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July 11, 2008

'In the Line of Fire' is '"edge of your seat" thriller

By J OSBORNE, Editor

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released “In the Line of Fire” to video retailers and rental outlets last week on July 1. You need to get it.

The film is consistently enjoyable, and it delivers all the goods — suspense, action, romance, and drama — all in their proper amounts. It's a fun film that is really helped by the great actors in it.

“In the Line of Fire”, in my opinion, is an excellent, suspenseful, and edge-of-your-seat action/drama/thriller. The entire cast and crew did an outstanding job. For all you Clint Eastwood fans who haven't seen this edge-of-your-seat action/drama/thriller, I highly recommend it. Especially in high definition.

“In the Line of Fire” is one of those Hollywood films that shows up on T.V. quite a bit, but although I've seen it a few times, I usually end up sitting through the whole thing again.

Why? — Because it's good. Clint Eastwood is great as usual, and the character he plays is interesting and more fleshed out than usual. He's charming and personable, and is realistic as a guy that has experienced a lot in life and is comfortable in his own skin.

Eastwood is even quite convincing when he flirts with the pretty younger agent played by Rene Russo. The killer, played by John Malkovich at his best, is cerebral, deliberate, and enjoys playing high stakes games of life and death.

Of course, one of the reasons you pop the extra bucks for Blue Ray is the picture quality. I have to say, this is a top-notch transfer with some real clarity and “pop” to it. Truly excellent dramatic action captured with surprising clarity considering its age.

This High-Definition transfer really took me by surprise for a 15-year-old title. “In the Line of Fire” easily earns itself a 4-star rating for overall video quality on its Blu-ray disc release.

From a supplements point of view, everything from the 2001 Special Edition release on standard definition appears to be brought over to this disc.

Quite simply, this release is a well-made, well-written and a wonderfully acted movie. Eastwood is classic as grizzled Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan and Rene Russo holds her own as partner and love interest Lilly Raines.

Cast: Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott and Gary Cole

In The Line of Fire

Rating: (**** out of *****)

Synopsis: (Courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) “In the Line of Fire” showcases Clint Eastwood at his finest. In a performance that won universal acclaim, Eastwood stars as Frank Horrigan, a veteran Secret Service agent haunted by his failure to protect John F. Kennedy from assassination.

Thirty years later, he gets a chance to redeem himself when a brilliant psychopath threatens to kill the current president and take Horrigan with him. Taunting him by phone and tantalizing him with clues, the assassin (John Malkovich) lures Horrigan into an electrifying battle of wits and will that only one man can survive.

Bonus Materials

presented in Standard Definition (480p)

and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound

• Commentary with Director Wolfgang Petersen

• Deleted Scenes

√ Piano Bar No. 1 and No. 2

√ Hat Joke

√ Miss Me?

√ Watching the News

• Documentay: “The Ultimate Sacrifice”

• Three Featurettes:

√ “Showtime Special: Behind the Scenes with the Secret Service” (20 minutes) is hosted by the film’s Technical Adviser and Retired Secret Service Agent, Bob Snow..

√ “How’d They Do That?” (5 minutes) is about as sophisticated as it’s title.

√ “Catching the Counterfeiters” (5 minutes)

MPAA Rating is R for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images

Running time is approximately 128 minutes

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