Face of a Fugitive (1959)

“Riley, if I have to kill you, I don’t much care whether it’s tomorrow or now. You can save us both time by starting the trouble now.” – Reed Williams

Number of Times Seen – 1 (3 Oct 2018)

Brief Synopsis – A fugitive who escaped from captivity travels to a small town under an assumed name as he plots how he will get away.

My Take on it – I have always been a fan of Fred MacMurray and despite his famous TV persona as the lovable father on the show My Three Sons, he has played much darker characters even better.

His performance in Double Indemnity (1944) proves that he can be good in sinister and diabolical roles but his performance here is also great largely due to the character arc that he progresses through along the way as the story moves in directions one wouldn’t necessarily expect them to go.

His character is enjoyable to watch because we get to see his attitudes towards things change as he begins to experience new things while planning his future.

The film runs a bit under 90 minutes and is actually the perfect running time since the story it is based on is a short story and they thankfully didn’t feel the need to drag things out along the way.

Loved seeing a relatively young James Coburn in a small yet significant role even if his main scene is a bit extreme and even a bit laughable to watch.

Bottom Line – MacMurray is great in this film because it is such a different kind of role for him to play. His character arc is quite enjoyable to watch and we get to slowly see how his attitude softens as he goes through new experiences along the way. The run time works quite well since this is based on a short story and they don’t attempt to drag it out any more than is necessary.  Great seeing a young Coburn in a small yet significant role. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Opening credits: The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious, and any similarity to the name, character or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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