IMDb > Witness (1985)
Witness
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Witness (1985) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   28,286 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 42% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
William Kelley (story) and
Pamela Wallace (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Witness on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 February 1985 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Harrison Ford is John Book - A big city cop who knows too much. His only evidence: a small boy who's seen too much... more
Plot:
A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 25 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(33 articles)
BFI Lff Review: The Road
 (From HeyUGuys. 16 October 2009, 2:42 PM, PDT)

New Vampire Flick In a Spiral State
 (From MoviesOnline. 7 September 2009, 8:00 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
One Of The Best Crime Moves Ever more (121 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Harrison Ford ... Det. Capt. John Book

Kelly McGillis ... Rachel Lapp
Josef Sommer ... Chief Paul Schaeffer

Lukas Haas ... Samuel Lapp
Jan Rubes ... Eli Lapp
Alexander Godunov ... Daniel Hochleitner

Danny Glover ... Det. Lt. James McFee
Brent Jennings ... Det. Sgt. Elden Carter
Patti LuPone ... Elaine
Angus MacInnes ... Det. 'Fergie'
Frederick Rolf ... Stoltzfus

Viggo Mortensen ... Moses Hochleitner
John Garson ... Bishop Tchantz
Beverly May ... Mrs. Yoder
Ed Crowley ... Sheriff
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Called Home (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
112 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Rachel tells Book "You know carpentry." He replies "A bit..." Harrison Ford was a carpenter before he became famous as an actor. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Book is confronting Paul in the barn, the lefthand part of his shirt is sticking out of his pants; the camera then cuts away, and when it cuts back his shirt is tucked into his pants. more
Quotes:
Rachel Lapp: [as she and Samuel are walking through the police station with Book] When can we leave the city?
John Book: We're trying to get this done as quickly as possible, then you can go. But, Samuel's probably gonna have to come back to testify. I'm sorry.
Rachel Lapp: No, you are not, you are glad.
John Book: Huh?
Rachel Lapp: Because now you have a witness.
John Book: Yeah, now I got a witness.
Rachel Lapp: I just don't like the idea of my son spending all this time with a man who carries a gun and goes around whacking people!
John Book: [in disbelief] Whacking?... whacking?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Sex Drive (2008) more
Soundtrack:
PARTY DOWN more

FAQ

Why was the guy murdered in the men's room at the beginning of the movie?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is this movie based on a novel?
more
38 out of 44 people found the following comment useful.
One Of The Best Crime Moves Ever, 24 June 2006
10/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

You want to know how to make a successful movie? Just look here. You have tremendous suspense, a top-flight popular actor as the hero, a touching romance story, plenty of action, a different kind of setting than normal, people you care about, nice photography, very moral and very immoral people, a little humor.....I mean, this is how it's done.

I also appreciated seeing Amish people (of which I am not) portrayed in a better light than secular Hollywood usually puts them. I also liked the wholesome female lead Kelly McGillis (although she was the only Amish character out of character, a bit loose than what you would ever find) and who didn't think young Lukas Haas was the cutest kid they ever saw on film?

Harrison Ford gives a typical solid performance as John Book, a Philadelphia detective who winds up protecting the young boy ("Samuel Lapp"), his mom (McGillis as "Rachel Lapp") and others against crooked cops (Hollywood's favorite kind). Along the way, he is near-fatally shot and winds up being cared for and living in the Amish community in which the Lapps reside. During that time, we also have the blossoming romance between the two leads and then a dramatic shootout at the end when the cops find out where "Book" is staying.

There are many memorable scenes in this movie, from the boy hiding in the bathroom stall as a murder takes place; Ford slugging some goon who was making fun of the Amish; Ford and McGillis dancing in the hayloft to an old rock 'n roll tune; the Amish lifestyles and the raising of the barn; and the suspenseful ending.

This is a great stuff: one of the best crime stories of the "modern age" and one of the few "R-rated" films that reached this high a popularity.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Two things... parks8321
question about the last shot... roger_u_04
who is this sister in baltimore? jeff.covey
Why is this ranked so low? One of the great movies of our time tts4tts
R.I.P. Jan Rubes gmjambear
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