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From: render@uiucdcsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: Witness
Message-ID: <10000118@uiucdcsb.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 10-Feb-85 17:22:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.10000118
Posted: Sun Feb 10 17:22:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Feb-85 06:14:25 EST
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Nf-ID: #R:ihuxm:-123800:uiucdcsb:10000118:000:1907
Nf-From: uiucdcsb!render    Feb 10 16:22:00 1985


[]

Just saw witness friday night, and I have to say that I enjoyed it very much.
It was directed by Peter Weir, who also did Gallipoli and Year of Living 
Dangerously (I think), and stars Harrison Ford.  


                     ** M I N I - S P O I L E R **


The Plot:  Harrison Ford is Philadelphia homicide detective 
           John Book, who must investigate the murder of an
           undercover police officer.  The sole witness to
           the killing is a young Amish boy, Samuel, who, with
           his mother Rachel, is on his way to visit relatives
           in Baltimore (the murder occurs in the restroom of the
           Philadelphia train station).  Circumstances force Ford
           to flee with the boy and his mother back to their home
           in rural Pennsylvania, where they try to escape the 
           killers.  

Review:    a very enjoyable film.  The film moves steadily and has
           a very involving relationship developing between Ford and
           Rachel, the boy's mother.  Ford lends a lot of presence to
           his character, and the female lead (sorry, I can't
           remember her name) is also fine. The cinematography and 
           general atmosphere are beautiful (as expected from Weir),
           although at times it seemed as if there were too much time
           spent on setting the mood and not enough on dialogue.  If 
           you are expecting a Dirty Harry film, it's not, and if you
           expecting an Indiana Jones movie, it's not.  It is an intri-
           guing look at the growing involvement between two very 
           different people under very harrowing circumstances. I would
           give it three stars. *** 


                    Hal Render
                    University of Illinois

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