The Fugitive: 5 Reasons The Quibi Series Is Better (& 5 Why It’s Still The Harrison Ford Movie)

An update on the 1993 movie starring Harrison Ford, Quibi’s The Fugitive manages to improve on the film in some areas while being worse in others.

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Quibi recently released it’s long-awaited 14-part miniseries The Fugitive. The series stars Kiefer Sutherland and Boyd Holbrook and is a remake of the identically-titled Harrison Ford movie which came out in 1993. Series creator Nick Santora opted to come up with new-but-similar characters instead of recasting the ones in the movie.

While the plot of the film involves the protagonist being framed for murder, Holbrook’s Mike Ferro in the series is framed for a terrorist attack in Los Angeles. Both productions have their strengths and weaknesses. Although both provide great entertainment, they trump each other in certain areas.

10 Quibi Series: Better Law Enforcement

In the 1993 film, the protagonist Dr, Richard Kimble was being hunted down by Senior Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard and his colleagues. While they did the regular cop stuff well, they didn’t quite stand out. Throughout the film, Samuel carried the cop-in-the-wrong stereotype with him, making it hard to like him.

In the Quibi series, the law enforcement team is led by Detective Clay Bryce (Kiefer Sutherland) of LAPD’s Counter Terrorist Bureau (CTB). Bryce is passionate about hunting down the suspect because his own wife died during the 9/11 attacks. He is tough, loud, and isn’t afraid to punch his fellow officers. It’s Kiefer Sutherland after all and there is no area he thrives better than in a series involving terrorists.

9 Movie: Better Plot

Someone blows up a train station and a wrong person gets accused – the terrorist plot in the Quibi series feels like it was made specifically for Kiefer Sutherland due to his 24 history. The Counter Terrorist Bureau even sounds a lot like 24’s Counter Terrorist Unit. It feels like watching Jack Bauer all over again. If the whole series was included as a season in 24, it would feel right at home.

The movie’s plot was much better. Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), a prominent Chicago vascular surgeon, was wrongfully convicted for the murder of his wife. While being transported, his fellow convicts stage an escape, forcing him to flee and leading to the chase that drives the movie forward.

8 Quibi Series: Dialogue

When Detective Clay Bryce refers to a reporter as “young lady” and she fires back by accusing him of being sexist, he tells her: “Oh, please! I have cell phones that are older than you.” Everything Bryce says is blunt and unapologetic. No such memorable quotes were present in the 1993 film.

When the same overenthusiastic reporter gets fired for her unprofessional tactics, her boss tells her: “I’d say in about 20 years there’s a pretty decent chance that you will realize what a gaping a**hole you’ve been. And that would be growth.” The witty remarks in the Quibi show are simply outstanding.

7 Movie: Better Protagonist

Harrison Ford’s Dr. Richard Kimble was way more likable than the protagonist in the Quibi series. A lot of that comes down to Ford’s performance. That is not to say that Boyd Holbrook, who plays the protagonist in the Quibi series, is a bad actor; in fact, he is brilliant as a DEA agent in Narcos. However, Ford’s performance is just more memorable.

Richard Kimble was not only a man on the run but also a man capable of fighting and defending himself. Mike Ferro, on the other hand, often felt vulnerable. Ferro was also given a dull backstory as a former convict who was struggling to get a job and often got sympathy from his parole officer. Compared to Kimble who was an accomplished surgeon, Ferro doesn’t match up.

6 Quibi Series: Action Sequences

While the movie does a lot of things right, it doesn’t match the series in the action department. Again, huge credit to Kiefer Sutherland for importing his trademark runs from 24 and planting them in The Fugitive. While Tom Cruise is the best action movie runner, Sutherland might just be the best TV series runner.

There are scenes where Holbrook’s Ferro gets the better of Sutherland’s detective during fights, so it is never a one-sided affair. Bombs go off quite convincingly too and the aftermath is as emotional as ever. Generally, the choreography in the series is a notch above the movie.

5 Movie: Pace & Suspense

The movie maintained a breathless pace that still allowed viewers to keep up. There were threats and close calls. The protagonist was always trying to figure out a way to get out of a tough situation.

As for the series, only the terrorist attacks at the train station and the courthouse provided thrilling moments. Everything else felt normal, with cops hunting a ‘bad guy’ the same way it has been done in many other situations. The edge-of-your-seat moments were clearly lacking.

4 Quibi Series: Plausibility

In the film, there were plenty of things which didn’t make much sense. It felt like everything was engineered to fit into the cat and mouse game. For example, in Dr. Kimble’s first encounter with US Marshall Gerard, he says, “I didn’t kill her!” In turn, Gerard responds with a simple “I don’t care.” Why would he not care unless he had a personal grudge with Kimble?

Things make much more sense in the series, including the fact that Detective Bryce is so aggressive because his wife also died in a terrorist attack. When Bryce learns that the man he has been chasing all along isn’t actually responsible for the attack, he admits he was wrong and focusses on the new suspect.

3 Movie: Outstanding Villain

In the Quibi series, the villain Collin Murphy was also drawn out of 24’s playbook. He was the ordinary guy who didn’t look like a suspect but ended up being behind it all. However, Murphy’s motives were weak. He didn’t have justifiable-enough reasons to kill as many people as he did.

In the movie, the villain was a Dutch-American doctor named Charles Nichols who worked at the pharmaceutical company, Devlin MacGregor. When Dr. Kimble discovered that a drug made by Devlin MacGregor had terrible side effects, Nichols sent a man to kill him so that the drug wouldn’t be banned by the FDA. The man didn’t find Kimble so he killed his wife instead. Kimble was eventually framed for the murder.

2 Quibi Series: Satisfying Ending

In the series finale, there was a final showdown between Ferro and Murphy (the real culprit). Ferro was forced to drop his weapon because Murphy was holding a gun to his daughter’s head. After a lengthy standoff, Bryce showed up and shot Murphy, allowing Ferro to reunite with his daughter.

The ending of the Harrison Ford film was a bit dull in comparison. Gerard tried to convince Kimble to stop running after discovering that the real culprit was Nichols. Also, Nichols attempted to shoot Gerard, but Kimble knocked him unconscious with a pipe. Nichols was then arrested and that was it.

1 Movie: Critic Reviews

The Harrison Ford film has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.8 rating on IMDb. Both fans and critics were in agreement about its awesomeness. It’s hardly a surprise that it has such a huge legacy.

The Quibi series has a 22% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.0 rating on IMDb. Judging by these metrics, there is a clear winner. The series had good actors but it definitely needed a better plot.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/fugitive-ford-movie-quibi-series-best/