Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

scman-68854 I guess the detective had No Body he could trust or No Body he could go to about the corruption. Movie lost me when Ford gave up his gun and bullets to the woman. NO police detective would ever give up his gun when hunted by other corrupt cops. Totally Unbelievable. Found something else to watch.

okk07 I think whether Amish is described in various view. A point that I was interested in especially, is the view from young Americans. They come in contact with Amish through prejudice. This is because, I think, in fact young Americans tend to come in contact with Amish through prejudice and they tend to think new things or thought are good while old things or thought are not good. I think whether this scene express the real situation and view to Amish. I felt that silent performances is wonderful at last. Although there are no words between John Book and Rachel, their silent performance tells us their love and sadness. Also, because there are no words, I think that we can concern a situation and sympathize with them deeply. At last, I think that this film is excited and wonderful film that has two plots, suspense and love story. I enjoyed this film very much.

tomsview If there is one Australian director who has the cred to sit at the grown-ups' table with the likes of Spielberg, Coppola and Scorsese, it's Peter Weir.He has many movies under his belt now, and they include a few that are pretty close to masterpieces: "Picnic at Hanging Rock", "Gallipoli", "Dead Poet's Society", "Master and Commander", and maybe this one.Although we have seen the basic ingredients before, "Witness" approaches the cop movie genre from a whole new angle, setting a tough urban detective amongst the insular and peaceful Amish of Pennsylvania. Some of the most intriguing scenes contrast the Amish lifestyle with that of the modern world such as the deep-focus shots of the horse-drawn Amish buggies with semi-trailers thundering by in the background.This was Weir's first Hollywood film, and as Australians have often found with our own cinema, the outsider view can be the most penetrating. Weir also brings humanity and humour to all his films - lightness of touch is one of his trademarks.The heart of the film is the growing relationship between Harrison Ford's John Book and Kelly McGillis' Rachel Lapp; he the tough city cop, she the young widow from a sheltered, devout rural community. The ending is bittersweet; they come from worlds that just don't intersect.Many other elements came together to make this film unique. The inspired original screenplay draws us into almost another world while the cinematography captures the sweep of the rural setting as well as moments of great intimacy.And then there is the music. It's often said that a background score should not be noticed, but Maurice Jarre created a work that is right to the fore. Jarre created some great scores - "Lawrence of Arabia", "Doctor Zhivago" and "The Professionals", although later he tended to become predictable. However, like Jerry Goldsmith, just when you thought you had heard everything the guy had to offer, he'd take your breath away with something totally fresh and original. "Witness" was his first electronic score; he could have gone orchestral, but that organ sound is perfect for the story. In the building the barn sequence, the music builds and builds and then soars as John Book and the Amish raise the wooden framework into position - a triumph of film scoring.Recent documentaries would indicate that the Amish haven't changed that much since "Witness" was made 30 years ago; the film has hardly dated; it's just a great piece of filmmaking.

frogsaroyan It is easy to see why Witness took home the Oscar for Best Screenplay. In the first 15 minutes, fewer than 20 lines are spoken, and they are all inconsequential. Even the first full line of the line of the film spoken by a recurring character is just a joke about a horse's prowess. Nothing is said, and yet everything is so clear. Too clear. We see everything and feel everything, just like the boy. It takes a very good screenplay to say so much with next to nothing. The scenes where Samuel takes the train and wanders through the station could be its own short film... "Amish Boy Takes The Train." I don't think that these moments, and the beautiful shots of Pennsylvania country, should be taken for granted. This film was made with care. I believe it's a visionary film, and I was transfixed. It is a film about a boy, as the title suggests, not about Harrison Ford. Samuel is part angel, witnessing the deeds of humanity, and he is human, witnessing how we share our sins. We learn from this boy, as do the other characters.The most important detail is this... the little boy witnessed a murder. This isn't something that will go away for him or be given compensation. Some reviewers have said they don't like how certain scenes and characters appear smarmy. Well, to a little boy with innocence, any person who doesn't have the highest personal integrity and truthful intentions appears smarmy. The murder itself is messy and mean, because that's what most murder is. It isn't some slick and stylish operation carried out by highly intelligent hit men. About the music. It sounds like the score by Maurice Jarre was influenced largely by Aaron Copland. Jarre was regularly hired for visionary films; ones with a "person who sees the value in what other people don't" theme like Gorillas In The Mist and Dead Poets Society, or ones with religious themes like Almost An Angel and Witness, or supernatural themes like Ghost and Jacob's Ladder (and Prancer!). The synthesizer is dated, yes, and therefore it's slightly unnerving, but if taken at face value and in context you can hear the "otherworldly" effect that Jarre is going for. It is music for strings, but airing in sampled sounds... so what you hear are the ghosts of the strings, the echo, the strings reincarnated. It's eerier. Besides that, the music is complex, sophisticated, and it's front and centre. It isn't in the background, nor should it be. I believe that for the average moviegoer who doesn't regularly enjoy listening to a variety of orchestral music, the score might seem like "too much" and therefore distracting. It's too bad that some people can't admit that complex orchestral music isn't too their taste, and instead they judge the music as "bad". It most certainly isn't bad. Perhaps in places it really is "too much", but there are places where the movie overall is too much, music aside. Easily forgiven.