In the Line of Fire (1993)
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A haunted Secret Service agent must confront a mysterious assassin who is targeting the President of the United States.
The story
Former Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, haunted by his failure to protect President John F. Kennedy in 1963, becomes a cynical and alcoholic man. His life is upended when a mysterious man calling himself 'Booth' contacts him, revealing knowledge of his past and his role in the Kennedy assassination. Horrigan is tasked with protecting the current President while being stalked by the mysterious figure. As the investigation deepens, Horrigan discovers the assassin is actually Mitch Leary, a former CIA operative seeking revenge on his former masters. Horrigan must navigate a dangerous game of cat and mouse to stop the plot before it can be carried out.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Frank Horrigan, a cynical and alcoholic Secret Service agent, is haunted by his failure to protect JFK in 1963. He is contacted by a man named 'Booth' who knows his history and is planning to assassinate the current President. Horrigan discovers the assassin is Mitch Leary, a former CIA operative. During a chase across Washington rooftops, Horrigan's partner is killed by Leary, who then forces Horrigan into a dilemma where he must choose between his own life and the President's. Horrigan chooses to stay alive, allowing Leary to escape. At a fundraiser, Horrigan identifies Leary and jumps in front of a bullet to save the President. They engage in a brutal hand-to-hand fight in a glass elevator. Leary falls to his death after a final confrontation. The film ends with Horrigan and his colleague Lily Raines sharing a romantic moment at the Lincoln Memorial after receiving a final message from Leary.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 128
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Wolfgang Petersen
- Writers
- Jeff Maguire · writer
- Cast and characters
- Clint Eastwood · Frank Horrigan; John Malkovich · Mitch Leary; Rene Russo · Lily Raines; Dylan McDermott; Gary Cole; Fred Dalton Thompson; John Mahoney
- Genres
- action; thriller; political; mystery; drama
- Themes
- guilt; redemption; loyalty; paranoia
- Premise and plot tags
- political thriller; assassination plot; secret service; CIA
- Source material / true-story basis
- A novelization of the film was published by Jove Books.
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, praised for its tense direction and strong performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 96% · scale: percentage · review count: 73; Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 16; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Supporting Actor · Nominated; Chicago Film Critics Association Award · Best Supporting Actor · 1994 · Nominated; Golden Globe Award · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role · 1994 · Nominated; MTV Movie Award · Best Villain · 1994 · Nominated; AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains · Villain · 2003 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's climax occurred at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.; The film used digitally altered footage from the campaigns of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.; Clint Eastwood received what was described as the 'world's first digital haircut' for the 1960s scenes.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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