It may sound crazy, but I had never actually seen 1993’s In the Line of Fire until somewhat recently. I saw the Blu-Ray for super cheap at the checkout while grocery shopping and decided to pick it up and give it a try. This is a fun thriller with a great cast that has Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich going head to head. Rene Russo is also in the movie, but we will get to her involvement a little later.
How to Download In the Line of Fire
In the Line of Fire was released on July 9, 1993. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you want to see more movies with Clint Eastwood, we recommend Gran Torino (2008) and The Mule (2018). John Malkovich’s fans should, on the other hand, watch Beowulf (2007) or Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011).
The Movie Review
I think if you like Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich, chances are you will enjoy this movie. Clint Eastwood plays the role of Frank Horrigan, who is part of the US Secret Service. Frank was part of JFK’s security team when he was killed and it is something that he has never gotten over.
We learn that since what happened in Dallas, Frank’s life has pretty much gone down the toilet with him drinking and pushing those who care about him away. Frank goes through the motions at work, but he gets a strange call from a man by the name of Booth and Booth says that he is going to kill the President.
A Fantastic Villain
Let me start by saying that Booth (you learn who he really is quite early on) is a fantastic villain and he is pretty much just John Malkovich and that is not something I mind one bit. We have a thrilling and suspenseful cat and mouse game going on with Frank and Booth. Booth likes to call and taunt Frank and we find out what Booth’s motivations are and while he is crazy, he thinks he is right, and that always makes for a very dangerous combination.
Action-Packed Suspense
With Frank still not over what happened to JFK on his watch, he demands to be put on this case. The stuff with Booth going after the President and Frank trying to stop him is great. I learned that Clint Eastwood did most of his own stunts and when you think of what his age was at this time, that is pretty badass. There are two scenes in the movie that are very similar and they are done so well and do a lot to show the character of Frank Horrigan.
The Romance Subplot
The thing with In the Line of Fire is that we also have this other subplot with Rene Russo’s character, Lily Raines, who works with Frank. I did not like the character of Lily at all and I felt this forced romance subplot was not needed at all. To be honest with you, I rolled my eyes during the final scene as it was so predictable.
Final Thoughts
I watched the movie and then before I started writing my thoughts, I wanted to see what the general consensus of In the Line of Fire was and people seem to really like this movie. Perhaps if I had seen it when it came out in 1993 I would have liked it more. Do not get me wrong, I liked this movie, but I would certainly not say it is a 9/10 movie and I am also not sure I would be in a rush to watch it again.
