In the Line of Fire opens like most Clint Eastwood films do – with a flashy introductory of a hardened, no-nonsense badass, serving the law in the most unorthodox of ways. What follows is a no-holds-barred suspense film wrought with action and masterly acting, unmistakably smooth dialogue, comedy elements, and a largely underrated villain. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, it is perhaps his finest film, demonstrating flawless direction, a knack for white-knuckle thrills, and solid character development.

Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) is getting too old for the roughneck job of constantly putting his life on the line. His young partner Al (Dylan McDermott) can’t seem to adjust to his new position either, especially during a trying moment of a counterfeiter bust (look for a very recognizable Tobin Bell in a brief role). Aside from their mismatched partnership, Frank is haunted by his former service as a point man for Kennedy, running alongside his car during the infamous assassination.

His usual duties are short-lived when he begins to receive calls from a cloak-and-dagger man calling himself Booth (John Malkovich), who ensures Frank that he will assassinate the president. Pleading to rejoin the elite team of agents who personally protect the president, Frank toils with the White House Chief of Staff and the Presidential Detail agent - in traditional “Dirty Harry” fashion. He flirts with Agent Lilly Raines (Rene Russo) and negotiates through Secret Service Director Sam Campagna (John Mahoney), all while Booth gives away clues to his assassination plot during the careful following of the president’s campaign. Staying only a few steps behind the monstrous killer, Frank gradually pieces together the puzzle behind Booth’s background that will lead to a nerve-wracking and bloody showdown.

The dialogue and exchanges between nearly all of the characters are remarkably intelligent and switches between comedic and frighteningly serious. Playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Frank and Booth continually trade cynical and fierce comments over the phone – in a highly entertaining method that would be used the following year in Speed, between Keanu Reeves and Dennis Hopper. While much of the plot unfolds through their conversations, the dialogue between Frank and almost all of the agents breaks up the tension. Reprising the Harry Callahan lack-of-respect-for-authority attitude Eastwood perfected in Dirty Harry, Frank mouths off to his superiors, and woos Lilly without missing a beat.

John Malkovich plays one of the screen’s most memorable and often underrated villains (Booth is eventually revealed to have the name Mitch Leary). He effortlessly makes use of a monotonic, calm and unnerving voice that alternates between soft-spoken riddles and crazed curses. He is a form of Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychotic who is chillingly portrayed with extreme close-ups of lifeless eyes and twisted lips, that thrives on instilling paranoia in both the audience and the lead characters.

It’s a lethal game, and the clock is ticking. With terrific chase scenes, standout supporting characters, comedy, romance, tragedy, mystery, and an unbeatable villain, Wolfgang Petersen’s In the Line of Fire is a stunning battle of good and evil, wits and will, and the thrill of the hunt.

- Mike Massie