In the Line of Fire (1993)

Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president.

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writer:

Jeff Maguire

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Frank Horrigan
John Malkovich	...	Mitch Leary
Rene Russo	...	Lilly Raines
Dylan McDermott	...	Al D'Andrea
Gary Cole	...	Bill Watts
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Harry Sargent
John Mahoney	...	Sam Campagna
Gregory Alan Williams	...	Matt Wilder (as Greg Alan-Williams)
Jim Curley	...	President
Sally Hughes	...	First Lady
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Jack Okura
Steve Hytner	...	Tony Carducci
Tobin Bell	...	Mendoza
Bob Schott	...	Jimmy Hendrickson
Juan A. Riojas	...	Raul

Storyline

Frank Horrigan is a secret service agent who keeps thinking back to November 22, 1963, when, as a hand-picked agent by President Kennedy, he became one of the few agents to have lost a President to an assassin when Kennedy died. Now, former CIA assassin Mitch Leary is stalking the current President, who is running for re-election. Mitch has spent long hours studying Horrigan, and he taunts Horrigan, telling him of his plans to kill the President. Leary plans to kill the president because Leary feels betrayed by the government -- Leary was removed from the CIA, and the CIA is now trying to have him killed. After talking to Leary, Horrigan makes sure he is assigned to presidential protection duty, working with fellow secret service agent Lilly Raines. Horrigan has no intention of failing his President this time around, and he's more than willing to take a bullet. White House Chief of Staff Harry Sargent refuses to alter the President's itinerary, while Horrigan's boss, Secret Service ...

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Plot Keywords:

interrupted sex | miniskirt | assassin | assassination | assassination attempt | 

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Taglines:

An assassin on the loose. A president in danger. Only one man stands between them...

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

En la línea de fuego

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$102,314,283

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$85,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Castle Rock Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 138 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby SR (35 mm prints) SDDS (8 channels) (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the UK release of the film, the scene where Mitch Leary (John Malkovich) kills the bank clerk and her room-mate was edited so the audience did not witness the physical breaking of each of their necks. Malkovich also wanted to include the killing of the dog in this scene but director Wolfgang Petersen thought this was a little too much.

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Goofs

Lilly's gown during the party scene would be inappropriate for a female Secret Service agent, as it would prevent her from performing her duties should there be an attempt on the President's life. In those situations female agents instead wear dress pants and more practical shoes. (With the gown, there is also the problem of where to hide the service weapon.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Al D'Andrea: [running late while driving in his car] Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, Frank, thank God. Thank God. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead.

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Alternate Versions

An extended version of the scene where two ambulance men are called to help Frank. Two of his colleagues tell the others about a joke he practiced on his former superior.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Clint Eastwood Movies (2011)

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Soundtracks

I Didn't Know What Time It Was
Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

User Reviews

Top notch Eastwood & unforgettably venal Malkovich

IN THE LINE OF FIRE (1993) ***1/2 Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott, John Mahoney, Gary Cole, Fred Dalton Thompson. Absorbing cat-and-mouse psychological action/thriller with Secret Service agent Eastwood tormented by sociopath Malkovich who plans to assassinate The President of The United States. Swiftly directed by Wolfgang Petersen and compelling performances by the leads makes for an affectively entertaining experience.