In the Line of Fire (1993)

This is a perfect example of thorough workmanship. It doesn't excel, it's not particularly innovative or original. It's just very well made in most aspects. A most underrated Eastwood-film.

Let's start with some correlation: The script is well written, allowing the characters to develop just the right amount, with room for thought and dialogue in between the suspense and the little action there is. With director Frankenheimer trusting his script and actors, he will invite the viewer to take that opportunity, making the film a better experience.

Fun Fact: At the time this film was made, it was considered somewhat of a feature to be able to work an old image of Eastwood into a film with John F. Kennedy. How things change.

Eastwood is great here, playing to his strengths, showing a bit more self-irony and warmth than his usual cops (perhaps due to the fact that he's not directing here). This is necessary for the great interplay with Rene Russo. This really is the kind of part she was made for and she makes Eastwood much more believable. Malkovich is absolutely outstanding, portraying the assassin with an underplayed serenity. His calm demeanor when killing a couple of hunter is absolutely terrifying, as is his tete-a-tete with Eastwood. Malkovich is intense both when he's in control, and in the short scene where Eastwood gets the better of him. In a brilliantly clever turn, the next phonecall between the two main characters is utterly reversed as the bereaved Eastwood reacts with fury to the smugness of the would-be assassin.

But as this films strength is the craftsmanship, it's the thoroughness of the casting that gets to you. The smaller part are cast with such taste and thought, you feel a bit sad for the films that pick 2 great leads and leave it at that. Gary Cole, Tobin Bell, John Heard and Fred D. Thompson never were big stars (small exception for Heard), but they add credibility to their scenes and allow Eastwood and Russo to shine.

Though Morricone's score is uninteresting when simply listened to, it serves the meticulousness of Malkovich well, adding suspense at scenes that could be considered stale otherwise. The same goes for the romantic scenes between Russo and Eastwood.

The suspense in this film is more in the tension than action, set-pieces and chasing and it serves the whole of the film well. Due to the quality of the actors, the script and the directing it's most unnerving. A smart tension beats a noisy one every time. Even the end game follows that formula. Two men in a dark elevator, trying to get that one split seconds advantage over the other to turn the game.

This film in no way revolutionized Hollywood or its genre, it's just a very good example of how you can make a thriller.

8/10