In the Line of Fire
In the Line of Fire ★★★½ 1993 (R)
Aging Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan (Eastwood) meets his match in a spooky caller, exCIA assassin Mitch Leary (Malkovich), who threatens his honor and the president in an exciting, fastpaced cat and mouse game. Terrific performance by Eastwood includes lots of dry humor and an unscripted emotional moment, but is nearly overshadowed by Malkovich's menacing bad guy. Russo is agent Lily Raines, who begins a charmingly tentative romance with Horrigan. Eerie special effects add to the mood. The Secret Service cooperated and most scenes are believable, with a few Hollywood exceptions; the end result clearly pays homage to the agents who protect our presidents. 128m/C VHS, DVD . Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott, Gary Cole, Fred Dalton Thompson, John Mahoney, Gregory Alan Williams; D: Wolfgang Petersen; W: Jeff Maguire; C: John Bailey; M: Ennio Morricone.