In the line of Excellence (In The Line Of Fire (DVD))

Name: clissoldjones

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Product:	In The Line Of Fire (DVD)
Date:	03.05.01 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great acting and characters, tense and suspensful

Disadvantages: hmm....

The true strengths of this excellent thriller are the performances delivered by an all-star cast of Clint Eastwood, John Malkovic and Rene Russo.
The plot involves Eastwood playing an ageing bodyguard who still has painful flashbacks to the assassination of President Kennedy-something he blames himself for. When a creepy killer Malkovic starts taunting and harrassing him, he begins to worry about the safety of the current President. A cat and mouse thriller springs up and the troubled Eastwood confides in a young and beautiful policewoman (Russo).
While the plot and the script added to the direction make for a very gripping and sometimes suspenseful thriller, it is the performances which steal the show. Eastwood at last plays a flawed character. He has a troubled past behind him and finds it difficult to relate to people. His character is also a good jazz pianist, and there are some effective shots of Eastwood playing out a number to himself in a darkend bar, summing up the kind of loneliness he finds himself in, and the showing how such a talented man has fallen due to his past.
Malkovic over-acts slightly, but still gives an effective and creepy performance that will make the viewer root for Eastwood. There are elements of cliche-the usual newspaper cuttings in an otherwise bare compartment-but this is a bad guy of the highest order, difficult not to dislike.
Russo, finally, is Eastwood's love interest and cause of some comic relief. Her romance with the ageing star is sometimes amusing, sometimes touching, and also a little unbelievable.
Overall though, this is a better than average thriller, acted very well and one that keeps your interest and adds suspense and some action to keep everyone happy.

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