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The Fugitive

130 minutes

Explore this movie

The Rewatchables episode

aired February 6, 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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