Despite some minor genre clichés, “In The Line Of Fire – The Second Chance” is an excellent thriller that captivates from start to finish. According to our 4.5 star official FILMSTARTS review, the climax of the whole thing is a psycho duel. This is set between a Secret Service agent played by Clint Eastwood as a classic anti-hero and a hit man with thoroughly human traits.
German director/producer Wolfgang Petersen (“Das Boot”) initially had Robert De Niro in mind as the charismatic villain. The ‘GoodFellas’ and ‘Casino’ star was also interested, but ultimately had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts with work on his own directorial debut, The Streets of the Bronx. Jack Nicholson and Robert Duvall were then approached, but both were suitable for the same reasons, before John Malkovich (“Con Air”) finally got the nod. Malkovich did a fantastic job. His expressive playing is the perfect counterpart to Eastwood’s straightforward, dry performance.
“In The Line Of Fire” airs today, October 12, 2022 at 11 p.m. on Cable 1. A few hours later there is another rerun. But it’s really only for real night owls or hardcore early risers, as it kicks off October 13th at 3:45 AM.
If both dates don’t suit you, you can stream the FSK 16 title for a rental fee of a few euros – for example on Amazon Prime Video. Or you can order it as Blu-ray, DVD or, ideally, UltraHD 4K Blu-ray:
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“In the Line of Fire” received three Oscar nominations: excellent editing for John Malkovich for Best Supporting Actor, for the screenplay by Jeff Maguire (“Flight or Victory”) and Anne V. Coates’ (“Lawrence of Arabia”). Why Eastwood, Petersen’s production, and especially Ennio Morricone’s brilliant score didn’t also feature on this list, remains a mystery. The credit for the performance of all three veterans would have been well deserved.
The film tightens the turnbuckle almost continuously. The whole thing also lives on the fact that Eastwood’s character not only has to deal with a more than formidable adversary, but also feels some headwind from within his own ranks. Plus, the action sequences are grippingly staged — including a sequence where the lead actor, who was over 60 at the time, actually dangled from the roof of a six-story building, restrained only by a seat belt.
The flirty chatter between Eastwood’s character and the extremely capable and confident young cop played by Renee Russo (“Outbreak”) makes for some of the few lighter moments. On paper, this may seem a bit constructed, especially because of the huge age difference. Thanks to the relaxed, natural playing of the two stars, it is still movingly believable and provides a welcome break from all the tension.
Frank Horrigan (Clinton Eastwood) is one of the most experienced agents in the ranks of the United States Secret Service, and was one of John F. Kennedy’s bodyguards. The murder of “his” president and the guilt surrounding it still haunts the veteran 30 years later as he protects his current successor (Jim Curley).
Then Horrigan suddenly gets a strange phone call: A man he doesn’t know (John Malkovich), who calls himself Booth, announces that he wants to kill the head of state. Horrigan takes this threat very seriously and will do anything to find and stop the man. However, his security measures are significantly complicated by the president’s busy schedule, who is currently on campaign.
Vanities regarding the powers and responsibilities of his superiors (Gary Cole, John Mahoney), a still-evil green partner (Dylan McDermott), and stress with the president’s chief confidant (Fred Dalton Thompson) make Horrigan’s job more difficult and seem lapse into the hands of his opponent to play. He is not only highly intelligent and mentally completely unpredictable, but also a master of disguise and can appear at any time and anywhere and carry out his plan…