Witness

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1:17

Witness

R

1985

1h 52m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

An eight-year-old Amish boy witnesses a drug-related murder in a Philadelphia train station. The Philadelphia police captain discovers that the murderers are cops trying to squelch a corruption investigation.

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Critics Consensus

A wonderfully entertaining thriller within an unusual setting, with Harrison Ford delivering a surprisingly emotive and sympathetic performance.

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Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

10/31/2023

Witness takes serious stock of the gap in experience and attitude between its protagonist and his caretakers to see what shared essence can be found between them.

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Ed Potton

The Times (UK)

04/06/2020

4/5

... striking thriller.

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Nick Roddick

Sight & Sound

03/24/2020

The film allows us, in the company of Book, to take a sort of holiday from our normal concerns, to visit other values en touriste , drawing the strengths from a strange and alien tradition without really immersing ourselves in it.

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Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

Nov 13

4/5

In 2023, the year he announced his retirement, Peter Weir received an Honorary Oscar in recognition of his four nominations for Best Director... Witness was the film where he proved he could infuse Hollywood filmmaking with restraint and romanticism.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Feb 10

5/5

Harrison Ford delivers one of the best performances in his career in Witness.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Feb 9

5/5

…Harrison Ford is just terrific in Peter Weir's Witness, a simple, spiritually nourishing story of cops and corruption that takes an unexpected turn into something more profound…the kind of appealing, accessible film that’s long fallen out of fashion…

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David M

59m

Witness is a very good, compelling, and utterly watchable movie. Police suspense flick with murder and corruption at the plot’s core, that takes an unexpected turn when the Witness (a young boy), his mother and Ford (good cop) run to hide from corrupt cops in an Amish home & community. Some "fish out of water" humor, without overdoing. A reverential, good humored view into the Amish way of life that makes that portion of the movie compelling and a joy to watch - and the violence at it’s end all the more suspenseful and jarring. One of Weir’s best. Fine performances by Ford (arguably his best), McGillis (great casting) and Godunov (a great, nuanced performance as McGillis’ suitor, with nice touches of humor), and by supporting actors Jan Rubes (the father) and Lukas Haas (the boy). The music/score, while showing its time (1980s symphonic synthetic, like Hoosiers) is evocative and perfect for the setting. Anytime I run across it streaming, I stop to watch.

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Yash B

Nov 28

"Witness" is a solid movie from the 80s that features a great performance from Harrison Ford. This movie has a terrific initial premise that hooked me in quickly. I do think the movie takes an unexpected turn and becomes a drama and romance movie for a large portion of the middle. I think it is interesting, but it is not quite what I expected. Nonetheless, I like the way it comes together in the final act and found myself entertained by it. Overall, it is an interesting movie that is not your typical cop story, and I admire it for being unique and engaging.

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Mario S

Nov 10

Good cast, iconic scenes. Some scenes are slow but it must be in a amish world

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Jeff K

Sep 14

Harrison Ford is fantastic in this movie. I just love it. Hard boiled cop meets fish out of water movie with some star crossed lover mixed in. I could watch it a hundred times.

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W. W. W

Jul 21

Ford's performance is so so, McGillis is much better, whereas Godunov is beautiful.

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John G

Jul 17

An award-winning thriller with a lot of heart. Deeply engaging, well acted.

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Peter Weir

Director

Harrison Ford

Det. Capt. John Book

Kelly McGillis

Rachel Lapp

Alexander Godunov

Daniel Hochleitner

Josef Sommer

Chief Paul Schaeffer

Lukas Haas

Samuel Lapp

Witness: Official Clip - Rachel's Choice

1:57

Witness: Official Clip - Right of Way

2:02

Witness: Official Clip - Murder Witness

2:12

Witness: Official Clip - A Lesson on Guns

1:49

Witness: Official Clip - I'm Not a Child

1:19

Witness: Official Clip - It's Over

2:13

Witness: Official Clip - Ingrained

2:12

Witness: Official Clip - Time For Milking

1:38

Witness: Official Clip - Positive Identification

1:49

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Witness: Trailer 1

1:17

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Synopsis

An eight-year-old Amish boy witnesses a drug-related murder in a Philadelphia train station. The Philadelphia police captain discovers that the murderers are cops trying to squelch a corruption investigation.

Director: Peter Weir
Producer: Edward S. Feldman
Screenwriter: Pamela Wallace, Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 1985, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 6, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $65.3M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Surround

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