In the Line of Fire

Clint Eastwood modified his taciturn tough-guy image to play a vulnerable, tormented Secret Service agent in this well-written 1993 thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen (The Perfect Storm). In the Line of Fire casts Clint as Frank Horrigan, a veteran agent who is still haunted by his failure to protect President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and fearful that he won't be up to a similar challenge with the current president. That fear is exploited by professional assassin Mitch Leary (John Malkovich), who plans to kill the prez, and calls Frank periodically to taunt him. Rene Russo is excellent as an efficient female agent, but it's the onscreen duel between Eastwood and Malkovich that provides the film's edge. Eastwood makes Horrigan a fully rounded character, displaying humor, imagination, determination, and a painful awareness of his own limitations. Malkovich's Leary is a deliciously psychopathic villain—a brilliant but ruthless killer with a twisted sense of humor in the mold of Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs. This well-made thriller tingles with carefully calibrated suspense, but it's the lead performances that distinguish In the Line of Fire from standard entries in the genre. Presented with a crisp high-def transfer and Dolby TrueHD sound, Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Petersen, deleted scenes, and several featurettes (on behind-the-scenes, the Secret Service, and CGI effects). Recommended. (E. Hulse)