"They set me up." Seems to always be the case, doesn't it...never your fault that all government agencies are chasing you down? That's the case for Shia Labeouf and Michelle Monagham in this Friday's new release "Eagle Eye." As they leave a path of destruction, they attempt to prove their innocence. It usually helps though if they know what and who they are running from, but they don’t... Not the first time though. Here are some other tight binds that the fugitive runs but can’t hide while attempting to prove their innocence (and get out alive).
THE FUGITIVE (1993)
Simple enough for you? It says it in the title. A classic for the ages, Dr. Richard Kimball (Harrison Ford) is charged with killing his wife, and authorities don’t want to look farther than him for the murderer. Double tasked with avoiding the law and finding his wife’s killer, he is quite the busy man. Trekking around the country, running from U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) Kimball takes one hell of a road trip, getting tangled with some messy folks, but as our hero should, avenging his wife’s death in the end. Based on the TV show of the same title, this updated version garnered a lot more attention with its star power and by cramming an enormous amount of mind bending plot twists from the series into a two hour awesomefest.
ENEMY OF THE STATE (1998)
Will Smith plays Robert Dean, a lawyer who’s life gets turned upside-down as he unknowingly gains possession of some major evidence to a major political crime. As corrupt government officials try to track/tear him down and get a hold of their materials, he teams up with Brill (Gene Hackman), a government conspiracist who helps Dean fly under the radar of modern spyware. The film twists and turns as it scares up so many thoughts of how easy it is to trace down anyone, anywhere. Ultimately the most mind-blowing aspect is the extent of destruction these corrupt agents are willing to go to so they can cover their own asses. The buddy action duo here also scores points for Smiths straight-edged fear and Hackman’s stone cold cynicism as they come under fire.
MINORITY REPORT (2002)
In the future, there is so much technology that none of us are safe from it, even those who are paid to enforce it. Before Tom Cruise went insane, he was paranoid, or at least he plays so as Chief John Anderton, head of the Precrime division of the D.C. police in 2054. He has reason for paranoia though; the Precrime division is alerted to a murder that Anderton will commit a murder within 36 hours. Immediately on the run, his own unit has to track him down using state of the art technology where every move is monitored, from what door you enter, to which billboard you look at. Without knowledge of who his victim is, Anderton is in the same position as Dr. Richard Kimball, having to solve the crime while being hunted by the law.
In what I believe to be Cruise’s last great role, it’s a thrill ride from the get-go watching the extremes that must be taken in which to prove one’s own innocence against the system. These films all work at a nonstop pace, no second to rest in proving your own not-guilty plea. Though they ask the audience to take a step back and realize how for those morally loose, how easy it is to off-load fault to those unwilling to fight for their own freedom. Never underestimate the power of the innocent.
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