"In the Line of Fire" is a very exciting film and works well because the film was well cast and very well written. Clint Eastwood plays an old Secret Service agent whose claim to fame was his being on the detail that protected President Kennedy in Dallas (oops). Not surprisingly, he blames himself for the assassination and although he seems like a great agent, he is imperfect and vulnerable.

Out of the blue, a strange threat arises--a would-be assassin (John Malkovich) who announces himself to Eastwood's character! In other words, he tells the Service that he's going to kill the President and taunts them! And throughout the film, the psycho keeps contacting Eastwood--as if they are old friends! What's next? See it for yourself.

While I am pretty sure a Secret Service agent would watch this film and spot a few flaws, for the average Joe, it seems pretty tight and well made. My only quibble was the notion in one scene where the agent (Eastwood) did NOT kill the killer when he had a chance because he knew he'd die in the process. My assumption is a real agent wouldn't even think about this. Perhaps I am wrong. But, it did make for good viewing--as did all the film. Plus, using an old guy like Eastwood worked because his age was figured into the plot--not some old guy pretending to be a lot younger than he really is. Well done.

By the way, if you get a chance, watch "In the Line of Fire: The Ultimate Sacrifice"--a special feature on the DVD for the film. It talks about how the Secret Service worked with the crew to make sure the details in the film were correct. Fascinating.

Back when I was working person, I remember having a really obnoxious client to deal with who insisted on making everything on a personal basis. I was telling him things that my agency could do and could not do and he firmly believed I was personally out to do him out of what was rightfully his. I swear but I was thinking of this guy as I watched John Malkovich and Clint Eastwood in their battle of wits.

In The Line Of Fire casts Clint Eastwood as a veteran Secret Service Agent who was on the job in Dallas as a young man when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. He's had his doubts ever since and been given to drink and his life at one time was a real shambles. He's gotten back on the White House detail now and when a potential assassin's landlady rats on her tenant to the Secret Service, it's Eastwood and partner Dylan McDermott who draw the case.

But the assassin is no ordinary crank case. He's a professional at his job, trained by and used by the Central Intelligence Agency. John Malkovich earned a deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He lost that year to Tommy Lee Jones for The Fugitive and I'm not sure, but that I thought Malkovich was better.

Oddly enough Malkovich might have been better off, but he saw Eastwood as the agent in charge breaking into his apartment while on the job and he insisted on making the whole thing personal. He calls Eastwood throughout the film and taunts him. And after a while what Malkovich says and does causes Clint to get real personal.

The presidential assassins we've had in our history have been lucky amateurs, unless you believe in some of the conspiracy theories about some of the assassinations. A guy like Malkovich, a professional with a real or imagined grudge, is the most dangerous kind of foe.

Others to note in the cast are Fred Dalton Thompson as the White House chief of staff (and would be president in real life),Rene Russo as another agent who falls for the Eastwood masculine charm, John Mahoney as the Secret Service head, Gary Cole as the White House head Secret Service guy, Gregory-Alan Williams as another agent and Jim Curley and Sally Hughes as the President and First Lady.

But when Malkovich is on he owns In The Line Of Fire. The climax with him and Eastwood is unforgettable.

A solid if predictable presidential assassin thriller boasting a typically strong performance from star Clint Eastwood. Eastwood plays an old-timer who finds himself in a battle of wits with a much younger man, a psychopath who's planning to kill the president. The running time is overlong but the film plays out in a serviceable, entertaining manner even if it sticks entirely to Hollywood convention throughout. Wolfgang Petersen, a director always more at home at sea rather than on land, displays little enthusiasm for the material but wrings the usual thrills out of the premise, only failing in some ludicrously cheesy slow-motion shots.

There are roles for a whole bunch of familiar faces and John Malkovich is allowed to get his teeth into his turn as a psychopath, although it has to be said this is one of the less memorable villains that Hollywood's thrown our way. Watch out for a memorable rooftop encounter and some vintage tough-guy moments from Eastwood.