In the Line of Fire
In the Line of Fire

In the Line of Fire

1993Movie128 minEnglish

Veteran Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan is a man haunted by his failure to save President Kennedy while serving protection detail in Dallas. Thirty years later, a man calling himself "Booth" threatens the life of the current President, forcing Horrigan to come back to protection detail to confront the ghosts from his past.

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Insights

IMDb7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes74%
Metacritic71/100
Google Users80%
Director: Wolfgang PetersenGenres: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Plot Summary

A grizzled Secret Service agent, haunted by his failure to protect John F. Kennedy, must confront a cunning assassin who taunts him with threats against the current President. As the killer's deadline approaches, the agent races against time to decipher the assassin's motives and prevent another historical tragedy. The film blends intense suspense with a deep exploration of duty, guilt, and redemption.

Critical Reception

In the Line of Fire was a critical and commercial success, praised for its taut pacing, strong performances, particularly from Eastwood and Malkovich, and its compelling premise. Critics lauded its blend of political thriller elements with a character-driven narrative.

What Reviewers Say

  • Clint Eastwood delivers a career-best performance as a haunted Secret Service agent.
  • John Malkovich is chillingly effective as the calculating assassin.
  • The film masterfully balances suspense, action, and character drama.

Google audience: Audiences enjoyed the thrilling plot and the chemistry between Eastwood and Malkovich. Many found the film to be a well-executed thriller with a compelling cat-and-mouse dynamic.

Awards & Accolades

Nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (John Malkovich) and Best Original Screenplay. Also received nominations for Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards.

Fun Fact

Clint Eastwood actually performed some of his own stunts in the film, including a scene where he is dangling from a building.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

3 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

A veteran of the Kennedy assassination, US Secret Service agent “Horrigan” (Clint Eastwood) now finds himself in contact with the menacing “Leary” (John Malkovich) who has made it clear he has an axe to grind with the current incumbent of t...
Filipe Manuel Neto

Filipe Manuel Ne...

**Action, entertainment and verisimilitude together in a film that is better than many others, more regularly remembered.** This is a conventional American-style action film, where everything revolves around the unassailable and sacrosan...
r96sk

r96sk

I wish it was paced better, but <em>'In the Line of Fire'</em> still makes for a good time. Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich is a great line-up and both are entertaining in this, the latter is just terrific at playing a loopy bad guy. T...