Witness

1/20/2019

As 80s thrillers go it's pretty smart to say the least. The formula of this thriller (Drama) is not (was) new or even flag bearing as regards action set pieces and hide behind your hands suspense, yet it is still one of a kind for the genre and the decade it came from. The plot is a sizzler as it involves the central theme of outsiders who are considered outside of the mainstream norm. To have a thriller involving the Amish community not only brings into focus how different folks' beliefs can be, but to also hit home at just how ignorant many are to the ways of minorities and what they stand for. So many great things about the movie stand out. Harrison Ford is perfect, yes it's a perfect performance, his John Book is gruff and rugged yet as the story moves on he nails the endearme

1/13/2023

My Fiance is a Millennial and I've been trying to get her and her friends to watch some classic films. Some, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, The Godfather, Godfellas, The Princess Bride, Blazing Saddles were epic fails for a variety of reasons. Witness actually stood the Millennial taste test for some reason, and this is significant because it is really hard to get them to watch or listen to anything that is older than 4 years. That says something, I'm not sure what, but it was a film that they actually sat through. It is also one of the tightest scripts Hollywood has produced, which is saying something since it was released in 1985 following almost a decade of the best movies that Hollywood has ever produced. It's pure story, and that story is backed up with acting and directing makin

6/2/2024

**An action film mixed with a guided tour of an Amish community.** Here in Portugal, there are few religions other than the Catholic Church and there are no Amish, Mennonite or similar communities. Therefore, this curious religious community is an object of fascination for me and also of renunciation: to explain further, I radically disagree with their religious conceptions, I would never be part of such a religious congregation and, however, I find it fascinating, in today's world, the idea of ​​trying to have a simpler life, without excessive technology and in greater harmony with the natural rhythm. It would be a lifestyle that I wouldn't mind trying, even though I knew I would have difficulty adapting and living without access to the technologies that I work and entertain myself wit

9/8/2024

When a young Amish boy "Samuel" (Lukas Haas) and his mum "Rachel" (Kelly McGillis) take a trip from their rural, largely agrarian, community into the big city he gets a little more than he bargained for - he witnesses the brutal murder of an undercover cop. The police decide the best way to protect him is to send him home to his family, accompanied by "John Book" (Harrison Ford), whist they await the trial. The perpetrators are on the hunt for him though, and it soon becomes clear that there is someone from within the investigation working with the baddies to track down and eliminate the witness. As an introduction to the lifestyle of this community, Peter Weir offers us quite an insightful assessment of a pacifist, technology free, society trying to live cheek by jowl with the relentless