The Fugitive director Andrew Davis celebrates 30 years, and the films first release to 4K home video, in this exclusive interview.
The Fugitive is celebrating thirty years this year by releasing for the first time on 4K. The visuals and sound are better than the theater experience, and the best way to relive this masterpiece of a film!
We caught up with legendary director Andrew Davis to discuss the films re-release, working with Harrison Ford, and what he thinks it is about this movie that makes it so well loved. Andrew also confesses what it felt like when he learned how much audiences loved his film.
Director Andrew Davis Talks The Fugitive
Mama’s Geeky: What was it about The Fugitive that first made you want to be a part of it?
Andrew Davis: Well, when they offer you a huge picture with Harrison Ford, and the studio’s excited because you made a hit called Under Siege, and they’re going to support you, you go, “Why not?”
No. It took a while to understand what the dynamics were going to be, and what we had to do to fix the script. And how we were going to get the rest of the cast involved. But I was very flattered that Harrison had seen Under Siege and wanted me to do the movie.
Mama’s Geeky: That’s amazing. And he’s still out there working, doing action movies. What is he like to work with?
Andrew Davis: He’s a pro. He’s a sweet man. We were sort of from the same generation. We’re both Chicagoans. And he had worked with some people that were very close to me, Haskell Wexler shot American Graffiti; he was my mentor. And he worked with Coppola. He gets totally involved, in terms of, he likes understand what the crew is about. And he understands everybody’s job. He’s definitely hands on and it was terrific to have a partner like that.
Mama’s Geeky: What did it feel like when so many people loved this movie? And awards season rolled around it was nominated?
Andrew Davis: We were very, very happy. But you know, Harrison, and I didn’t get nominated. It got Best Picture and so we were disappointed in that. But I know the picture has lived on so well. I know a lot of people have said to him, it’s my favorite movie you’ve ever made. A lot of critics have said that it’s his best performance. Actually, Spielberg came up to me at the Director’s Guild and said, “You got the best performance out of Harrison Ford”. So that was like, Whoa. But anyway, he’s great in the movie, and then the dynamic with him and Tommy Lee Jones, even though they don’t have a lot of scenes together, the power of their performances is what drove this project.
Mama’s Geeky: What do you think it is about this movie that makes it so well loved, well known, and that has people excited for the 4K release?
Andrew Davis: Well, first of all, you care about that story. You care about Harrison, this poor guy who loves his wife, who gets accused of doing something he didn’t do. It’s everybody’s nightmare, you know? And then you’ve got this manhunt from this Bulldog Marshall, who’s like a Texas Ranger, and he won’t give up and you’re worried that he’s going to shoot this guy, or hurt this innocent man when pursuing him.
Then, as the story gets revealed, and you realize Tommy is getting information that doesn’t make sense — why is this doctor trying to help people while he’s on the run? Why is he trying to investigate this whole case? So that’s one of the main reasons why people care a lot about it.
Plus the pacing and the visuals and the score. All of it has its own rhythms. It’s very, in some ways, it’s sort of a visual poem. If you listen to James Newton Howard’s score, with a lot of the montages, there’s a lot of stuff with just people coming and going through the city. And people love seeing Chicago like that. So it feels real and honest.
And then of course, the bad guy is a pharmaceutical company that everybody can relate to, or not relate to.
Mama’s Geeky: It is one of the few movies that I think is perfect. I have no qualms with it.
Andrew Davis: Well, the 4K release, which I have to promote, it looks better than it can look in the theaters even because what you can show on that screen with a Blu-ray is pretty amazing. And it sounds great, too. So if people can figure out how to get the new player and buy that Blu-ray, they’ll be very rewarded.
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About The Fugitive
The Fugitive stars Academy Award nominee Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones as Deputy U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also stars Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, and Jeroen Krabbé.
Directed by Davis from a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and David Twohy from a story by Twohy, the film is based the television series “The Fugitive” which was created by Roy Huggins and ran from 1963 to 1967. The film was produced by Arnold Koppelson.
Purchase The Fugitive on 4K now.
About Andrew Davis
Andrew Davis (Director/Producer/Writer) is a filmmaker with a reputation for directing intelligent thrillers, most notably the Academy Award® nominated box-office hit, The Fugitive, starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Davis’ other notable directorial credits include Holes starring Shia LaBeouf, The Guardian starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, Collateral Damage, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; and A Perfect Murder, starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Viggo Mortensen; Chain Reaction, starring Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman and Rachel Weisz; and Steal Big, Steal Little, starring Andy Garcia and Alan Arkin. Davis is also known for directing Steven Seagal’s feature film debut, Above the Law.
