Auf der Jagd

If you can tolerate Gerard's smugness, and get through the slow beginning, the movie rewards you with a lot of action, intrigue, and chases. Of course, we know how it is going to end, but that's okay because this is an action film, not a mystery. The actors do a good job, but Downey Jr. plays it a little too stiffly.

Okay, so "U.S.Marshalls" is basically just a remake of "The Fugitive". As such, it received lukewarm to cool reviews when it was in the theaters, unjustifiedly so, I think. Although the plot line is a ripoff of the earlier movie, this one does well in keeping us in suspense as to the story behind the central character, and the action is exciting and well-paced. Tommy Lee Jones of course "makes" the film, accompanied by the same cast of deputies as in the earlier movie. There are even "toppers" for the bus crash/train wreck and famous swan dive from the earlier movie. This is a very good escapist action flick.

Great follow up to THE FUGITIVE with Tommy Lee Jones this time chasing Wesley Snipes. Both leads are great and the supporting cast is solid as well. The action scene's are very good as well. A few in particular include the search for Snipes in the swamp, and the airplane crash. The only problem with the film was it was a little longer than it should've been, but aside from that its a solid sequel. 4/5

U.S. Marshals is a good action film. The stunts and special effects are spectacular and the talented cast, though breaking no new artistic ground, is very good at bringing their characters to life. No, it isn't quite up to the standard of The Fugitive but it is a solidly entertaining movie all the same. 7/10.

I avoided this for years because it looked like a useless remake. However, I had forgotten that I thought The Fugitive was a useless remake of the TV series until I was dragged to it and found…a fine, suspenseful feature filled with a plethora of colorful characters. So, I should have been tuned in more to my own personal history, but so it goes….I now have watched U.S. Marshalls a number of times, and I have to say the two companion films match each other in quality.

The pacing is fast without being frenetic. The use of repetition, i.e., recurring motifs such as Kimball diving off a dam to safety & Sheridan swinging down to hop a commuter train, work well – though they could have been disastrous. The large cast is compelling down to the smallest roles (similar to The Fugitive in that regard). Jones, Snipes, and Downey all show range in their parts…Downey, as always, illustrates why he is one of the best of his generation. And some of the secondary roles shine, in particular Tom Wood as Deputy Marshall Noah Newman. He receives more screen time than in the predecessor; and he makes use of it well. He has one of "those acting moments" in a confrontation with Downey's character: his intense expression of simultaneous fear & anger is a plum bit of acting chops. Like other IMDb readers, I wonder what has happened with this good actor. No screen credits since 2000. Stage work? Left the biz? If the former, and he's in NYC, then we'll probably see him on a Law & Order episode one of these days!

I recently found a DVD with tons of extras on it – but I have not as yet delved into them. I look forward to doing that, as I do another viewing of the film.