

Witness ()
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Listed by
Trish Smith
Updated
December 07, 2024
Movie Info
Top Cast
Movie Overview | Witness ()
Witness is a 1985 American neo-noir crime thriller film[1] directed by Peter Weir. The film stars Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis, with Josef Sommer, Lukas Haas, Jan Rubeš, Danny Glover, Alexander Godunov, Patti LuPone and Viggo Mortensen (in his feature film debut). Its plot focuses on a police detective protecting an Amish woman and her son, who becomes a target after he witnesses a brutal murder in a Philadelphia railway station.
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User reviews
A Romantic Thriller That Never Grows Old
(Updated: January 04, 2025)
Overall rating
4.8
Entertainment Factor
5.0
Story
5.0
Actors Performance
5.0
Cinematography
5.0
Sound Track
4.0
Even after so many years, Witness is still a wonderful crime thriller and a must see. With each viewing, and I have seen this movie maybe a dozen times, there is at least one scene, or subtlety or just something that catches my attention; something that I didn't catch before. This is a story about two cultures, modern day and the Amish culture, and it is done very well, in a sensitive and insightful way, actually being filmed in Lancaster, PA. John Book, amazingly played by Harrison Ford, is a tough cop who questions an Amish boy, played by Lukas Haas, after he witnesses a murder in a men's bathroom at a railroad station. After questioning the boy, he discovers that there is corruption among his colleagues and so he becomes a cop in hiding among the Amish community while protecting the boy and his mother, Rachel, played by Kely McGinnis. While living in their home, Book finds himself attracted to Rachel and while protecting the boy he also is struggling to suppress the rising attraction between him and Rachel, realizing that any relationship between them is not a possibility. The story sort of turns from a wonderful crime thriller to a captivating, heart-breaking romance that can never be consummated.
The supporting staff, especially Jan Rubes, who plays the Amish character Eli Lapp, and who is suspicious of the outsider, Book, and Rachel's reciprocal attraction to him, brings the movie together and add credibility to the story. I love this movie and recommend it. Parents should know, however, that there are intense romantic scenes, some nudity and a few violent scenes, especially that of the murder. A must see!
The supporting staff, especially Jan Rubes, who plays the Amish character Eli Lapp, and who is suspicious of the outsider, Book, and Rachel's reciprocal attraction to him, brings the movie together and add credibility to the story. I love this movie and recommend it. Parents should know, however, that there are intense romantic scenes, some nudity and a few violent scenes, especially that of the murder. A must see!