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IMDb > Witness (1985)
Witness
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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   28,500 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
William Kelley (story) and
Pamela Wallace (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Witness on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 February 1985 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Harrison Ford is John Book - A big city cop who knows too much. His only evidence: a small boy who's seen too much... more
Plot:
A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 25 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(34 articles)
Birthday Suits, An Oscar For Ed!
 (From FilmExperience. 28 November 2009, 6:20 AM, PST)

BFI Lff Review: The Road
 (From HeyUGuys. 16 October 2009, 2:42 PM, PDT)

User Reviews:
'Witness' is a remarkably intelligent movie! more (122 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Harrison Ford ... Det. Capt. John Book

Kelly McGillis ... Rachel Lapp
Josef Sommer ... Chief Paul Schaeffer

Lukas Haas ... Samuel Lapp
Jan Rubes ... Eli Lapp
Alexander Godunov ... Daniel Hochleitner

Danny Glover ... Det. Lt. James McFee
Brent Jennings ... Det. Sgt. Elden Carter
Patti LuPone ... Elaine
Angus MacInnes ... Det. 'Fergie'
Frederick Rolf ... Stoltzfus

Viggo Mortensen ... Moses Hochleitner
John Garson ... Bishop Tchantz
Beverly May ... Mrs. Yoder
Ed Crowley ... Sheriff
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Called Home (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
112 min
Country:
Language:
Colour:
Colour (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Before building the barn an Amish man says to Harrison Ford, "I hear you are a carpenter." Ford answers, "It's been a while." Ford was a carpenter before he went acting. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The first time Book goes to Strasburg with Eli to use the phone, the initial shot shows the horse and buggy pulling into a "parking space." On the next shot, we watch John exit the buggy and walk toward the phone. As John passes the horse, we see that the horse has been been chained to hold it in place. As John passes the horse and group of people, we see Eli exit the buggy, then walk up to join the group. How the horse got chained, or who did it, is unexplained. more
Quotes:
Daniel Hochleitner: Your hole, it is better now?
John Book: Yeah, it's pretty much healed.
Daniel Hochleitner: Good. Then you can go home.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
(WHAT A)WONDERFUL WORLD more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a novel?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Why was the guy murdered in the men's room at the beginning of the movie?
more
24 out of 25 people found the following review useful.
'Witness' is a remarkably intelligent movie!, 29 November 2002
Author: microfx

Won Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Editing. Nominated for five more Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Harrison Ford, and Best Director Peter Weir. Weir Directed the 'The Year of Living Dangerously', and 'The Truman Show'. After seeing it maybe 10 times, I find it is one of those infrequent stories that still draws my attention. This places it in the company of pictures like 'The Godfather', and some others which stand the test of repeat viewings over time. Kelly McGillis is the film's intelligent and talented secret weapon. Her performance makes me wonder where she is these days. She is an Amish widow from a rural Amish community. On a trip to the city her little boy witnesses a murder in the restroom of a train station. Police investigator Harrison Ford finds himself targeted along with the boy by corrupt cops in his unit that did the murder. He is hurt in a shootout and hides with the Amish. He wears Amish clothes, and labors with the men of the community as he rebuilds his strength. An attraction naturally develops between the McGillis and Ford charactors. The chemistry is remarkably intelligent, and authentically portrayed. Their worlds are seperated by a cultural gulf. They are drawn by each other, and respect one another. The contrasts are drawn clearly between the quaint honesty and almost dreamlike serenity of the Amish, and the horrible violence intruding upon them from the outside world. The resolution of the story should not be given away to someone who has not seen the movie. This film is a different kind of thriller in more ways than one. It's makers kept it intelligent, instead of resorting to another pyrotechnic joyride. -Robert Hartman-

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