The heroes in our stories provide us with a roadmap to a moral life, and sometimes inspiration as well. Some are real people who actually did those heroic things, like Desmond Doss, the protagonist of Hacksaw Ridge (2016). But even knowing a character is entirely fictional does not negate their impact. A child reading comic books will incorporate superheroes like Superman and Captain America into his overall concept of what it means to be a hero.
Recently, I watched The Fugitive, or rather, The Fugitives, because there are several different versions. There is the television show that ran from 1963 to 1967, then the 1993 movie, then two shows in 2000 and 2020. There are a few foreign adaptations as well, but these are the ones I have seen. I will make no further mention of the 2020 TV series, since it features entirely different characters and a vaguely similar plot.
The 1963, 2000, and 2020 versions all tell the same story. Dr. Richard Kimble discovers that his wife has been murdered. He briefly witnesses the murderer, noticing he has only one arm. An investigation is unable to find any evidence of this one-armed man, and Kimble is convicted of murdering his wife, earning the death penalty.
While being transported, he escapes. He is now on a mission to track down this one-armed man to prove his innocence, but must also avoid recapture. Efforts to track and arrest him are led by Lt. Philip Gerard.
Those are the three main characters of each version, each very different. The one-armed man is a murderer, a lawless man. He is self-centered and concerned about concerned about his own desires. Gerard is a lawful man to the extreme. He puts his faith in the law, and carries out the law. When Kimble tells him that he didn’t murder his wife, his response is “I don’t care.” Gerard is not a judge. His job is to apprehend criminals, so that’s exactly what he does.
Kimble is the most interesting. The law has failed to bring justice, and he has become its victim. Does he become bitter and resentful? Does he abandon his adherence to the law? Not quite. Throughout the 1963 show and 1993 movie, he sacrifices his own safety to do good. For Kimble, an encounter with police could mean death if he is recognized. In the original show, he cannot stay anywhere too long. He is constantly moving from town to town and job to job. In several episodes, he saves lives, knowing that doing so makes him vulnerable to capture. He stays with his patients to save them, even when police are on their way. In many episodes, his heroism earns him the loyalty of others who, even after discovering he is a fugitive, are convinced he is innocent and help him escape.
Each time he moves to a new location, he comes up with a new name for himself. At one point in the 1963 show, he is called to testify in court as a witness. He is first sworn in, and asked to state his name. He is silent. He will not lie under oath, even if it means risking his safety. Thankfully for Kimble, through some amazing luck (or questionable plot writing), a sudden confession to the crime diverts the attention from Kimble’s suspicious refusal to state his own name.
I have mainly cited from the 1963 show, since four seasons of show provides many more examples than one movie, but the movie is faithful to his character. The 1993 Kimble is a hero as well. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the 2000 Kimble, who does not have nearly the heroism of his former incarnations. This Kimble is best left ignored. But I would greatly encourage viewing the 1993 movie (it has a sequel featuring Gerard but not Kimble) and the 1963 television series.