A detective self-assigns to the protection of a small Amish boy who saw a brutal murder happen. Soon, he finds himself needing the Amish as much as the boy needs him.
From a story by William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, and Earl W. Wallace, a script by Earl W. Wallace and William Kelley, and directed by Peter Weird, Witness is one of those 1980s classics that most would not have expected to see get the super uber 4K re-release, but once the film is rewatched, it’s easy to see why it would get on. The film here is a solid drama-thriller, one that keeps you guessing and keeps you very much enthralled with its proceedings. The story here is solid and the direction by Weir brings it to the screen perfectly. It’s one of those films that is easy to get into, has some surprises along the way, and maybe doesn’t end exactly as expected, but without a cheap twist ending. This is how thrillers were back in the 1980s and it does sometimes feel like the art of making these types of films is getting lost to the decades
Of course, a solid aspect of the film is the cast. With Harrison Ford in the lead, in the mid-1980s, it is easy to see how the film was a hit with the crowds. The man who huge back then, still is huge now, and this film shows why. His acting here is solid and it’s easy to see how the man went from action-adventure dude to a more serious actor. The work he puts in here is solid. Also solid is Kelly McGillis who was pre-Top Gun here and absolutely fantastic. Here work is more emotional, grounding, and she really lets the character shine. Playing the kid at the center of everything is Lukas Haas, for whom this was only a third feature film and fifth role overall. His work here shows why he was a regular child actor in big productions. He gives a performance that is both wide-eyed and focused, his work is something that viewers would expect to see in an older actor, something his young career showed he was capable of over and over. The cast overall is great here, giving performances that work and work with each other, clearly bouncing back and forth between each other, and giving what their parts required.
Overall, Witness is a solid drama thriller that is also categorized in the romance genre on some websites, but that is misleading. The thriller aspect of things here is what the film is all about, along with strong writing, directing, and acting. Witness is a solid film all around, one that has aged decently well, and one that is still a must see.
The new release by Arrow Video reviewed here is packed. Packed! There are so many extras, it can be daunting to get through it all. Of course, as is now tradition with Arrow Video re-releases, the film gets new artwork for its box art, a fold out poster, a booklet filled with information, and double-sided postcards. Also, the film is available in both 4K and Blu Ray presentations, both looking crips and clear with high quality sound. What fans will love are the vintage features including the two vintage EPK featurettes, an archival interview with director Peter Weir, a five-part archival documentary that makes picking this release up more than worth it, a vintage 1985 interview with Harrison Ford, and a new visual essay from film journalist and filmmaker Staci Layne Wilson. Of course, there is more, but those are the homework extras, the ones that you have to check out for sure.