Witness is a 1985 movie released by Paramount Pictures, starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, and Lukas Haas. It was also the feature film debut of Viggo Mortensen, who appeared in a minor role. Directed by Peter Weir (his first American film), it was filmed in Philadelphia, Strasburg and Intercourse, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was rated R in USA for language, violence, and brief nudity.
The film won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Film Editing. Weir and Ford received nominations for Best Director and Best Actor respectively, and the film was nominated for Best Picture.
On August 23, 2005, a special collector's edition DVD was released 20 years after the film's debut.
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The Witness is a short film (19 minutes) starring Gary Sinise and Elijah Wood.
Set in a Nazi concentration camp, The Witness shows a series of repeating set of psychological actions. Gary Sinise plays a guard, whose daily routine is to corral Jewish prisoners through a tunnel and into the gas chamber. Each day, as he performs this task, he is watched by a Jewish child Elijah Wood, whose piercing stare unsettles him. He tries to shake this child's steady glare, day after day, until one night he steals into the barracks, finds the child and smothers him. Instead of being free of the accusing stare, another child has replaced the one he killed.
A witness to a crime finds herself falling in love with the detective investigating the case. Unfortunately, she's the thief he's trying to catch.
A man living in self-imposed alienation from his community is outraged to discover that security cameras have captured his random, daily acts of unkindness. In a fit of pique, he destroys the very machinery of his salvation in this dark allegory of our ambivalent relationship with technology. Written by Monika Mitchell
As Joe Doakes is reading the newspaper, he begins to talk to himself. Questioned by his wife, he explains that he is disturbed by the paper's account of the ways that a government investigative committee has been interrogating its witnesses. Joe then nods off, and imagines that he is being questioned by the committee. He envisages how satisfying it would be to turn the tables on the investigators. Written by Snow Leopard
Samuel Lap is a young Amish boy who witnesses a murder in Philadelphia while traveling with his mother Rachel. A good cop named John Book must go with them into hiding when the killers come after them. All three retreat to Amish country and Book has to adjust to the new life style, and his feelings for the boy's mother. Of course the killers are still on their trail. Written by Greg Bole
Young Amish widow Rachel Lapp (McGillis) is taking her young son Samuel (Haas) to Philadelphia for the first time. While in a washroom at the train station, Samuel sees two men savagely murder a third. The detective assigned to the homicide case is Det. John Book (Ford) who informs them that the murdered man was a police officer. It isn't long before the young boy fingers Philadelphia narcotics officer McFee (Glover) as the murderer. Book soon discovers that McFee was involved in the theft of something called P2P, an ingredient used in the making of methamphetamine. Shortly after Book tells his boss this information, McFee comes after Book and wounds him in a shootout. Book determines that the best way to avoid detection is to blend in with the Amish community, which he does, working with them on their farms and helping with building a new barn. But the corrupt cops Book has exposed are determined to keep their dirty work a secret, and they come looking for Book & Samuel to silence them for good.... Written by Derek O'Cain
When a young Amish woman and her son get caught up in the murder of an undercover narcotics agent, their savior turns out to be hardened Philadelphia detective John Book. Harrison Ford is sensational as Book, the cop who turns head-on into the non-violent world of the Pennsylvania Amish community. The end result is an action packed struggle of life and death, interwoven with a sensitive undercurrent of caring and forbidden love. Written by Robert Lynch
Shortly after the death of her husband, Amish woman Rachel Lapp takes her son Samuel on a trip to Philadelphia. In the train station bathroom, Samuel witnesses a murder, and helps hardened cop John Book with the ensuing investigation. Book discovers that people within the police force were involved, and after being targeted himself and wounded he escorts Rachel and Samuel back to their home, where he stays for a while to protect the boy while recovering. Book and Rachel find themselves growing more and more attracted to each other, but both are aware that unless one of them is willing to leave behind their entire world, their love can never be. Meanwhile, there's still the crooked cops to worry about. Written by rmlohner
