U.S. Marshals | |
---|---|
Directed by | Stuart Baird |
Written by | John Pogue |
Based on | Characters by |
Produced by | Anne Kopelson Arnold Kopelson |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Andrzej Bartkowiak |
Edited by | Terry Rawlings |
Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 131 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $45 million |
Box office | $102.4 million [1] |
U.S. Marshals is a 1998 American crime action film directed by Stuart Baird, and written by John Pogue. The film is a spin-off/standalone sequel to The Fugitive (1993), and is the second release from the franchise of the same name. Though the plot references the character, Dr. Richard Kimble (portrayed by Harrison Ford in the initial film) does not appear; rather, it centers on United States Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard, once again played by Tommy Lee Jones. The plot follows Gerard and his team as they pursue another fugitive, Mark Sheridan, played by Wesley Snipes, who attempts to escape government officials following an international conspiracy scandal. The film cast features Robert Downey Jr., Joe Pantoliano, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Wood, and LaTanya Richardson, several of whom portrayed deputy marshals in the previous film.
The film was a co-production of Warner Bros. Pictures and Kopelson Entertainment. The score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
U.S. Marshals premiered in theaters in the United States on March 6, 1998, grossing $57 million in its domestic run. The film took in an additional $45 million through international release for a worldwide total of $102 million against a budget of $45 million. The film was generally met with mixed critical reviews. The film was released on home video on July 21, 1998.
In New York City, two Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Special Agents are killed during a briefcase exchange in a United Nations (UN) parking garage. The murders are caught on a security camera, but the killer escapes with top-secret files.
Months later, Senior Deputy US Marshal Samuel Gerard and his team capture a pair of fugitives in Chicago. Elsewhere in the city, tow truck driver Mark Warren is injured in an auto accident and arrested for possession of an illegal handgun, but a fingerprint check reveals he is federal fugitive Mark Roberts, wanted for a double homicide in New York. Aboard a prisoner transport flight with Gerard, Roberts thwarts an assassination attempt by a prisoner with an improvised firearm, but the bullet shoots a massive hole in the plane, blowing the would-be-assassin away to his death. The plane crashes into the Ohio River, and Gerard tries to rescue the surviving prisoners as Roberts escapes.
DSS Special Agent John Royce is assigned to join Gerard's team in the hunt for Roberts, whom they corner in a Kentucky swamp before he wounds Gerard and flees. Gerard suspects that Royce is concealing information about Roberts and the murders, while Roberts calls his girlfriend Marie Bineaux, explaining that he was a government agent until he was betrayed in New York. Returning to New York City, Roberts secures supplies from a Force Recon comrade and surveils Chinese diplomat Xiang Chen. Gerard's team questions Marie and tracks down the mechanic hired to hide the zip gun for the Chinese assassin on the plane, but find him dead, murdered by Chen.
Reviewing the parking garage security footage, Gerard discovers that Roberts' exchange with Chen was intercepted by the DSS agents, and that Roberts acted in self-defense and was wearing gloves, despite the DSS's claim that he was identified by fingerprints. DSS Director Bertram Lamb admits to Gerard and his senior supervisor Katherine Walsh that Roberts is Mark Sheridan, a former CIA Special Activities Division Agent suspected of selling U.S. State Department classified intelligence to the Chinese government. Chen was delivering money to Sheridan for the information when the DSS agents tried to apprehend Sheridan, who escaped with the documents.
Gerard's team tracks Sheridan to a cemetery where he catches DSS Special Agent Frank Barrows collecting a delivery from Chen, forcing Barrows to admit to a larger conspiracy to frame Sheridan. Marie arrives as Chen shoots at Sheridan, killing Barrows instead. Deputy Marshals Savannah Cooper and Bobby Biggs apprehend Chen, while Cosmo Renfro and Royce intercept Sheridan, who is forced to leave Marie behind. Royce, Gerard, and Deputy Marshal Noah Newman pursue Sheridan into a nearby retirement home. Finding Royce preparing to execute Sheridan, Newman is shot by Royce; Sheridan flees to the roof, and Royce lies to Gerard that Sheridan shot Newman. Swinging onto a passing commuter train, Sheridan escapes, and Newman dies beside Gerard en route to the hospital.
Determined to kill Sheridan, a vengeful Gerard and Royce track him onto a freighter ship bound for Canada. During a struggle inside a grain container, Sheridan nearly kills Gerard but relents, and Sheridan is critically shot by Royce. Gerard realizes that the gun used to shoot Newman was Royce's; Royce is the real mole in league with Chen, and framed Sheridan. Left alone to guard Sheridan's hospital room, Royce wakes him up to murder him, but is confronted by Gerard. When Royce pulls a gun from his waistband, Gerard draws his service weapon and shoots Royce dead. Sheridan is exonerated and reunites with Marie, while Gerard and his team depart to drink a toast to Newman.
Filming locations included Metropolis, Bay City, Shawneetown, and Chicago in Illinois, as well as New York City, Benton, Kentucky, and Reelfoot Lake (Walnut Log) in Obion County, Tennessee. [2]
U.S. Marshals: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
---|---|
Film score by | |
Released | March 10, 1998 |
Length | 29:44 |
Label | Varèse Sarabande |
The original motion picture soundtrack for U.S. Marshals was released by the Varèse Sarabande music label on March 3, 1998. [3] The score for the film was composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith and mixed by Bruce Botnick. Kenneth Hall edited the film's music. [4]
Following its cinematic release, the Region 1 Code widescreen edition of the film was released on DVD in the U.S. on July 21, 1998. Special features for the DVD include: interactive behind-the-scenes documentary – Anatomy of the Plane Crash; historical documentary – Justice Under the Star; feature-length commentary by director Stuart Baird; interactive menus; production notes; two theatrical trailers; three TV spots; and scene access. [5] Additionally, a Special Edition repackaged DVD was also released on November 3, 2009. Special features include: a closed caption option; interactive behind-the-scenes documentary – Anatomy of the Plane Crash; historical documentary – Justice Under the Star; feature length commentary by director Stuart Baird; two theatrical trailers; and three TV spots. [6]
In supplemental fashion, a VHS format version of the film was released on February 2, 1999. [7] A restored widescreen hi-definition Blu-ray Disc version of the film was released on June 5, 2012. Special features include: two documentaries – Anatomy of the plane crash and Justice under the star; commentary by director Stuart Baird; and the theatrical trailer. [8] An additional viewing option for the film in the media format of Video on demand has been made available as well. [9]
U.S. Marshals premiered in cinemas on March 6, 1998, in wide release throughout the United States. [1] During that weekend, the film opened in second place, grossing $16,863,988 at 2,817 locations. [1] The film Titanic was in first place during that weekend, with $17,605,849 in revenue. [10] The film's revenue dropped by 32% in its second week of release, earning $11,355,259. For that particular weekend, the film fell to 3rd place with the same theater count. The continuing success of Titanic remained unchallenged in first place with $17,578,815 in box office business. [11] During its final week in release, U.S. Marshals was in 60th place, grossing a marginal $16,828 in revenue. [12] [13] U.S. Marshals went on to top out domestically at $57,167,405 in total ticket sales through its theatrical run. [1] For 1998 as a whole, the film would cumulatively rank at a box office performance position of 36. [14]
Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received mixed reviews. [15] Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 30% based on reviews from 43 critics, with an average score of 4.9 out of 10. The site's consensus states: "A rote albeit well-cast action thriller, U.S. Marshals suffers badly in comparison to the beloved blockbuster that preceded it." [16] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average out of 100 to critics' reviews, U.S. Marshals was given a score of 47 based on 20 reviews. [15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [17]
The result is unconvincing and disorganized. Yes, there are some spectacular stunts and slick special effects sequences. Yes, Jones is right on the money, and Snipes makes a sympathetic fugitive. But it's the story that has to pull this train, and its derailment is about as definitive as the train crash in the earlier film.
Barbara Shulgasser, writing in The San Francisco Examiner , commented in positive sentiment about the acting, saying, "The film's pacing is unimpeachable and good performances are delivered by Jones, Snipes, Irene Jacob as Sheridan's loyal girlfriend and, for brief moments, Kate Nelligan as Gerard's tough but lovable boss." [19] Left impressed, Desson Howe in The Washington Post noted how "Every story beat is expertly planned and executed." Howe also praised director Baird, exclaiming how he "runs the show with a smart eye and a metronome ticking somewhere in his mind." [20] In a mixed to negative review, Russell Smith of The Austin Chronicle bluntly deduced that, "Unlike Kimble, whose innocence and decency are known from the beginning in The Fugitive, Sheridan is a total cipher to both Gerard and the audience until deep into this two-hours-plus film. Ergo, we can't be expected to give a rat's ass what happens to him – and don't." [21] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly opined that U.S. Marshals was "Lean, tense, and satisfyingly tricky." [22]
The film was not without its detractors. Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times , Roger Ebert, giving the film two and a half stars out of four, observed, "I didn't expect U.S. Marshals to be the equal of The Fugitive, and it isn't. But I hoped it would approach the taut tension of the 1993 film, and it doesn't. It has extra scenes, needless characters, an aimless plot and a solution that the hero seems to keep learning and then forgetting." [18] In a primarily negative review, Mick LaSalle, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle , called the film "a bad idea to begin with." He noted his confusion with the plot, remarking, "the movie tells us from the beginning that the fugitive is not quite innocent. He killed two fellow agents in self-defense. All this does is muddy the moral waters, making us queasy about the one guy we like. At no point is there ever a compelling reason to keep watching." [23] Describing a mild negative opinion, James Berardinelli of ReelViews professed Marshal Gerard as exhibiting "only a token resemblance to the character who doggedly pursued Kimble in The Fugitive. As re-invented here, Gerard is a generic action hero; most of the quirks that made him interesting (and that earned Jones an Oscar) are absent. With a few minor re-writes, John McClane from the Die Hard movies could have been plugged into this role." [24]
Snipes is luckless in the part, which merely demands a lot of scowling, then moving aside to let the stunt double take over. (The movie's other big treat features that nameless individual, who leaps off a building and swings, as if on a bungee cord, to a nearby station roof, then races after the train pulling out and leaps to land upon its roof; that's fun, but it's no movie in itself.)
Dissatisfied with the film's quality, Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader said that it was "Not so much a sequel to The Fugitive as a lazy spin-off that imitates only what was boring and artificially frenetic about that earlier thriller; the little that kept it interesting—Tommy Lee Jones's Oscar-winning inflections, better-than-average direction—is nowhere in evidence." [26] Stephen Hunter, writing for The Washington Post , reasoned, "It turns out to be one of those lame double-agent things where everybody's working for everybody else, the security of Taiwan (Taiwan!) is at stake, and it never quite lurches into clarity or acquires any real emotional punch. I didn't think the end of The Fugitive was so great either: Who wants to watch doctors fistfight on a roof? But by the time it winds down, U.S. Marshals has all but destroyed itself." [25] Film critic Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide was not consumed with the nature of the subject matter, declaring, "To every hit there is a season, and a time for every sequel under heaven – no matter what narrative contortions it takes." She later surmised, "The minute Gerard mocks Royce's 'nickel-plated sissy pistol,' it's clear they're headed for a cathartic showdown, and anyone who can't see which member of Gerard's merry band might as well be wearing a 'Dead Meat Walking' T-shirt really shouldn't be allowed to operate complicated machinery." [27]
A novelization of the film, U.S. Marshals: A Novel, written by Max Allan Collins, was released on March 1, 1998. [28]
The Sting is a 1973 American heist film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw. Set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss (Shaw). Hill had previously directed Newman and Redford in the Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). The screenplay, written by David S. Ward, inspired by real-life cons perpetrated by brothers Fred and Charley Gondorff and documented by David Maurer in his 1940 book The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man.
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the U.S. federal judiciary, and it is an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and operates under the direction of the U.S. Attorney General. U.S. Marshals are the original U.S. federal law enforcement officers, created by the Judiciary Act of 1789 during the presidency of George Washington as the "Office of the United States Marshal" under the U.S. District Courts. The USMS was established in 1969 to provide guidance and assistance to U.S. Marshals throughout the federal judicial districts.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is a 1992 psychological horror film directed by David Lynch, and co-written by Lynch and Robert Engels. It serves as a prequel to the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991), created and produced by Mark Frost and Lynch. It revolves around the investigation into the murder of Teresa Banks and the last seven days in the life of Laura Palmer, a popular high school student in the fictional Washington town of Twin Peaks. Unlike the series, which was an uncanny blend of detective fiction, horror, the supernatural, offbeat humor, and soap opera tropes, Fire Walk with Me has a much darker, less humorous tone.
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor. He has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The Ruby Ridge standoff was the siege of a cabin occupied by the Weaver family in Boundary County, Idaho, in August 1992. On August 21, deputies of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) came to arrest Randy Weaver under a bench warrant for his failure to appear on federal firearms charges.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, commonly known as Diplomatic Security (DS), is the security branch of the United States Department of State. It conducts international investigations, threat analysis, cyber security, counterterrorism, and protection of people, property, and information. Its mission is to provide a safe and secure environment for officials to execute the foreign policy of the United States.
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the principal law enforcement and security agency of the United States Department of State (DOS). As the operational division of DOS Bureau of Diplomatic Security, its primary mission is to provide security to protect diplomatic assets, personnel, and information, and combat transnational crimes connected to visa and passport fraud. DSS also conducts counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cybersecurity and criminal investigations domestically and abroad.
Blade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero film written and directed by David S. Goyer. It was produced by Goyer, Peter Frankfurt, Lynn Harris, and Wesley Snipes, who also starred in the leading role as the title character. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the third installment in the Blade trilogy, and co-stars Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Kris Kristofferson, Dominic Purcell, Parker Posey, and Triple H. Vampire leader Danica Talos has framed Blade for numerous murders, and alongside a team of rogue vampire hunters he must fight his most challenging enemy yet, Dracula.
The Jackal is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Michael Caton-Jones. It is a loose take on the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, which was based on the 1971 novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. The film stars Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and Sidney Poitier in his final theatrically released film role.
The Fugitive is a 1993 American action thriller film, directed by Andrew Davis with a script co-written by Jeb Stuart and David Twohy, from a previous story draft which Twohy had written. Based on the 1960s television series of the same name which itself is loosely inspired from the trial of Sam Sheppard, the film stars Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas and Jeroen Krabbé.
Daniel James Roebuck is an American actor and writer. In film, he is known for his roles as Deputy Marshal Robert Biggs in The Fugitive (1993) and its spin-off U.S. Marshals (1998), as well as Mr. Banks in Agent Cody Banks (2003) and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004). He has appeared in numerous Rob Zombie-directed films, his roles including Morris Green in The Devil's Rejects (2005), The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009), and 3 from Hell (2019); Lou Martini in Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009); and The Count in The Munsters (2022). Roebuck has worked with director and producer Don Coscarelli, appearing in Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), John Dies at the End (2012), and Phantasm: Ravager (2016).
Drop Zone is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by John Badham, starring Wesley Snipes, Gary Busey, Yancy Butler, Michael Jeter, Sam Hennings, Luca Bercovici and Kyle Secor. When a U.S. Marshal has to break up a drug smuggling gang, he has to take to the skies. Drop Zone was released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on December 9, 1994.
Thomas Mills Wood is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of police characters, especially Deputy Marshal Noah Newman in the 1993 film The Fugitive and its spinoff, the 1998 film U.S. Marshals.
Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force is a half-hour reality television show that premiered on A&E in December 2008. It chronicled US Marshals and local law enforcement as they hunted down some of America's worst fugitives. The show's 60 episodes' primary focus was on the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force based out of New York City. The show's first season averaged 1.6 million viewers.
Predators is a 2010 American science fiction action film directed by Nimród Antal, serving as the third film in the main series of the Predator franchise and its fifth film overall. The film follows an ensemble cast starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, and Laurence Fishburne, and follows a group of proficient killers who have been abducted and placed on a planet that acts as a game preserve for two warring tribes of extraterrestrial predators, leading them to try and survive and look for a way back to Earth before it's too late.
Olympus Has Fallen is a 2013 American political action thriller film directed and co-produced by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, and is the first installment in the Has Fallen film series. The film stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman with Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Cole Hauser, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell, and Rick Yune in supporting roles.
Blackhat is a 2015 American action thriller film produced and directed by Michael Mann and starring Chris Hemsworth, Tang Wei, Viola Davis, and Wang Leehom. Hemsworth portrays a convicted hacker offered clemency for helping track down a dangerous cybercriminal. The title refers to the cybersecurity term "black hat," meaning a hacker with malicious intent.
American Sniper is a 2014 American biographical war drama film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood and written and executive-produced by Jason Hall, based on the memoir of the same name by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. The film follows the life of Kyle, who became the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history with 255 kills from four tours in the Iraq War, 160 of which were officially confirmed by the Department of Defense. While Kyle was celebrated for his military successes, his tours of duty took a heavy toll on his personal and family life. It stars Bradley Cooper as Kyle and Sienna Miller as his wife Taya, with Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Kevin Lacz, Navid Negahban, and Keir O'Donnell in supporting roles.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a 2016 American biographical action-thriller film, directed and produced by Michael Bay. Written by Chuck Hogan, it is based on Mitchell Zuckoff's 2014 book. The film follows six members of the Annex Security Team who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya after waves of attacks by militants on September 11, 2012. The film stars James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, Max Martini, David Denman and Dominic Fumusa, with supporting roles by Toby Stephens, Alexia Barlier and David Costabile. Filming began on April 27, 2015, in Libya and Malta.
The Fugitive franchise consists of American action-thriller mystery-crime installments via film and television mediums. The franchise is composed of two theatrical films, and three television series. Based on an original story by Roy Huggins for the titular 1960s television series, the plot centers around innocent individuals who are wrongfully convicted after they are framed for criminal acts they did not commit. Each installment details their eventual escape from their capture by law enforcement, and the ensuing investigative manhunt that follows. As accomplished investigators are quickly on their trail in trying to recapture them, they frantically search to find the proof of their innocence and exoneration for their name.