This is the third in a series of articles where we’ll be covering the Top Films About Fugitives by decade. Films About Fugitives also include Films About Manhunts, Films About People On the Run, Films About Escaped Convicts and Films About Nazi Fugitives. This subgenre also includes Films About Outlaws but generally excludes Outlaws from the Wild West as those are included in a separate subgenre called Western Films About Outlaws.
This third article will cover the Top Films About Fugitives You Haven’t Seen from the 1990’s and you can check out additional articles by decade below:
- Top Films About Fugitives You Haven’t Seen – 1970’s
- Top Films About Fugitives You Haven’t Seen – 1980’s
- Top Films About Fugitives You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s
- Top Films About Fugitives You Haven’t Seen – 2000 – 2022
- Best Recent Films About Fugitives
- Top Films About Nazi Fugitives & Nazi Hunters
- Best Fugitive Films
The 1990’s featured a continuing evolution of Fugitive Films across three main themes – The Quentin Tarantino influence and effect on 90’s films, Fugitive Films as Hollywood Blockbusters and the influx of Noir-inspired films featuring fugitives and people on the run.
After Reservoir Dogs (1992), True Romance (1993) and Pulp Fiction (1994) debuted, Quentin Tarantino’s brand of witty dialogue, quirky characters and ultraviolence came to dominate films in the Crime genre. His influence was so dominant during the decade that it spawned an entire slew of similar films (which we’ll cover in a separate article). Within the Fugitive Films subgenre, the Oliver Stone directed and Tarantino written Natural Born Killers (1994) became the most controversial subgenre film of the decade with its glorified and extreme violence. This film also continued the Tarantino trend of showing sympathetic and likable criminals (and often fugitive killers). Other subgenre films that embraced the likable, yet violent fugitive theme included Kalifornia (1993), Love and a .45 (1994) and Dance with the Devil (Perdita Durango) (1997).
Counter to the Tarantino ultraviolent film trend was Hollywood’s embrace of the Fugitive Film as a potential blockbuster. These were often action-based films with A-list talent that were released during the summer. Thelma & Louise (1991), The Fugitive (1993), Chain Reaction (1996) and U.S. Marshals (1998) were examples of these predictable (yet still thrilling) big budgeted subgenre films.
Finally, Neo Noir was also embraced by subgenre films of the decade and often featured shadowy, ambiguous characters, sleazy settings and depressing narratives. 90’s Fugitive Films that fit this Noir mold included Wild at Heart (1990), Tennessee Nights (1991), One False Move (1993), The Wrong Man (1993), The Getaway (1994) and Black Day Blue Night (1995).
Our complete list of Films About Fugitives features over 148+ films from 1971 – 2022. Here you’ll find just about every film involving fugitives, manhunts, escaped convicts, outlaws, people on the run, nazi fugitives and nazi war criminals.
Classic, must-see Films About Fugitives from the 1990’s: Wild at Heart (1990), Run (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), One False Move (1993), Kalifornia (1993), The Fugitive (1993), True Romance (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994) and U.S. Marshals (1998).
Lesser-known and Rare Films About Fugitives from the 1990’s that didn’t make our list: Tennessee Nights (1991), Timebomb (1991), Father Hood (1993), Teenage Bonnie and Kepto Clyde (1993), The Getaway (1994), F.T.W. (1994), Black Day Blue Night (1995), Dangan Runner (1996), In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory (1997), Bandits (1997), Happy, Texas (1999).
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Here is our list of The Top Films About Fugitives from the 1990’s You Haven’t Seen:
#10
The Wrong Man
Plot: An older man (John Lithgow) and his sultry wife (Rosanna Arquette) share their convertible with a young man (Kevin Anderson) caught with a gun, on the run in Mexico.
KBZ’s Take: A slow burn of a film that is ultimately let down by its implausible ending. Though Lithgow, Arquette and Anderson are the main leads in this film, it’s really the Arquette and Lithgow show. Lithgow shines in a typical noir role as a shady character with manic outbursts and it is arguably one of Arquette’s best film performances as the woman torn between two men. Anderson is fine in his role as the fugitive but the film is really worth seeing for Lithgow and Arquette.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://archive.org/details/the-wrong-man-1993
Plot: An FBI agent (Michael Gross) joins the search for a folk-hero tax evader (Rod Steiger) who has killed two U.S. Marshals.
KBZ’s Take: In the Line of Duty was a series of Made for TV films that often featured different events involving law enforcement such as the ATF Ambush in WACO, the FBI’s pursuit of Chicago bank robbers Jeff and Jill Erickson and more. While these films covered various prominent criminals and events, they had a few films based on the pursuit of fugitives – and Manhunt is the best fugitive-themed film.
Rod Steiger gives an amazing performance as Gordon Kahl, a fugitive who derives sympathy from the local community as the FBI closes in on his location. It’s not an action-packed fugitive film but it’s filled with some tense moments including the recreation of the standoff between Kahl and local law enforcement.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3ZHDRch
#8
Two Hands
Plot: A 19-year-old finds himself in debt to a local gangster when some gang loot disappears and sets him on the run from thugs. Meanwhile, two street kids start a shopping spree when they find the missing money.
KBZ’s Take: One of the better 90’s Australian thrillers that stars a young Rose Byrne and the late Heath Ledger. The film’s tone is a bit uneven as it appears to be vying for a Tarantino-like vibe of quirky criminals and violence. However, it does an admirable job of balancing the budding romance between Ledger and Byrne while Ledger’s standing with the local gangsters quickly deteriorates. Recommended for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/401bo18
#7
Wedlock
Plot: A male prison escapee heads for his hidden loot, electronically attached to a female prisoner.
KBZ’s Take: Also known as Deadlock, this was an HBO film from the early 1990’s. Unlike other subgenre films, this film had a unique premise – male and female convicts are paired with electronic collars that will explode if one of the paired partners gets separated by more than 100 yards.
As you might imagine, Frank (Rutger Hauer) and his partner Tracy (Mimi Rogers) escape the prison in search of Frank’s hidden loot. The film’s unique premise adds some fun to the usual Fugitive Film tropes and elevates it above mid-tier subgenre fare.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/GovciP_RolU
Plot: Nelson Hibbert expects to become the new president of Nagel Industries, but Mr. Nagel gives the promotion to another employee. When Nelson barges into Nagel’s office to confront him, he finds Nagel’s been murdered. Fearing that he will be implicated, Nelson decides to run from the law…despite the fact that the police already know the killer’s identity.
KBZ’s Take: After The Fugitive (1993) became a blockbuster hit, it opened the door up for parodies of the entire Fugitive Film subgenre. While Leslie Nielsen’s Wrongfully Accused (1998) parodied the subgenre with Slapstick Comedy, The Wrong Guy went in a different, offbeat comedy route.
Starring Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall fame, the film is full of the Kids in the Hall-type humor from start to finish. It’s quirky, dark and hilarious as it skewers usual Fugitive film tropes in an increasingly funny manner. Highly recommended for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/1IRzLzpfJ2U
Plot Four Newton brothers are a poor farmer family in the 1920’s. The oldest of them, Willis, one day realizes that there’s no future in the fields and offers his brothers to become a bank robbers. Soon the family agrees. They become very famous robbers, and five years later execute the greatest train robbery in American history.
KBZ’s Take: Though The Newton Boys was released in 1998, it’s become somewhat of a forgotten film from the 1990’s. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, Ethan Hawke and Vincent D’Onofrio, the Richard Linklater film meshes together various crime subgenres including Caper & Heist Films, Crime Films About Gangs and Crime Films About Fugitives – all set during the early 1900’s.
The film does an admirable job of showing Fugitive life during this time period and balancing an equal amount of action and tension. It’s a refreshing subgenre take as most films in the subgenre are typically set in more modern times or are Western Films About Outlaws.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3mPU3Kb
Plot: Small-time criminal Watty Watts attempts to rob a convenience store with his drug-addict buddy, Billy Mack Black. The robbery, however, leads to murder, and soon Watty leaves Billy behind and goes on the run with his beloved girlfriend, Starlene. Heading toward Mexico, the fugitive couple gets plenty of media coverage, until there are even more people on their trail. Can Watty and Starlene make it south of the border without getting caught?
KBZ’s Take: If you spliced together the DNA of a Quentin Tarantino and Richard Linklater film, Love and a .45 would be your result. Written and directed by C.M Talkington, the film features various elements of both Tarantino and Linklater’s films. There’s the witty dialogue and conversations that take place between multiple characters (especially during the opening convenience store robbery) and there’s the requisite endearingly psychotic characters – Dinosaur Bob (Jeffrey Combs) and Billy Mack Black (Rory Cochrane).
While it might seem like we’re negative on this film – quite the contrary. Like another Tarantino subgenre film, True Romance (1993), the heart of the film lies with the relationship between Watty Watts (Gil Bellows) and Starlene Cheatham (Renée Zellweger) who both shine in their roles as the star-crossed and in love fugitives on the run.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3mScxda
Plot: An amoral couple (Rosie Perez, Javier Bardem) practice voodoo and commit a series of violent, bloody crimes on their way to Las Vegas.
KBZ’s Take: While this film has a bad rap as a “Tarantino knock-off” film, we think it does more than enough to differentiate itself in the subgenre and should be recognized as one of the top Fugitive Films of the 1990’s.
We’ll start with two of the stars of the film – Javier Bardem and James Gandolfini. Bardem absolutely kills it in this film as Romeo Dolorosa – the psychotic bank robber/santeria priest/outlaw. It was one of his first major roles and you can see right away in this film how he was destined to be a star. His role as the villain rivals his Academy Award winning performance as hitman Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (2007). He is that good in this film.
As for Gandolfini, his role requires a different kind of craziness as the DEA agent in pursuit of Dolorosa and Perdita Durango (Rosie Perez). Gandolfini provides a more humorous element as he’s fed up with bureaucracy and his co-workers and will do whatever it takes to catch the fugitives.
Finally, we have Rosie Perez. She is fine in her role as Perdita but is quickly overshadowed by Bardem. This isn’t a knock against Perez as an actress, but rather another validation of Bardem’s great performance. Highly recommended film for fans of the subgenre (and Tarantino films).
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/426IKgN
Plot: Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals — Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto — travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town’s sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives’ presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.
KBZ’s Take: This Carl Franklin film is the best ‘noir’ fugitive film of the decade. It’s not action-packed but rather a slow, simmering film that builds up to an inevitable climax. The film is very open about where things are heading from the first act onwards, but it’s the constant tension and suspense that keeps you glued to the film.
Bill Paxton stars as the overeager small-town sheriff wanting more action, and Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Beach and Cynda Williams star as the three fugitives on the run and headed east. Thornton and Beach are especially sinister as the violent and dangerous ex-cons.
One False Move was hailed by critics but not much of a box office success. We’re here to help shed a spotlight on this film as it’s one of the best of the entire decade.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3LlpDK6
#1
Run
Plot: While conveying a Porsche from Boston to Atlantic City, student Charlie has to make a stop due to engine trouble. Mistaken as rich, he’s invited to a big poker game — and wins big time. However, Denny Halloran, son of a mighty mobster, is a bad loser and starts a fight. But he’s also a bad fighter: he falls on his head and is dead. Now Charlie’s in trouble; after he flees Halloran’s father puts a reward on his head. Even the police won’t help him against the mighty man… so Charlie has to run for his life.
KBZ’s Take: This little-seen gem from the early 1990’s is one of the best films of the Chase film subgenre. Starring Patrick Dempsey and Kelly Preston, the film has a somewhat dubious plot but also has some of the most exciting ‘fugitive on the run’ chase sequences on film. It’s also a non-stop thrill ride as Dempsey is pursued not only by the mob but also by dirty cops. Highly recommended film for fans of the subgenre.
Additional Lists: Top Chase Films You Haven’t Seen #2
Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/kwZ53WHDOFc
