U.S. Marshals (released in theaters on March 6, 1998), directed by Stuart Baird, serves as a high-octane sequel to the 1993 smash hit The Fugitive. By shifting the focus from the man on the run to the hunters themselves, the film leans into the procedural grit and relentless pace of the Chief Deputy Marshal’s team.
It is a quintessential 90s thriller, heavy on practical stunts, aircraft disasters, and a twisting conspiracy that expands the scope from a simple murder mystery to a globe-trotting tale of international espionage.
The story reintroduces the relentless Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his veteran team, including Cosmo Renfro (Joe Pantoliano), Bobby Biggs (Daniel Roebuck), Noah Newman (Tom Wood), and Savannah Cooper (LaTanya Richardson). Their mission begins when a prisoner transport plane crashes in a spectacular sequence, allowing Mark Sheridan (Wesley Snipes) to escape. Sheridan is no ordinary fugitive; he is a former operative accused of a double homicide at the United Nations.
As Gerard’s team tracks Sheridan through the woods and into the urban sprawl of New York and Chicago, they are forced to take on an outsider: Special Agent John Royce (Robert Downey Jr.), whose secretive agenda and suspicious chrome-plated pistol immediately put him at odds with Gerard’s old-school methods.
The chase is complicated by the the realization that Sheridan is actually trying to clear his name by uncovering a mole within the government.
The narrative culminates in a tense showdown at a cemetery and a high-stakes confrontation in a retirement home, where the lines between lawman and criminal become dangerously blurred.
Kate Nelligan also appears as U.S. Marshal Catherine Walsh.
Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes in U.S. Marshals (Photo/Warner Bros.)
Reception for U.S. Marshals
U.S. Marshals grossed $16.9 million on its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Titanic, which earned $17.6 million on its 12th weekend.
The film would gross $102.4 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert gave U.S. Marshals two and a half out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
The legacy of U.S. Marshals lies in its crystallization of Jones’s persona as the definitive cinematic authority figure. While it faced the impossible task of topping the Oscar-winning pedigree of its predecessor, it carved out its own space as a superior action vehicle, noted for its complex choreography and the chemistry of the “Big Dog” marshal team.
Furthermore, the casting of Snipes and a pre-stardom comeback Downey Jr. added a layer of charisma that has helped the film endure on cable television and streaming platforms.
