I must have seen this a long time ago, but my recollection of it was of a generic, almost made-for-TV thriller with only the bit with Harrison Ford jumping off the dam being memorable. For me it kind of got lumped in with that late 80s, early 90s Presumed Innocent/Fatal Attraction-era of 'grown-up' thrillers, that I guess eventually got replaced by all those John Grisham courtroom dramas later on.
But I've just rewatched it again, and this time round found it to be an extremely well-made rollercoaster of entertainment, with a star-making performance by Tommy Lee Jones. There's a few TV detective-type moments and some cliches in the writing, but it's all done with such verve and force that you are carried along and gripped to the end. Watching it really brought home to me what a rarity a film like this would be today, in the sea of incompetence and identity politics we're all forced to swim. Just a simple, streamlined, fat-free story, built by professionals with the singleminded goal of rewarding the audience's attention with some fun. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.
But I've just rewatched it again, and this time round found it to be an extremely well-made rollercoaster of entertainment, with a star-making performance by Tommy Lee Jones. There's a few TV detective-type moments and some cliches in the writing, but it's all done with such verve and force that you are carried along and gripped to the end. Watching it really brought home to me what a rarity a film like this would be today, in the sea of incompetence and identity politics we're all forced to swim. Just a simple, streamlined, fat-free story, built by professionals with the singleminded goal of rewarding the audience's attention with some fun. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.