson as Nichols
What Would Tony Romo’s Director’s Commentary for This Movie Sound Like?
Tony Romo narrating the dam escape
The panel proposes a new category here.
In the discussion (3)
- Introduced as a new category
- Chris performs Romo-style narration of the tunnel and dam
- A Philadelphia example is a tangent, not a second Fugitive outcome
Half-Assed Internet Research
Ford’s injury, the real train crash and Chicago filming
In the discussion (6)
- Ford’s injured knee and incorporated limp
- Six screenwriters and 25 drafts reported
- A real train crash with a single practical attempt
- North Carolina railroad location
- Chicago locations and the actual 1993 parade
- Cold conditions during parade filming
Apex Mountain
Tommy Lee Jones and Andrew Davis: yes
In the discussion (12)
- Harrison Ford: no
- Ford playing Desmondo: yes as a joke
- Ford’s doctor roles compared with Frantic
- Tommy Lee Jones: yes
- Joe Pantoliano: disagreement; The Sopranos favored instead
- Pantoliano’s bad wigs: no
- One-armed killers: yes
- Andrew Davis: yes
- Dutch men named Chuck: raised without a clear verdict
- Chicago movies: disputed, with Ferris Bueller, Blues Brothers, Thief and The Dark Knight mentioned
- Fugitives: O.J. Simpson offered instead
- Characters named Cosmo: a strong year
Producer review
Craig Horlbeck calls it the number-one dad movie
In the discussion (2)
- Craig says he loves the movie and calls it the number-one dad movie — Craig Horlbeck
- He imagines appreciating it even more as a father — Craig Horlbeck
Picking Nits
Disguise, defense attorney and conspiracy logic
In the discussion (18)
- Craig questions Sykes’s security role and corporate fishing trips
- Chris questions Kimble’s minimal disguise
- Stolen clothes fitting Kimble is debated
- Mallory questions the fundraiser’s swimsuit show
- Kimble fails to request counsel promptly
- Craig questions water falling on the gun
- Nichols’s conference patter is missing
- Mallory challenges the defense’s handling of Helen’s call and circumstantial evidence
- Shaving a large beard with a disposable razor
- Craig questions Kimble’s janitor performance
- Gerard’s shooting choices in the courthouse
- Nichols’s incriminating photos
- A rollerblading nurse
- Instant train-audio identification
- Mallory corrects the earlier podcast’s too-handsome Jon Hamm objection
- Craig asks why Kimble does not take the evidence straight to Gerard
- Kimble helping patients is defended
- Cosmo’s implausibly minor head wound
Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake
Untouchable versus Nichols or prison-doctor series
In the discussion (3)
- Craig favors leaving the movie alone
- A Breaking Bad-style Nichols origin series
- A prison-doctor alternate path for Kimble
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Kill Sykes; rethink the one-arm story; defend the marriage
In the discussion (5)
- The category is initially almost skipped but is then completed
- Mallory argues Nichols should have Sykes killed
- Chris argues Kimble’s one-armed-man account sounds incriminating
- Craig has no prepared take
- Bill proposes an attraction-based defense argument
Is This Movie Better With…?
Byron Mayo, Wayne Jenkins and Harling Mays
In the discussion (3)
- Byron Mayo inserted into the hospital encounter
- Wayne Jenkins as a marshal
- Harling Mays treating Kimble after the dam
Just One Oscar
Skipped: Tommy Lee Jones already won
In the discussion (1)
- The category is passed over because Jones already received an Oscar for the film
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Escape plan, Kimble’s fame, the cat and alternate futures
In the discussion (12)
- Effectiveness of the fake seizure escape
- Craig asks how famous Kimble would become
- How much cash Nichols gives Kimble
- Mallory asks what happened to the Kimble family cat
- Gerard as an NFL coach
- Craig asks why the river cannot be dyed blue
- A shared Chicago movie universe
- Whether faster emergency dispatch could have saved Helen
- The logic of the incriminating call
- Kimble and the woman who offers him a ride
- A twist making Kimble guilty after all
- How quickly Sykes would be caught through social media
Best Double Feature
The Package / Under Siege / Presumed Innocent / Enemy of the State
In the discussion (4)
- The Package
- Under Siege
- Presumed Innocent is suggested
- Enemy of the State
The Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo Award for What Happens the Next Day?
Celebrity, medicine or private investigation
In the discussion (6)
- Kimble becomes a celebrity bachelor
- Kimble reconnects with Dr. Eastman
- Loss of faith leads Kimble to private investigation
- Courtside recognition
- A new home with the surviving cat
- Devlin McGregor’s liability and the drug’s future are debated
What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?
Jacket, tissue slide, cash, prosthetic arm and clothing
In the discussion (7)
- Green jacket
- Liver tissue sample / pathology slide
- Nichols’s cash
- Prosthetic arm
- Cook County ID
- Nichols’s tennis pullover and Fila tracksuit
- Newman’s ponytail is jokingly declined
The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson
Get a capable lawyer; kindness while on the run
In the discussion (3)
- Get a lawyer immediately and avoid Walter
- Hiding in plain sight
- Keep helping others even while on the run
Who Won the Movie?
Tommy Lee Jones / Harrison Ford
In the discussion (4)
- Bill and Chris choose Tommy Lee Jones
- Craig and Mallory choose Harrison Ford
- The hosts explicitly call it a stalemate
- Audience shouts are mixed and are not a measurable fan vote
Podcast choices
- Bill Simmons
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Chris Ryan
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Craig Horlbeck
- Harrison Ford
- Mallory Rubin
- Harrison Ford