Behind The Scenes: Clint Eastwood, Dylan McDermott & Wolfgang Petersen On The Set Of IN THE LINE OF FIRE
In the Line of Fire is an impressively constructed cat and mouse thriller from German director Wolfgang Petersen.
The 1993 film sees Clint Eastwood star as Frank Horrigan, an ageing Secret Service agent who is still haunted by JFK’s assignation in 1963. When John Malkovich’s lone assassin plots to murder the President of the United States, Horrigan must rise to the challenge in order to catch the would-be killer. He’s aided in his task by Rene Russo‘s fellow Secret Service agent (and would-be love interest), Lilly Raines. Dylan McDermott, Gary Cole, John Mahoney, Fred Thompson and Tobin Bell also star in the well regarded political thriller.
Eastwood is his usual stoic self in Petersen’s film, but John Malkovich steals the movie – he was nominated for an Academy Award for his turn as the villain of the piece. Screenwriter Jeff Maguire and editor Anne V. Coates were also nominated.
In 1997 Wolfgang Petersen would direct another US political action film – Air Force One. That film sees Harrison Ford star as the US President fighting Russian terrorists onboard the titular aircraft.
Budgeted at $40 million, In The Line Of Fire grossed $102 million at the US box office and more than $187 million worldwide following its release in July 1993.
