Andrew Davis Looks Back on 30 Years of ‘The Fugitive’ and How it Got Screwed by the Oscars

“Thrillers are a much-debased genre these days, depending on special effects and formula for much of their content. The Fugitivehas the standards of an earlier, more classic time, when acting, character and dialogue were meant to stand on their own, and where characters continued to change and develop right up until the last frame. Here is one of the year’s best films.” — Roger Ebert’s four-star review.

“I didn’t kill my wife.” Famous words uttered by Harrison Ford’s Richard Kimble in Andrew Davis’ compulsively entertaining “The Fugitive.”

Based on the 1963 television series of the same name, the film had famed surgeon Dr. Kimble arrested for murdering his pregnant wife. He escapes authorities, while handcuffed, looking for the one-armed man he witnessed committing the crime. Tommy Lee Jones, in a vividly rendered Oscar winning role, was police detective Philip Gerard, always one step behind, but using his smarts to find Kimble.

The film ended up grossing $183 million domestically. “Jurassic Park” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” were the only movies to make more money that year. It also garnered seven Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture.

Rolling Stone has decided to tackle the 30th anniversary of “The Fugitive” with a handful of interviews, including one with Davis who comes off as, shall we say, blatantly honest about his 1993 film being snubbed by the Academy:

We got killed by Schindler’s List. You can’t fight the Jews, and I am one. But I didn’t get nominated [for best director], which was very hurtful. And Harrison didn’t get nominated [for best actor], which was unfair. But the sweetest thing happened. Robert Altman was nominated for Shortcuts, which wasn’t a very good movie. He wrote in the trades, “The only reason they’re giving me this nomination is because I’m an old man. Andy Davis should have gotten the nomination.

First off, “Shortcuts” is not a bad movie. It’s a good one, maybe messy and flawed, but one of the better Altmans of the ‘90s. Altman’s directing was a total tour-de-force. There is absolutely nothing wrong with him getting a Directing nomination over Davis.

Secondly, “Schindler’s List” deserved to win. Spielberg’s film has aged just as well as “The Fugitive.” It’s still Spielberg’s best movie of the last 30 years, even with the last few minutes kinda veering into maudlin territory.

Thirdly, Jane Campion’s “The Piano” was also Best Picture nominated that year and it’s maybe the best film of the five nominees. The last two being “The Remains of the Day” and “In the Name of the Father” — both above average films.

This was one of the better Best Picture lineups. It was a great year at the movies. Other stellar non-nominated films included Mike Leigh’s “Naked,” Harold Ramis’ “Groundhog Day,” Brian De Palma’s “Carlito’s Way,” Tony Scott’s “True Romance,” Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused,” and Clint Eastwood’s “A Perfect World.”