Plot: What’s it about?
“US Marshals” brings back the government team from the movie, “The Fugitive”. While they are chasing a different target, a former government worker played by Wesley Snipes, the premise is the same: dedicated government agent doggedly chases wrongly accused escaped prisoner. While it does have different antagonists (one of whom I picked out when he was first introduced), I still felt like the plot was somewhat predictable. Having said that, I can also say that, predictability aside, this was a still an entertaining movie.
After a particularly difficult fugitive arrest, Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) is about to take a few days off. With a plane crash scene comparable to the train derailment in “The Fugitive”, Gerard is thrown, almost literally, into the chase for Mark Sheridan (Wesley Snipes), a former government worker accused of a cold-blooded double murder. Except Gerard does not know that he is chasing a former government worker with incredible escape and evasion skills. To help him with his pursuit, he is assigned another government agent named Royce, played by Robert Downey, Jr. Royce was friends with the two murder victims and his motives are questionable from the beginning. What follows is a frantic cross-country chase not unlike that seen in “The Fugitive.”
The audio is very good, particularly with the plane crash. The surround speakers get a bit of a workout and you do hear lots explosions. The video is crisp, clear, and bright. In a word: superb. The extras are worth watching, although I would have liked a continuous ten minute breakdown on how the filmed the plane crash scene instead of multiple little sub chapters. (I think they took the interactive concept a bit too far with this one!) The history of the US Marshals was informative and interesting, except towards the end when it became an advertisement for other movies by showing extended trailers of “Cahill, US Marshal” and “Wyatt Earp”. Still, the extras are well worth the time it took to watch them.
In short, if you have never seen this movie, it is easily the price of a rental. Then if you like it, add it to your collection. But preview it first. However, if you are a major Tommy Lee Jones or Wesley Snipes fan, go ahead and purchase it for your collection. Odds are you will like their performances in this one anyway.
Video: How does it look?
Very Good. Sharp, clear, and bright.
Audio: How does it sound?
Also very good. The plane crash scene is very good. Lots of bass and surround sound.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Good amount of material here. A historical review of the US Marshals as well as a short documentary on the filming of the plane crash scene are the main points here. Production notes and cast bios are also included.
