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Witness

Witness

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1985

While protecting an Amish boy—the sole witness to a brutal murder—and his mother, a detective is forced to seek refuge within their community when his own life comes under threat.

Movie details

Witness

“A big city cop. A small country boy. They have nothing in common... but a murder.”

1985 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 52m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

While protecting an Amish boy—the sole witness to a brutal murder—and his mother, a detective is forced to seek refuge within their community when his own life comes under threat.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Witness?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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A History of Violence

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Affliction

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Peter Weir

Written by

William Kelley · Earl W. Wallace · Pamela Wallace

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

John Book

Kelly McGillis

Kelly McGillis

Rachel

Josef Sommer

Josef Sommer

Schaeffer

Lukas Haas

Lukas Haas

Samuel

Jan Rubeš

Jan Rubeš

Eli Lapp

Alexander Godunov

Alexander Godunov

Daniel Hochleitner

Danny Glover

Danny Glover

McFee

Court is in session

Put Witness on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.