Witness

I have always been fascinated by people of the Amish faith and way of life. (It is a shame Hollywood never filmed the Broadway Musical, "Plain and Fancy.") I had not viewed "Witness" since it debuted in the 1980s. I was therefore delighted to find the mystery has aged well. I enjoyed seeing the film again and even enjoyed it more than upon that first viewing. Harrison Ford and the remainder of the cast is outstanding. Lucas Haas is great as the young Amish boy who is a witness to a police murder. There is only a little bit of blood and gore. Most of the film is directed to the relationships that Ford's character comes to interact with living secretly among a Pennsylvania Amish community. "Witness" is a very good movie and available at a bargain price.

One of our favorite movies, one we watch multiple times in a year.

Quality Material

This film was magical for me, and I've always enjoyed the topic of forbidden love. For those who haven't seen this movie, other reviewers have spelled out the plot very nicely. The heart of the story is the juxtaposition of the hardened, big city detective in the midst of Amish country, and it centers on his relationship with a young, beautiful Amish woman and her son. Exteme opposites that do, indeed, attract. The sparks fly between them and keeps the viewer captivated (at least it did for me). Kelly McGillis played an exceptional role in this film (her first film, I believe). I'd rate it as her best performance by a long shot. It was also one of Harrison Ford's better roles. And Lukas Haas was very convincing in all but one scene. The cinematography and Jarre's music was lovingly layered, and displayed throughout the Pennsylvania local. The barn raising scene was especially wonderful, and gives the viewer a true yearning for a simpler, more family-oriented life. Not everything worked in this picture, however. In a couple of places the editing seemed haphazardly done. The scene where the cops are on the front porch of Ford's sister and questioning her is an example (the voice-over didn't work at all). Also, the scene at the end when Sommer is leading Ford and McGillis out from the barn, you could almost sense the director calling "action" and the scene beginning. Pretty disturbing for this caliber of film. Another minor annoyance was when Danny Glover, after being shot, raises the shotgun toward the ceiling with one hand and pulls the trigger. There was absolutely no recoil. I don't have a clue why this scene wasn't redone. Anyone who knows anything about firearms will shake their heads. Finally, and more importantly, the `bad' cops just weren't convincing as real people...ala...human flesh and blood. They seemed to be punched out from the standard Hollywood cookie-cutter. That's a lot of stuff not to like in one of my favorite films (I also have several more minor items that I didn't mention). But I forgave these transgressions to my suspension of disbelief, and ended up really enjoying this film. I haul it out every so often just to be transported to another world and watch a great love story done to perfection (no melodramatic "smaltz" here). Between 1 and 10, I give "Witness" a marginal 8. A little more care in those areas I mentioned and this could have been a 10.

The acting and visuals are very calm, and although there are some action scenes, it is a first-class movie that gives you a deep sense of satisfaction after watching it. With a resolution (3840x2160) that is four times higher than Blu-ray, Samuel's crystal clear eyes and the nature of the wheat fields swaying in the wind come to life on the screen. In particular, the 12-bit quantization of Dolby Vision is wonderful, as it allows you to enjoy the beauty of the images, the depth of the gradations, and the detailed expression of the dark and light areas of the subject that were not previously depicted. There may be criticism of the final scene in which non-violence triumphs over violence, but I think it is meaningful that it exists in the Amish world. The Amish are people who live with their feet on the plateau to begin with. The idea that the blessings of the plateau are a gift from heaven is deeply ingrained in them. Pointing a gun at such people is like pointing a gun at God. What is truly meaningful for humans? Is it to make people listen to you with a gun? Or will we live together with people who live in different worlds? The answer is already there. No one knows that they can force the plateau to listen with a gun.

This is an older Harrison Ford movie - a very interesting, compelling story. Great cast. You'll recognize a lot and now much older and/or grown up actors/actresses. It does have very adult themes, nudity, violence - so in my opinion - teens and up. I purchase via stream any more. No DVDs to store and you can watch from about any device. Having said all of this, I never hesitate to update my reviews should new info seem useful. All of my reviews reflect my honest, personal experience with the reviewed item - your experience may be different. I am not influenced by any outside source. I receive/accept NO free products or discounts that are not available to all shoppers- ever. As a top 30 reviewer, I've been doing reviews for over 25 years with Amazon - over 6,200 reviews posted, those reviews have been viewed well over 50,000 times, including well over 26,000 likes. BOTTOM LINE: I pay for all my stuff, just like you do.

Great Movie

Der einzige Zeuge ist ein zeitloser Thriller, der Spannung, Emotion und Tiefgang meisterhaft verbindet. Harrison Ford überzeugt in einer seiner besten Rollen als Polizist John Book, der nicht nur einen Mordfall aufklären muss, sondern auch mit einer völlig fremden Welt konfrontiert wird. Die Begegnung zwischen moderner Großstadt und der ruhigen, entschleunigten Amish-Kultur ist faszinierend und sensibel erzählt. Der Film lebt nicht von reiner Action, sondern von Atmosphäre, starken Charakteren und einer außergewöhnlichen Liebesgeschichte, die leise und glaubwürdig bleibt. Die Kameraarbeit und die Musik unterstreichen die Stimmung perfekt, während die Spannung bis zum Schluss erhalten bleibt. Der einzige Zeuge ist intelligent, emotional und hervorragend gespielt – ein Thriller mit Herz und Tiefgang, der auch heute noch begeistert. Absolut verdient: 5 von 5 Sterne

Good films

Très bon film avec Harrison Ford, excellent acteur qui fait partie des grands et peut donc jouer sur tous les plans et types de films différents, film chaleureux et énigmatique, je n'en dis pas plus, celà vous couperait l'enthousiasme de la surprise si je le faisais, je ne vous fais donc qu'un tout petit synopsis

Another stunning Arrow restoration, it looks incredible and is an absolute bargain for the collector's edition.