X
- 1985
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
- 1985
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
Summary Samuel Lap (Haas) a young Amish boy witnesses a murder while visiting Philadelphia with his mother Rachel (McGillis). Detective John Book (Ford) goes undercover in Amish country when he realizes the killer is a corrupt cop out to kill the only witness.
Directed By: Peter Weir
Written By: William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, Earl W. Wallace
- 1985
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
- 1985
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
Witness
76
8.4
Where to Watch
Summary Samuel Lap (Haas) a young Amish boy witnesses a murder while visiting Philadelphia with his mother Rachel (McGillis). Detective John Book (Ford) goes undercover in Amish country when he realizes the killer is a corrupt cop out to kill the only witness.
Directed By: Peter Weir
Written By: William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, Earl W. Wallace
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
76
71% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
29% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
76
71% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
29% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Sure-footed thriller, beautifully photographed, with Ford's best performance thus far.
This is, first of all, an electrifying and poignant love story....And it is also one hell of a thriller.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 116 User Ratings
8.4
89% Positive
103 Ratings
103 Ratings
10% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
1% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 116 User Ratings
8.4
89% Positive
103 Ratings
103 Ratings
10% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
1% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Witness made in 1985 is a thriller, mystery film and also an action type of love story aswell because the film does have some elements of love in it... It's mostly a drama type of thriller which is directed, made, executed beautifully... Storyline is not too complex if at all and Harrison Ford's character is very likeable and gives a good performance. Some Amish boy witnesses a murder in a toilet I think but don't quote me on the toilet scenario because I maybe wrong but sure the murder happened in a toilet. He gets a look at the suspect but however the suspect doesn't see him and how he gets out of the toilet and doesn't get seen is still a mystery to me. I mean the Amish boy but anyway the boy shows Book (Harrison Ford) the suspects photo and Book recognises him. Book is a cop and he takes the boy somewhere safe until later, a long wait later the badguys track them down but not before Book (Harrison Ford) and Kelly McGill is borderline more or less fall for each other lol... The action scenes are very good and Danny Glover plays a good badguy and the film has a beautiful feel to it which is impressive and is an intelligent thriller and not too over the top. Kelly McGillis lights the screen up with her beauty and Harrison Ford's character and Kelly McGillis have good chemistry when paired together that makes this film very beautiful. Only bad thing is this films a bit outdated now but remains a classic and one of Harrison Ford's better films. I don't think as far as I remember we get to learn that much about the characters in the movie but it's a good film with decent acting.
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A subtle romance and thriller , it works perfectly on both levels . It also focus on cultural differences and how it affect or interfere our decisions . The director handles all these levels very well . The acting of Ford who at his best dramatic heroic non-fiction role of his career and Kelly McGillis plays a simple , natural and kind of ethereal woman . It is unusual , devoid of cliches and simply great.
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Beyond its fresh twists on the cop and romance genres, Witness is, above all, an anti-consumption film. [08 Feb 1985]
Witness, which is one of the most originally conceived and gracefully made suspense dramas of recent years, to work into edgy juxtaposition the representatives of two subcultures that are ordinarily mutually exclusive.
Peter Weir, the standard-bearer of the Australian Tradition of Quality, is on hand to smother all the contrivances in his solemn, academic style, and the result is a moderately effective, highly affected thriller.
Witness is at times a gentle, affecting story of star-crossed lovers limited within the fascinating Amish community. Too often, however, this fragile romance is crushed by a thoroughly absurd shoot-em-up, like ketchup poured over a delicate Pennsylvania Dutch dinner.
Along with some creaky plot mechanics in the last third of the story, this reduces the film to ordinary dimensions - a sharp but no longer resonant show.
Witness is a great movie with a simple yet interesting premise about a murder that a young boy, Sam, witnesses in a bathroom. When John Book, a local police officer, arrives the boy and his mother must dedicate their time to John in order to solve the case. While at first they do not enjoy this, as time goes on they begin growing closer to one another. The movie has great characters and performances that really make you care for them and what happens to them. It also has some interesting twists and turns along the way that make this a very enjoyable movie to watch.
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[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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Peter Weir fait en général dans le film social, aussi n'est-il pas surprenant que son Witness n'ait de polar que le nom et soit réduit à sa plus simple expression ou presque...
C'est surtout un prétexte pour nous parler de la communauté amiche, cette gentille secte de dévôts ravis de la crèche au sein de laquelle s'est planqué l'agent du FBI, recherché par des flics corrompus. Oui, même dit comme ça ou dans n'importe quel sens soit dit en passant, l'histoire reste inepte pour ne pas dire absurde...
Il s'agit donc d'un documentaire sur les Amiches et leur mode de vie à tout le moins rétrograde qui garent leurs calèches à côté des bagnoles lorsqu'ils vont faire les courses dans le patelin d'à côté. Malgré tout, le film n'est pas forcément désagréable pour le lien qui unit à leur insu l'étranger yankee (et "molesteur") et la jolie mère de famille Amiche fraîchement veuve (aucun détail n'est donné sur ce veuvage d'ailleurs).
Harrison et Kelly donnent à la fois une certaine épaisseur et une subtilité bienvenue à une relation naissante mais impossible, car venant de deux mondes trop différents et opposés : autant essayer de marier un terrien à une extra-terrestre...!
A noter la musique du vétéran Maurice Jarre qui a mis de côté ses cuivres et violons pour des synthés bien fades et un ensemble sans relief indigne d'un téléfilm des années 80 à deux balles diffusé le dimanche soir sur M6-poubelle. On en fera pas un plat mais quelle déception en tout cas...!
Un film passable donc... dont la fin est aussi un peu maladroite. Mais tout de même, Kelly est touchée par la grâce dans l'un sinon le meilleur de ses rôles, asurément.
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This wasn't what I expected. Much more romantic drama than action and suspense. It's an odd combination that I felt squeaked like bad breaks at some points but the story is not without its charm. You can't help but feel concern for the little boy and the predicament of this Amish family. Harrison Ford brought his A game though. There was a good gradual feel that he delivered that created the tension between him and Rachel. You actually wanted them to get together because they actually had a genuine connection that grew and developed. But it was a Tarzan type romance. They were from two worlds and it really showed. Maybe if what I was expecting to happen wasn't squashed so bad I'd rate this better but still overall it didn't mesh so great with me. Solid for its time and worth a try though.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Wins & 8 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 6 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Win & 7 Nominations
