Witness was a good movie, it's a crime romantic drama that follows Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis), an Amish widowed mother and her young son, Samuel (Lukas Haas) who were traveling from Lancaster County, PA by train to visit her sister in Baltimore, MD. As they were waiting at a Philadelphia train station for their next train, Samuel went to the restroom and ended up witnessing a brutal murder of a later identified police officer. However, quick thinking kept the little boy from being seen by the murderers.
Investigating the case was Detective John Book (Harrison Ford) and his partner Detective Sergeant Elden Carter (Brent Jennings). They had received some helpful information on at least one of the murderers from Samuel. However, it wasn't enough to identify the man that is until Samuel spotted a picture in a newspaper article that was pinned up in the police station's trophy case. Turns out one of the killers was another police officer, Detective Lieutenant James McFee (Danny Glover).
Going to Police Chief Paul Schaeffer (Josef Sommer) with the new information, John thought he was relaying it to a trusted source that would help him bring in Detective McFee. However, he soon realized the double cross when he was ambushed and shot. Despite being badly wounded, he was able to escape and then drove Rachel and Samuel back to their Amish town.
His injury which nearly killed him, made it impossible for John to leave especially after a small crash. After recovering from his injury, he stayed with Rachel and her family and helped out on the farm. The more time he spent went Rachel the more a connection was growing between them. Although he was in hiding, John was trying to figure out how to expose the dirty cops who were targeting him. After finding out his partner Detective Carter was killed supposedly in the line of duty, it set into motion a plan that would have the dirty cops arriving at the farm to kill John. He was not expecting this ambush but he did what he could to survive and fight and to keep the Lapp family from being harmed.
Although, it took some time before the dramatic situation with the dirty cops was dealt with, this was a good movie. I want to mention that Patti LuPone and Viggo Mortensen were both in this movie. It's so cool spotting actors in old movies. I also want to note that this movie is Rated R for violence and brief nudity.
What I like about this movie is that it had a lot of quiet moments where you see John getting accustomed to the Amish way of life. While at the same time, seeing him working on his damaged car trying to get it running again, so he can eventually leave. It was also interesting to see the Amish gradually become accustomed to him because at first they were apprehensive about John being there.
This isn't a film where you'll get a happy romantic ending because John leaving was sad for both of them but it was for the best. Although the romance between them was palpable it was also bittersweet. They were from two completely different worlds and it's hard to see a long-term relationship ever lasting between them. There were moments when Rachel was torn between being true to her Amish upbringing and the strict confines she must adhere to and her growing attraction to John. She risked being shunned by her community in trying to step into his world and she showed her defiance by literally showing herself to him. However, I believe his love for her would not let them cross a line they couldn't return from. Which is why I stated that their romance was bittersweet because although they shared a passionate kiss, he loved her too much for them to have completely given into their desires. It more than likely would have been disastrous for her.
Witness is a quietly thought provoking story that's centered on the growing connection between John and Rachel who are two vastly different people. It's the quietness of the movie that I feel makes it so powerful and understated.
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