When I think of U.S. Marshalls, I think about my dad. My dad is a huge Tom Clancy fan. Jack Ryan is his jam! When Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) was introduced in The Fugitive, my dad liked the character and loved when they made an entire movie dedicated to his team and what they did. So when I watch this movie, I think of my dad and how much he enjoys this movie and others like it.

In this movie, Sam Gerard and his team are assigned to a new fugitive after Sam is on the plane that crashes, allowing Sheridan (Wesley Snipes) to make his escape. Shortly after Sam’s team arrives, Security Service Director Lamb (Patrick Malahide) shows up via helicopter and insists that Sam take on one of his agents to keep him abreast of the situation. Lamb’s lackey Royce (Robert Downey Jr.) is selected for the job. The hunt is on.

This movie has excellent pacing, making sure that you are never willing to take a break in the two-plus-hour film. Every time you think, “Oh, this looks like a good place to pause,” you then think, “Wait, he did what?!” and you sit back down. The interactions between Sam and his team are quoteworthy! The writing is able to be fun while keeping the tense pacing of the film moving forward. Sam’s team is made up of Cosmo (Joe Pantoliano), Biggs (Daniel Roebuck), Newman (Tom Wood, and not, as I thought for years, Judge Reinhold), and Cooper (LaTanya Richardson Jackson). We also get some interactions with Deputy Henry (Johnny Lee Davenport), who was also in The Fugitive.

One of the amazing things that director Stuart Baird did was study how planes crash and how the plane crash could be the most realistic. While Baird and production designer Maher Ahmad did go onto a traditional prison plane, they found it looked like any plane and designed the higher tech plane for U.S. Marshalls to be cooler. According to “Anatomy of a Plane Crash,” one of the special features in the DVD version of the film, they explain the depth of research they did to make the plane crash as real as possible. Using the National Transportation Safety Board, they looked at film and stills of actual plane crashes that had happened and set “A Plane Crash in 5 Acts” according to Baird. Mike Meinardus (Mechanical Effects Supervisor) and his team designed a specialty gimbal that could rotate the center of the plane (without its wings on), as well as the normal rocking motions that a gimbal can normally create. They were able to create a joystick and computer system so that, as they found the best movement, they could program it into the computer to perfectly replicate the movements for multiple shots. It is also reported that Baird hired real pilots for all flying scenes (plane and helicopter) to feel as authentic as possible (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120873/trivia/).

Another character in the film is Chen (Michael Paul Chan), who is easily one of my favorite, “Oh, look, he’s in this too!” characters. He has been in several TV shows I love, including The Closer, Major Crimes (a spinoff of The Closer), The Good Fight, Bones, JAG, and Babylon 5. Seriously, if you ever don’t know what to watch, look up this guy’s IMDb page and pick a show or movie. You won’t be disappointed.

This movie is going to be enjoyed by anyone who loves crime shows, Tom Clancy, conspiracy theories, or any of the amazing actors who can be found in this star-studded cast.