In typical Hollywood fashion of the 80s, a melodramatic crime thriller.
Honestly, the cop protects himself and the Amish from dirty cops and starts shura-mura with the widow and mother of a cute and phlegmatic boy who witnessed the murder. Harrison Ford is naturally a good cop, with all coming and going.
A kind of typical idea for that time that the right to defend their interests, even with weapons in their hands, is above any feelings of believers. Especially if the believers cannot do it themselves. Now the moral principles of the main character look a little doubtful, especially in the framework of the finale, but in fact it is probably quite fair. Although, probably in the film and too romanticized and whitewashed.
The movie is a bit naive and the fighting scenes are a bit eccentric. But overall, the movie is not bad. Two Oscars: for script and editing.
In American cinema, it is not so often possible to find art paintings that would describe the life of one of the most original communities of America, the Amish, whose cultures and way of life have frozen in time, remaining unchanged for several centuries. Despite the vicissitudes of the modern world, they have to face, they retain an unshakable strength of spirit, as happens with the heroes of the romantic thriller “Witness”.
Synopsis In a public toilet at a Philadelphia train station, a drug officer is brutally murdered. An innocent boy from the Amish settlement becomes an accidental witness to this brutal crime. During interrogation, he accidentally identifies the killer as a respected inspector. Detective John Book, who leads the investigation, realizes that the boy and his family are in mortal danger and makes a desperate attempt to hide them from the ruthless clutches of the police mafia.
Game of actors Because of the unusual production, acting is perceived in a special way. Since the film is initially presented as a classic crime-detective thriller, you expect to see on the screen the familiar images of the hero-cop, embodied by Harrison Ford, designed to protect the innocent victim performed by Kelly McGillis. At the beginning of the film, that’s exactly what happens. However, as the tone of the film changes, the characters become more serious and more alive.
With the work of director Peter Weir, I am familiar from the romantic thriller “A Year Dangerous for Life”. As in the case of that film, “Witness” is distinguished by a harmonious combination of opposite genres and a smooth transition from one tone to another. As noted above, the film opens as a typical thriller. The boy becomes an inadvertent witness to a brutal crime and identifies the killer as a police officer. A brave detective tries to protect the boy and his mother and escapes with them to the Amish community. From this moment, the usual tension for the thriller disappears, and it is replaced by a romantic mood when feelings wake up between people from completely different worlds. But the director does all this to hit the patient at the most “inappropriate” moment in the form of an unpredictable denouement.
Scenario In the story, a young widow from the Amish community goes with her son to Baltimore, but changes in the schedule are forced to stay at the station. While her son is in the toilet, there are two unknown in front of the child brutally kill a man who turns out to be an undercover police officer. Leading the investigation, Detective John Book does everything possible to reveal the identity of the killers, but to his fear, his colleagues are the culprits. Realizing the degree of danger that threatens the woman and her son and himself, the hero decides to hide in the Amish community, simultaneously getting acquainted with their life and culture and at the same time falling in love with the heroine, who herself, contrary to strict rules, reciprocates him.
Immediately after watching “Witness” can leave mixed feelings, especially if you expect to see a action-packed thriller. And although the lion’s share of time is devoted to the forbidden love of the main characters, the film still makes a positive impression due to an attempt to acquaint the viewer with the lifestyle of a distinctive group of people, following their traditions and customs for several centuries.
8 out of 10
The Witness tells the story of a police officer whose life is radically changed by one very dangerous investigation. He enters the Amish settlement, whose way of life is not similar to the way of life of a modern hero of the time. There, he is overtaken by love, a challenge to the worldview, affection and an inevitable end.
For me, the plot of the film is his virtue (not for nothing he was awarded an Oscar). It has many details, elaboration of the main characters and their characters, motives of behavior. I was absolutely imbued with the life of the settlement of these strange people and everything connected with it was interesting. But the film is a thriller, because the plot in it, as in any classic thriller. The main character, played by Harrison Ford, is also a classic thriller hero. And on this basis, I have a lot of complaints. I love it when a movie doesn’t show me what I expect it to do. But after all, the thriller has a rule, keep the viewer in suspense, provide information in small portions, etc., and this film seems to forget for a while that he is a thriller, forgets about the heroes who “as if” need to be revealed, because he showed them. The whole "thriller" plot is generally outside the audience's eyes, as if the viewer already knows everything, because he saw it in any other thriller. This is certainly true, the thriller plot is absolutely not original, only because no one forgets about it and the denouement is exactly a thriller. Perhaps the film simply lacks timekeeping and an extra 20 minutes to reveal city life, all the characters left outside the Amish settlement would be enough to complete the picture, but they are not. Because of what it seems that the thriller part was superfluous or even unnecessary. But enough about the story.
All acting, as usual in Hollywood, at the highest level. Harrison Ford is good, I won’t say that he gave out what I didn’t see in his work, but he definitely made his character worry. The villains did not have enough timekeeping for me to penetrate them, there is nothing to say about them. Kelly McGillis, in my opinion, played the most interesting. Her eyes are fascinating. In children's acting I understand little, but in my opinion Lucas Haas was definitely interesting and not annoying.
The camera work was good, the grain scene was very beautiful. The only thing I didn’t like was the quality of the picture, everything seemed too blurry.
The editing of the scenes creates a smooth and meditative immersion in the way of life of the Amish.
The soundtrack is not particularly to my liking, but it creates the right atmosphere and half the mood in the picture.
In general, the film is interesting, but do not wait, looking at its cover, a good thriller. It's more of a romantic story about choice and duty, about tradition and what's right. It has a good script, good editing, excellent camera work and excellent work of actors. I recommend it to those who want to get acquainted with the works of young Peter Weir and Harrison Ford, and I recommend it for a good evening.
Good to see you!
The picture of the Australian director David Weir tells a seemingly trivial criminal story. A young Amish boy witnesses a brutal and merciless murder in an airport bathroom. As the only person able to identify the killers, he and his young mother are forced to cancel their cases and help Inspector John Book (Harrison Ford) in the search for the mysterious killers.
However, in addition to the criminal storyline, this film provides an opportunity to look at the world of the Amish people. The Amish (aka Amanites) are one of the most conservative religious movements in the world. Amish are distinguished by the simplicity of life and clothing, unwillingness to accept many modern technologies and amenities. For many generations, the Amish marry only co-religionists, which is why they form a genetically closed human population, atypical of the modern world. In such a complex world, the main character has to become his own among strangers, being simultaneously a stranger among his own.
Also, the picture gives the viewer a highly spiritual and freedom-loving love story between the main characters, elevating true feelings over lifestyle, religion and life circumstances.
It is worth noting the magnificent Harrison Ford, who received the first and at the moment the only nomination for the prestigious Oscar for his work in this film. You are truly amazed by the incredible career of this unsurpassed actor. Starting with supporting roles in famous (and not so) films of the 70s, he received diamond roles in the most popular franchises in the history of cinema ("Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones") and played in the masterpiece of science fiction "Blade Runner", becoming famous for centuries.
As a result, “Witness” is an example of an ideal combination of thriller and drama genres, revealing the life and essence of the mysterious Amish people in an unforgettable way.
Sometimes there is a movie in front of you and you don’t want to watch it. It’s good that I watched the Witness after this time, because the mood was literally incomprehensible, but the Witness literally left me thinking, because the film seems deeper in fact than a crime thriller.
The film tells us about a boy who comes from Amish (who doesn’t know, this is a religious movement that literally abandons all modern technology and lives on par with God, literally like Jews), who witnesses the murder of one drug officer, and the killers are just our protectors. In addition to the topic of corrupt policemen, religion is also touched upon, as these people are still limited, but they seem to be happy, but they seem not.
The acting is really amazing, and Harrison Ford is so good at it, I wish I had heard about this amazing role, he perfectly portrayed a brave, romantic cop.
The camera work is just very good, everything is so smooth and smooth in fact - I was literally resting while watching the film.
The film, despite its year of release, is not a bit outdated, but on the contrary, you miss that such films are no longer made!
Definitely to the masterpiece remains a little, but still this film is amazing. Thank you, Peter Weir!
Of course, the director Peter Weir is one of the brightest representatives of the new wave of Australian directors, who not only firmly entrenched himself in the world film market, but also undoubtedly achieved this with his unique talent and unique view even on ordinary things. As in this film, the director tries to adapt the Australian model of human behavior to the Western audience as naturally and without significant losses as possible. Preserving white people, but replacing aboriginal people with a very closed Amish community. But quite deeply developing the plot of the picture, Weir and then raises the question, who is actually a "white man", and who is an aboriginal?
Since if you take as a whole, starting as another criminal thriller about a daring murder and a witness who was in the wrong time and place, the film quickly changes the course of the narrative and appears in a completely different light. Throughout the film, the director Peter Weir very subtly flirts with three existing genres at once. Inflating the atmosphere of suspense in favor of a criminal thriller, replacing it with a deep social drama, and already closer to the finale and a melodrama about the love feelings of the protagonist and the mother of the witness.
It is commendable that with a very standard timekeeping and in principle a simple plot, Peter Weir equally decently develops each of the existing genres on the screen. At the same time, creating the impression of a much more complex, deep and far from typical entertainment product for viewing with popcorn in your mouth. Since confronting the main character - an ordinary policeman and a hardened city dweller with very strange and unusual living conditions of the local Amish, "Weir" literally turns to the inside out of the concept of humanity in modern society as such.
Making the main character feel like an “alien” among this Ammonite community, the director of the film Peter Weir literally reveals to the audience the complexity of any religious or other communities to preserve the heritage of their ancestors, their culture and lifestyle outside their homeland and all their lands. When people are small or significantly different from them, they are ready to stone them and turn them into victims of their cruel nature. Thus, for the sake of reflection, who is the more peaceful, peaceful and worthy man among them? Are we, or are we, or are we so used to calling "outsiders"?
Harrison Ford did a great job. More to the point, Ford has clearly played one of the best roles of his career. After all, on the screen is not the hero of an adventure action movie or even a character with a bold accent on the charming smile and appearance of Ford himself, but the character is quite deep, serious and complex. Very good and Keli McGillis, who made a very strong impression on me. Not only in the framework of its quite attractive appearance, but also the strongest acting, which leaves no hint of falsehood. Charming and sweet is still a very young Lucas Haas, to whom it is simply impossible not to be imbued with sympathy. Well, separately I want to note such worthy artists as Danny Glover, Alexander Godunov and Viggo Mortensen, who except that it turned out to be too few and due to this, the actors unfortunately could not realize all their capabilities.
8 out of 10
Witness is a very rare example of a really successful combination of several genres on the screen. At the same time successfully developing on the screen elements of a criminal thriller, social drama and even melodrama, the director of the film Peter Weir once again demonstrates his superiority over the established cliches of film construction and certainly the director’s film makes a strong impression when viewed on the screen.
At a train station in Philadelphia, unknown people brutally kill a police officer. The only casual witness to the massacre is 8-year-old Samuel, the son of the recently widowed Rachel Lapp, a woman from the Amish community, a religious community living in Pennsylvania. As an unwanted eyewitness, the boy may be persecuted. That’s why police captain John Book has to go with Samuel to his place of residence.
Close acquaintance with the way of life of people who consciously separated themselves from the civilized world, and therefore preserved the way, customs, customs and traditions of the XIII century, makes Buk significantly adjust his personal views on life. A police officer, for many years dealing exclusively with the scum of society and often the most base human vices, suddenly finds himself on "another planet."
Its inhabitants steadfastly observe all religious vows, deny all forms of violence, and ignore the “goods” of civilization – electricity, cars, telephones. The patriarchal colony becomes a kind of spiritual haven for Buk, where simple human values remain the main ones, not the greed and violence that reign in his world. The inhabitants here are one large family, in which harmony is unknown to Buku reigns.
That is why he looks with undisguised amazement at everything that is happening around him, and becomes more and more imbued with love for these “aliens”. The captain begins to experience completely new, unknown feelings and is inevitably drawn into the daily life of the community. Moreover, he falls in love with the mother of his ward, and she reciprocates him. But due to the circumstances, Buk again has to take up arms.
The film, which begins as a crime thriller, then gives suspense a breather for a while and is transformed into a romantic melodrama in which the main thing is the relationship of Buck and Rachel. The gradual adaptation of the parishioner to the new conditions of existence brings ethnic relations to the fore, and the lyrics are replaced by a drama about the clash of two different cultures. The constant change of themes pushes the genre boundaries, but does not destroy the story itself, which ultimately leads to the original genre.
Director Peter Weir, the leader of the new Australian wave, actually transfers to his first American film the model of relations that is always relevant for his homeland - white people and aborigines, who are replaced here by an Orthodox community of immigrants from Europe. Opposing two worlds, two views on the nature of things, Weir does not even try to hide who exactly he sympathizes with in this conflict. And the final departure of Buk turns out to be so touching that he clearly guesses the deeply personal feeling of the director, probably after moving to the United States, who felt nostalgia for his native Fifth Continent.
The film, director and Harrison Ford (and the role of Buck remains the only work of the popular actor nominated for Oscar), although they became Oscar nominees, still, when distributing the statuettes, they were amicably left out. And the memorable work of Kelly McGillis in the role of Rachel did not fall into the number of applicants at all. However, even more reason to be among the winners was the cameraman John Seal and composer Maurice Jarre, whose efforts contributed to the creation of one of the most striking films of 1985.
