Three Fugitives - Why is this film not more well-known?

The eighties produced many great comedies, but, for some reason, I never hear ‘The Three Fugitives’ mentioned, even though it should be well up with the best the decade has to offer.  I used to watch this back when I was a kid and loved it.  Then, and I don’t know why, I never bought it on DVD when the medium took over from VHS.  I’ve only just rediscovered it on an online streaming service and I’m pleased to say that it’s not one of those films that was great when you were young, but doesn’t age well.  It’s as perfect today as it ever was.

Maybe it’s just me, but do films set back a few decades seem to ‘start’ quicker?  By this I mean that many of today’s offerings seem to take ages getting going as they try (often unsuccessfully) to ‘flesh out’ the main characters.  Here, we meet them, we get to know them and we’re off on an adventure with them.  In this case, we meet ‘Lucas’ (Nick Nolte) who is a bank robber just finishing a five year sentence for fourteen counts of armed robbery.  Despite deciding to ‘go straight’ his plans are thwarted when he’s taken hostage by an inept bank robber (Martin Short).  Unfortunately, the officer who arrested Lucas in the first place (James Earl Jones) doesn’t believe that this is anything but Lucas up to his old tricks again and vows to hunt the pair down.

The ‘third’ fugitive comes in the form of Martin Short’s onscreen daughter, who’s requiring special care due to various medical conditions that he’s been unable to pay for, therefore forcing him to turn to a life of crime (think Walter White’s movies – kind of).

There’s not much I can say about this film apart from it’s just about as ’perfect’ as any film could be.  It’s consistently funny all the way through, yet also delivers a level of poignancy when dealing with real life troubles and family relationships.  Plus there’s genuine character growth that all three of the protagonists go through along their journey.

Everyone plays their roles to perfection and you couldn’t really ask for much more from any of the cast.  If you’re looking for something with both humour and heart then definitely see if you can track this little gem of an oldie down.  I can’t see anyone being too disappointed.  Apparently it’s a remake of a French film.  I don’t know how it compares to the original source material, but this must be one of those rare times when a remake actually lives up to its predecessor.

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather