Clint Eastwood Finds Himself Facing Evil "In the Line of Fire"

Title: In the Line of Fire Director: Wolfgang Peterson Starring: Clint Eastwood Studio: Columbia Pictures Genre(s): Action Rated: R (For violence and language)

The past has long haunted Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood). As a man who was one of the agents who was tasked with protecting John F. Kennedy, he was on duty when the former president was assassinated. More than 30 years later he is still with the Secret Service, but the memories of that day, as he has always wondered if there was more he could have done to save the president that day. Aside from Jackie, Frank was the closest person to Kennedy, so he not only let the President of the United States down; he let his friend as well.

He may have a chance to deal with some of those feelings head-on as a new threat to the current president has risen, and this man is as cunning as he is dangerous. The man calls himself Booth (John Malkovich), and he is openly bragging that he will kill the president. He knows that Frank is on the case, and for him having an adversary to try and stop him seems just as important as the goal of successfully completing his job. This will put Frank in the, um…“In the Line of Fire” (hey, I’m allowed this once in a while). Though there are younger men on the force, Frank is in the unique position where Booth calls and talks to him. He finds a kinship with Frank (one that isn’t exactly reciprocated).

While at first Booth is a terrifying villain because of his skills and technical knowledge, he becomes more terrifying the more we realize how much he has in common with Frank. Both are men of personal conviction and have felt betrayed by the government they once loved so much. While Frank is making attempts to improve the government from working from within, Booth feels everything will be better if the government were dealt a severe blow. The two are different sides of the same coin, and their cat-and-mouse game keeps what is otherwise a straightforward story moving in unpredictable ways.

Even the screenplay is smarter than a film like this would typically be, as the dialog is sharp and keeps viewers engaged. Aside from the phone conversations between the two men, Frank also develops feelings for a woman half his age named Lilly (Rene Russo). While relationships with such a huge age gap normally are hard for audiences to swallow, their dialog about what they want from life and where they had personal shortcomings feels authentic, and it is easier to accept that the two may just be right for one another.

All of this is directed by Wolfgang Peterson, who has a reputation for making action films that are smarter than average, with depth that was normally difficult to come by in the genre. “In the Line of Fire” is no different, as it takes subject matter that would normally have been more suitable for the small screen and transforms it into something tense and thrilling on a larger scale. It was the perfect film to show why Eastwood was such a huge draw as an action hero for so many years. Throw in one of the great movie villains of all time, and “In the Line of Fire” should be in your line of films to watch in the future.