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

When Robert Redford, who was originally attached to play Horrigan, left the project, the role was offered to Sean Connery, who turned it down.

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Goofs

Booth's landlady says that the United States is the only country where citizens can visit the office of the head of state. This is not true - Casa Rosada, the presidential palace of Argentina, is open to the public every weekend.

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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

Versions on network television edit the scene on the rooftop: we do not see Mitch Leary take Agent Horrigan's gun into his mouth (though he does open his mouth to receive it), and soon thereafter, the shot of Agent D'Andrea getting shot in the face and blood pouring from his mouth is completely cut.

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Connections

Referenced in Community: Modern Espionage (2015)

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Soundtracks

I Only Have Eyes For You
Written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin

User Reviews

It's fannntastic!

A great performance by Clint Eastwood and particularly John Malkovich in my opinion his finest one to date. Malkovich had this one nailed right down to the floor it's incredible. Eastwood is Agent Mike Horrigan, an aged and cynical Secret Service Agent who is finishing out his career busting counterfeiters and chasing down routine assignments. But one assignment which appears to be run of the mill at first turns complicated and deadly serious. Horrigan and his new partner Al are sent to investigate a threat on the President by a "wacko". As fate would have it Horrigan has stumbled not upon a delusional nut but a professional lone wolf who has a big bone to pick with the White House. As Horrigan dives deeper into "Booth's" world he attracts the bad guy's unwanted attention and unbridled admiration for him. Horrigan was JFK's top agent and present in Dallas, Texas when he was assassinated and blames himself for what happened. Now he feels it's up to him to stop the current Head of State from joining the list of dead Presidents. But this killer has turned the tables on Horrigan and now he's the hunted one in a life or death cat and mouse game. Who will win? Who will die? It's a race against time to save the Pres from a chameleon-like enemy who can get to anyone. My favorite Secret Service movie and as good a nail biter as any.