In the Line of Fire

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In the Line of Fire

R

1993

2h 8m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

73 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

A Secret Service agent is taunted by calls from a would-be killer who has detailed information about the agent - including the fact that he failed to save President John F. Kennedy from assassination. The caller is revealed as an ex-CIA assassin, and the agent, who is investigating a threat to the current president, is determined not to let history repeat itself.

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Critics Consensus

A straightforward thriller of the highest order, In the Line of Fire benefits from Wolfgang Peterson's taut direction and charismatic performances from Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Generously exciting, In the Line of Fire is mercifully free of that artificial energy that makes so many new movies look as if they were created with steroids.

Jan 29, 2019

Full Review

Clifford Terry

Chicago Tribune

Petersen directs his film in a straightforward, workmanlike fashion-few surprises here -- and, curiously, for most of the film is better at establishing a kind of amiability than a hard tension.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 30, 2013

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Director Wolfgang Petersen moves the story along, but his real job is to simply stay out of the way of his two racehorse lead actors. And he does.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 30, 2013

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

A generally smart, adult thriller.

Rated: B

Aug 31, 2022

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

The classic 90s political thriller, complete with an air-tight script for 2+ hours, some great performances and a steady hand from Wolfgang Petersen.

Jun 25, 2022

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Quentin Crisp

Christopher Street

This is a picture which I would simply hate to have missed. It is a totally conventional film, but is none the worse for that. A good movie is a series of gloriously foregone conclusions, and Fire is no exception.

Apr 6, 2022

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Chris H

I saw this at the cinema when it came out and revisited it recently online. It has worn well; the two main characters are believable and interesting and John Malkovich, in particular, is amazing. The love story between Rene Russo (39 at the time) and Clint Eastwood (63) is a little unlikely - although he is Clint Eastwood I guess - but more importantly it's extra fluff we don't need. That apart, the film is a good idea, well made and acted.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/23/25

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M B

Excellently crafted intelligent thriller with a perfect cast

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/28/25

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thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/30/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 2 hours and 8 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $102,200,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

Full Review

Bellamy B

Great movie for about 1.5 hours, but then a scene goes against all values the movie is trying to portray about a character and I ended it. Still worth the 1.5 hours though. Great acting, and if the story had ended there I would've been very impressed.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/06/25

Full Review

Jerod S

Eastwood is an aging Secret Service agent in 1993 - and he's not even close to being done. Malcovich is a great antagonist.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/26/25

Full Review

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Wolfgang Petersen

Director

Clint Eastwood

Frank Horrigan

John Malkovich

Mitch Leary

Rene Russo

Lilly Raines

Dylan McDermott

Al D'Andrea

Gary Cole

Bill Watts

In the Line of Fire: Official Clip - Fatal Fall

1:40

In the Line of Fire: Official Clip - Blocking the Bullet

2:13

In the Line of Fire: Official Clip - Are You Going to Shoot Me, Frank?

2:13

In the Line of Fire: Official Clip - Rendezvous With My Ass

2:00

In the Line of Fire: Official Clip - If Only I Reacted

2:06

In the Line of Fire: Official Clip - Aim High

1:49

In the Line of Fire: Official Clip - The Irony's So Thick

1:50

In the Line of Fire: Official Clip - You're Under Arrest, Too

2:12

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In the Line of Fire: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A Secret Service agent is taunted by calls from a would-be killer who has detailed information about the agent - including the fact that he failed to save President John F. Kennedy from assassination. The caller is revealed as an ex-CIA assassin, and the agent, who is investigating a threat to the current president, is determined not to let history repeat itself.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Producer: Jeff Apple
Screenwriter: Jeff Maguire
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 9, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $102.2M
Runtime: 2h 8m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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