On that ill-fated day when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Frank Horrigan was among the guards. Memories of an unfulfilled mission have kept him awake for years.

30 years later, a psychopathic maniac who threatens to kill the president chooses Frank as a target for pursuit. And in this dangerous game, only willpower will decide who will survive …

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What is going on in the head of a person who is going to commit an assassination attempt on the head of his country? What special chemical processes occur in his brain, as a result of which he takes this path? What makes him scrupulously, day after day, month after month, develop a murder plan, calculate his every action dozens of steps ahead?

Such questions, however, hardly worried Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan. On that autumn evening, he was busy with more practical matters, leaving theoretical reflections to analysts. A few days earlier, a woman called the Secret Service and said that someone who rented an apartment in her house, a certain McGreevy, was fond of collecting materials about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Frank had to check who this McGreevy was and whether he posed a real threat. It turned out that the sphere of interests of this person could not but alert. Alertness soon turned into suspicion when it was revealed that McGreevy had used the name.
a person who died two decades ago.

A re-examination of the apartment gave new food for thought: all the rooms were empty, and a photograph of young Horrigan, guarded by J.F.K., hung lonely on the bare wall. on that same unfortunate day, November 22, 1963, just a few minutes before half past midday. An evening call to Horrigan dotted the i’s. The unknown person introduced himself as John Bus and said that he was going to kill the President of the United States. So, the game, so far understandable only to the future killer, began.

The very name John Booth (John Wilkes Booth) should have become another proof of the seriousness of the impending assassination attempt. That was the name of the actor who shot the sixteenth American president on April 15, 1865. But the investigation has not yet yielded any results.

Horrigan’s choice as a partner-opponent in this game seemed almost perfect to the unknown assassin. After all, Frank, the only active Secret Service agent who allowed Kennedy’s death, was still acutely worried about this failure. Therefore, the veteran agent’s confidence that the current Bus will be able to repeat the “feat” of his predecessor was in great doubt. On which the calculating killer relied. Only his young partner Al D’Andrea and colleague Lilly Rains trust him unconditionally. But this is not enough.

Elections are coming soon, and the current president is losing to his rival. Potential failure means for many politicians the loss of their prestigious positions and the end of their own careers. Therefore, they are annoyed by an excessively active bodyguard, which creates unnecessary difficulties. So Horrigan was
again removed, first from the protection of the President, and then from the investigation itself.

And the killer, step by step, carries out his carefully prepared plan. And no one, and nothing, it seems, is no longer able to stop him …

There was no Troy, no AF1, no Perfect Storm yet. In 1993, German director Wolfgang Petersen was not yet able or unwilling to sacrifice an interesting, clever story and great acting in the sacrifice of ostentatious, Hollywood “blockbuster”. Perhaps that is why “On the Line of Fire” still, despite its solid, by cinematic standards, age, looks lively and interesting.

Moreover, I want to revise it, although the storylines, and the ending itself, are already well known and there can be no question of any effect of surprise. Nevertheless, every time you get from watching the real pleasure, watching the development of the plot and the magnificent acting. The wonderful music of Ennio Morricone also contributes its very important share.

Among the many characters played by Clint Eastwood, the role of Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, in my opinion, is one of the best and most memorable. But at first glance, there is nothing unusual in this hero. It would seem that what new can be introduced into this image? Here it turns out that real talent can handle a lot and that he will be able to show himself even within such strictly defined boundaries. And even push these boundaries as wide as possible
– for your own special, individual position. Does anyone dare to argue that Clint Eastwood is not capable of such a thing?

Rene Russo (Lilly Rains) plays the role that she succeeds most of all: a real “blue stocking”, behind this outwardly poisonous, mocking and inaccessible shell hiding a thin and easily vulnerable, feminine soul. It is this Rene that can be found in many of her films. And this is what I like the most.

The role of Al D’Andrea is one of the first in Dylan McDermont’s track record. It is a pity that this young and very talented actor only occasionally appears on the big screen. D’Andrea in his performance is a young agent of the USSS, who, as they say, is not at ease. This work and the life it defines is not for him. He not only lacks experience, but also a vocation for her. Al tries his best to be like Horrigan, but at the same time maintains his personality.

In such a cool company, the only villain cannot be that pesky-picture-maniac killer common in Hollywood. No, he must be a worthy adversary, not making a single ill-considered, erroneous step, who is ready to go to the end, just to carry out his devilish plan. Who, at first glance, is no different from any of us, and only by looking into his eyes, one can understand that he intends to coolly cut off one (is it not enough?) Human life.

Nobody, except him, can be so transformed in each new episode. Then he is a respectable businessman, so gentle and courteous. But the next second, a mad, inhuman fire flares up in his eyes, and his body, by no means superman, suddenly explodes with a lightning-fast, murderous throw. Is it possible to recognize him in a harmless bespectacled man who, it seemed, is not capable of offending even a fly?

And his voice: faded, even, completely devoid of any emotion. And then, quite unexpectedly, such anger flares up in him, such aggression, mixed with such hatred that all doubts immediately go away – yes, he will not back down, he will not stop, even if he has to pay for it with his own life. It’s all one person. This is John Malkovich. His game is brilliance!

In conclusion, I would like to say that “On the Line of Fire”, no doubt, has everything you need to become a real masterpiece: an interesting plot, by no means flat, “with character” characters and magnificent, otherwise you would not say, acting. And he is confidently included in a not very large number of my favorite films.

Info Blu-ray
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (54.6 Mb/s)
Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Portuguese, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Greek.