The Fugitive

The tentative pilot for a possible series, this above-average TV movie was written and produced by Joseph Wambaugh, the Los Angeles cop-turned-author who came to the notice of cinema audiences as the screenwriter of 1979's The Onion Field. His authorial presence lends gravitas to an otherwise fairly routine up-market/down-market mismatched cop scenario, as Palm Springs detective Teri Garr and hard-drinking Sam Elliott team up to track down a mysterious fugitive before the bad guys get there first. The leads both deliver their usual solid performances, but the whole is somewhat unadventurous.

"...A giant toy-train entertainment with all stops pulled out. A consummate nail-biter that never lags, it leaves you breathless from the chase yet anxious for the next bit of mayhem or clever plot twist..."