Witness (1985)
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. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Peter Weir
Written By: Pamela Wallace, Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley
Starring: Danny Glover, Harrison Ford, Viggo Mortensen, Lukas Haas, Josef Sommer, Patti LuPone, Kelly McGillis, Brent Jennings, Robert Earl Jones, Jan Rubes, Angus MacInnes, Alexander Godunov
Genres: Romance, Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Crime
Country: USA
Where to Stream
Loading...
Witness belongs to 45 collections
1. boobs (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 51 stars)
2. Academy Award - Oscar - Best Picture and Nominees (collaborative: moderated by smviper00 - 44 stars)
3. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)
4. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)
5. Netflix Instant (collaborative: moderated by somnivore - 29 stars)
6. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)
7. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)
8. AAA: Empire's five star movies (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 24 stars)
9. IMDb Top 250 Complete (collaborative: moderated by Jorg - 23 stars)
10. Academy Award - Oscar - ALL Best Picture, Directing, Acting & Screenplay Nominees (collaborative - 22 stars)
11. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)
12. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 17 stars)
13. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)
14. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)
15. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
16. films101.com's 5 star films (collaborative: moderated by ppinocchio - 11 stars)
17. Oscar: Best Writing (adapted/original) (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 10 stars)
18. #1 at the US Box Office (collaborative: moderated by BeeDub - 10 stars)
19. Religion (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 8 stars)
20. List: Taschen (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 6 stars)
21. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)
22. AFI 100 Passions (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 5 stars)
23. Filmsite.org - Sex in the Movies, An Illustrated History (collaborative: moderated by afx237vi - 5 stars)
24. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)
25. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)
26. Cross-cultural (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 3 stars)
27. Oscar: Film Editing (collaborative: moderated by CarsonWid - 3 stars)
28. Australian director (collaborative: moderated by djross - 2 stars)
29. Akira Kurosawa's Top 100 Films (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 2 stars)
30. Referenced by The Simpsons (collaborative: moderated by ReCreation07 - 2 stars)
31. father-daughter relationship (collaborative: moderated by livelove - 2 stars)
32. Best Original screenplay (collaborative: moderated by Roman_Herbom - 2 stars)
33. mwgerb's Netflix Instant Queue (public: mwgerb - 2 stars)
34. Amish (collaborative: moderated by Moribunny - 1 star)
35. List: Empire's masterpiece picks (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 1 star)
36. Cats (collaborative: moderated by Svengali - 1 star)
37. Netflix instant LATAM (collaborative: moderated by Roman_Herbom - 1 star)
38. Halliwell's Four Star Films (collaborative: moderated by MacSwell - 1 star)
39. Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Best Motion Picture (public: sianaa - 1 star)
40. Roger Ebert's Top 10 Films of 1985 (collaborative)
41. dress (collaborative: moderated by ceseth)
42. Reed's DVDs (public: BrotherReed)
43. 1985: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
44. BF-80 (public: caffe)
45. Netflix List (public: Walser14)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 12 |  |
BillyShears | 85 86th |
|
Don't let that poster fool you, it is not about a young boy living inside a giant Harrison Ford.
|
|||
| 5 |  |
spleen | 88 91st |
|
So inspired I have reassessed my current state of existence, disavowed all technology, relocated to an Amish community and am currently typing this on a homemade wooden laptop with a steam-powered modem.
|
|||
| 4 |  |
Paxton | 75 78th |
|
Getting to Witness Kelly McGillis in the buff was a rite of passage for many a young man of my generation. This one was a little harder to sneak by than the mysteriously PG Beastmaster, but watching Harrison Ford movies was an eighties kid's natural right. Also the movie was good but nobody cared about that. billyshears' review made me chortle.
|
|||
| 3 | citysqwirl | 91 95th |
|
|
An excellently crafted thriller in a fascinating setting with Harrison at the peak of his rugged, honorable appeal.
|
|||
| 3 |  |
canadianor | 45 25th |
|
'Witness' does little to maintain the tension it builds so well in the beginning moments. The lingering threat of John's impending doom doesn't create nearly as much tension as being on the run should. John resists the Amish culture and they resist him, but it doesn't do much to shed any light on the characters. Rachel seems like she might be enchanted by life in the city, but that could also be her lust for John. In the end, it becomes a predictable shootout with nothing learned or gained.
|
|||
| 2 |  |
TheDenizen | 70 63rd |
|
Who knew Amish chicks were such sluts?
|
|||
| 2 |  |
paulofilmo | 67 32nd |
|
Seen it all before, but I do have a soft spot for the way Weir picks scripts that provide a cultural education. Loved the soundtrack.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
fudgieb | 95 89th |
|
One of the reasons Ford was my favorite actor for a long time. Really well-made, gentle to the Amish, and very suspenseful.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
silencer | 51 16th |
|
Poor and predictable story and the soundtrack is horrible.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
Actionberg | 65 39th |
|
On the level of an analysis of a little-known culture, Weir succeeds as he usually does. The action scenes aren't bad either. But it's not without its cheeseball moments.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
CCLZA | 75 63rd |
|
Ford's and McGillis' performances are top-notch and the clash of cultures is directed in an interesting (if slightly heavy-handed) way. Still, the plot development is pretty simple, just like the Amish would like, I bet.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
Kavu | 44 20th |
|
Predictable thriller with a silly ending. Most of the scenes in amish community feel just pointless.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
lrampartl | 61 48th |
|
Good little drama. Harrison Ford kicks some ass (Danny Glover, actually) and bonds with Lukas Haas before he turned into an awkward-looking annoying person.
|
|||
| 1 | easymac742 | 83 73rd |
|
|
Don't you ever try to put ice cream on Harrison Ford's face. He'll twist your nuts off.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
CinematicESP | 85 67th |
|
Weir successfully "milks" a simple high concept, and the end result is deliciously cinematic. There are plenty of memorable sequences of suspense and the romance plays out almost entirely non-verbally.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
JooJoo | 4 55th |
|
A flick with many enjoyments to be had once you look past the irrelevant romance and a few implausibilities; also an ending that seems a bit too neatly wrapped up. Oh well. Harrison Ford + Peter Weir + an Amish setting (with a young Viggo Mortensen among 'em) makes it kind of hard for this to seem like wasted time.
|
|||
| 1 | Bo_Dagger | 45 83rd |
|
|
Amish. Harrison Ford. Good times.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
moraesfelipe | 62 53rd |
|
A very original and emotionally moving thriller.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
stanthecaddy | 78 55th |
|
Wasn't quite what I'd expected going in. The film seems to meander along during the middle act, but it nevertheless remains interesting. The view into Amish culture- whether or not it's accurate- sets the film apart and gives it a unique appearance and tone. Definitely feels like a Peter Weir film.
|
|||
| 1 | haleyeslinky | 85 41st |
|
|
That little kid is adorably similar to Fievel.
|
|||
| 1 | tripper54 | 75 34th |
|
|
not enough quilts!
|
|||
| 1 |  |
Rufam | 65 42nd |
|
"Witness" is an odd thriller -one that actually cares about the characters that inhabit it. That doesn't mean that you'll find any sharp observations or memorable character moments in Weir's superbly crafted film, but it's certainly entertaining, pretty to look at and the Amish subplot breathes some fresh life into the conspiracy thriller formula. Ford is solid, but I think his performance here is overpraised. Overall, it's above average and fairly compelling but still far from exceptional.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
LB94 | 81 65th |
|
About as powerful and human as any drama can be. Witness blends the genres of drama and thriller magnificently and it's certainly one of the best written films I've seen in a long, long time. Themes and settings are constantly changing and it's all the better for it. Throw in a few electric performances from Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis and you've got yourself a rollercoaster of a movie. The finale is executed incredibly well and just like any other Peter Weir movie; it looks beautiful.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
LookJabba... | 8 76th |
|
Witness is one of my favourite Peter Weir films. The overall direction, cinematography and script is superb craft. Harrison Ford gives one of his best and most overlooked performances. And Kelly McGillis is as equally brilliant also. Peter Weir oddly yet remarkably manages to blend several genres, whilst documenting a view into the lives of the Amish community. And it bizarrely and convincingly works. My only criticism would be the films safe and underwhelming final third. Otherwise flawless.
|
|||
| Average Percentile 58.65% from 2428 Ratings |  |