Movie #54 - Witness

"A big city cop who knows too much. His only evidence: a small boy who's seen too much..."

Probably one of the more underrated films in the resume of Harrison Ford, and possibly one of his better roles. Ford plays John Buck, a cop who is forced to protect a young omish boy and his family from his corrupt police colleagues.

Once again, its Ford against the world on this one... and yet, we always know he'll come out on top. Even against all odds, Harrison not only gets the girl, but captures all the criminals as well. The idealistic characters Ford portrays are consistent throughout his portfolio and this one is no exception.

A bonus in this film is the casting of Kelly McGillis, one of the hotter women of the mid-80's, the representation of attractive women of that era. This was before the days of botox or implants, women of the 80's were hot mainly because they were voluptuous or were strong willed. In this case, McGillis accomplishes both feats, despite the fact that she is cast as a shy, omish woman. However, seek out her roles in the Accused or Top Gun, and many men who grew up watching McGillis rank her high on the hottest women of the decade.

Its a breath of fresh air to see Danny Glover as a villain in this movie, something he reprised in a later role in Switchback (1997). Despite his type casting from his Lethal Weapon days, I actually believe Glover depicts a better villain than a protagonist. Although his role is limited in this film, you really believe that Ford is outmatched by Glover's abilities.

What made this film popular back in the day is the acting prowess of unknown child actor Lukas Haas as Samuel Lapp. For years afterwards, Haas was never fully cast to his potential - although his best role was in the television movie, the Ryan White story... one that is both touching and powerful due to the actual events that inspired his character. It would be a treat to watch this movie again in my lifetime as it was compelling back in 1989 and its definitely Haas' greatest role to date.

In the end... as with 99.9% of Ford's films - Ford gets his man... gets the girl... and is the hero. As a big fan of the Ford films, one cannot complain about this outcome. Astutely, my wife has pointed out that almost all of his films end this way... unfortunately, I have to admit - she's right!