Cheap In the Line of Fire (Special Edition) (DVD) (Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo) (Wolfgang Petersen) Price

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Customer Reviews of In the Line of Fire (Special Edition)

Eastwood and company fire off first-class performance
In the Line of Fire is a first-class thriller and one of Clint Eastwood's best movies primarily because he's more vulnerable than the Dirty Harry and Man With No Name anti-heroes of the past. As Frank Horrigan (the aged and edged Secret Service agent who couldn't protect JFK from assassination) Eastwood runs the gamut of emotions as he tracks another assassin with presidential aspirations. It helps greatly that Eastwood is also backed by one of his best supporting casts. I agree that John Malkovich should have won an Oscar for his portrayal of the assassin, and Rene Russo turned in a solid performance as Clint's female counterpart. The only thing that dampened the movie is its excessive profanity. When asked by Russo why he doesn't wear sunglasses like the other agents, Eastwood replies "sometimes a good stare is...effective...." Perhaps writer Jeff Maguire should have taken his character's advice and realized that the Eastwood persona is effective without excessive profanity. Otherwise, In the Line of Fire is effective, edge-of-your film.

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The only Eastwood movie I own
Believe it or not, this was the first Clint Eastwood movie I bought and only the second I?ve seen (the first was ?Blood Work?). So consequently I cannot compare this to a ?Dirty Harry? or any of Eastwood?s older works. I can however say it was a good movie. It is at times rather predictable and follows the example of most other cop vs. killer films, but that?s okay. The acting by Clint and particularly John Malkovich makes up for any lack of originality. That?s not to say there?s no innovation within ?In The Line Of Fire?. There certainly is. Even in their supporting roles, both Rene Russo and Dylan McDermott (aka Will from NBC?s Will & Grace) prove to be at the top of their games. All in all, if you can get past the conventionalism and the random spots of predictability, you?re bound to enjoy the show.

Eastwood plays the role of Frank Horrigan, who?s an older, obnoxious Secret Service agent who, years ago, was unable to prevent JFK from being shot. So when a ?wet-boy? posses a great threat to the current President, Frank?s past is brought back to light courtesy of the self-proclaimed Booth (played brilliantly by John Malkovich). Booth is a very scary character. And it?s not until partway into the movie that we see his face clearly. He is a smart, flawless exhibitioner who has a profound obsession with President?s deaths. Most others in the office ignore the threats and leave Frank as though he?s an old fuddy-duddy past his prime. But Eastwood knows, claiming right from the start: ?I know things about people?. What Booth does is lead Frank and other agents through a series of set-up clues that keep them close; though not too close. Because Booth singles out Frank, the two are able to form an excellent on screen double act. They may not be working together, but they interact with each other just so perfectly. That aspect of the movie was hands down the best element. Along with the aforementioned quote, a few others give Eastwood that appeal that would most likely do for this movie what the ?...punk? quote did for ?Dirty Harry?. And even Malkovich chimes in with a most-memorable quotation: ?all we have is the game?. And the game continues all the way till the very end, when we see if Eastwood?s instincts were right all along. Aside from all the great acting and an exalting story, there were a couple of ugly spots in the movie. The first that comes to mind is the romance scenes between Eastwood and Rene Russo. The bedroom scene was predominantly unlikable, but Eastwood finished it off with a hilariously unforgettable line. I won?t spoil it for you. Also, the special effects were nothing to write home about; a part at the end actually made me laugh. But in the end, the greatness of the movie outweighs the few poor spots.

If you are a Clint Eastwood fan I?m sure you already own this movie. If you?re a budding Eastwood fan born after his time, I can?t tell you ?In The Line Of Fire? is better than any other Eastwood classics. But, again, I can tell you it?s worth watching. The character of Frank Horrigan is played perfectly by Eastwood. And John Malkovich drops in the best performance of his career as the lofty but likable Booth. There is not a moment of this movie that?s not entertaining (romance bits excluded), and the thrills just keep on pilling up. On a more serious note, when you?re watching this movie, it?s frightening to think there?s no one like a Frank Horrigan out there who?d protect the President with such pride. I picked this up for a buck at the Half-Price Book Store; for that price I couldn?t pass it up. And I don?t recommend you pass it up either.

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Very Smart movie, although some may not agree
The only actor i liked in this political action thriller was John Malkovitch. I mean he is one of the greatest actors alive today and this movie shows why. I loved his other movies like 'Being John Malkovitch', 'Con Air' and 'Of Mice and Men'. The tension and anger could be felt by the charecter Malkovitch played. On the other hand, this was clearly Clint Eastwood's best preformance too. The reson why this great half and half movie didn't win an oscar is because of
a. The title.
b. Based on fictional charecters and at the same time discriminating the US Government by showing lack of professionalism.
c. Only three major actors.
d. Release date.

So anyway, some might say that this is just another action flick, which it is, so if you'd like to see Eastwood play a hard nosed secret agent and hunt down a humerous, serial killer physcopath played by Malkovitch, then this movie will do alright. It may be a typical movie but the good thing about movies everybody would like to see is the highly awaited climax. So watch this if you are an action fan.