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

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:

When Robert Redford, who was originally attached to play Horrigan, left the project, the role was offered to Sean Connery, who turned it down.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Lily steps away from Frank as he's playing piano, she walks across the room, exits the bar, then crosses the lobby to elevators. All the while Frank's piano playing continues. Once it stops, he clears the same distance in less then three seconds.

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:

All Blues

It's fannntastic!

A great performance by Clint Eastwood and particularly John Malkovich in my opinion his finest one to date. Malkovich had this one nailed right down to the floor it's incredible. Eastwood is Agent Mike Horrigan, an aged and cynical Secret Service Agent who is finishing out his career busting counterfeiters and chasing down routine assignments. But one assignment which appears to be run of the mill at first turns complicated and deadly serious. Horrigan and his new partner Al are sent to investigate a threat on the President by a "wacko". As fate would have it Horrigan has stumbled not upon a delusional nut but a professional lone wolf who has a big bone to pick with the White House. As Horrigan dives deeper into "Booth's" world he attracts the bad guy's unwanted attention and unbridled admiration for him. Horrigan was JFK's top agent and present in Dallas, Texas when he was assassinated and blames himself for what happened. Now he feels it's up to him to stop the current Head of State from joining the list of dead Presidents. But this killer has turned the tables on Horrigan and now he's the hunted one in a life or death cat and mouse game. Who will win? Who will die? It's a race against time to save the Pres from a chameleon-like enemy who can get to anyone. My favorite Secret Service movie and as good a nail biter as any.