Witness (1985) - Full Reaction
Added 2023-05-10 06:57:40 +0000 UTCOoohhh this had to be Harrison, he was perfect in this! It was totally not what I was expecting, I was thinking more investigative, crime drama but we got more heartwarm and story!
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Comments
The non-verbal communication between those two is stunning. I have liked this movie for decades. I liked that Sam Cooke song "Wonderful World" (1960) playing in the barn scene before this movie was released.
Clay F
2024-05-01 06:32:48 +0000 UTCI really like this movie. Harrison Ford did a great job. This is very similar to John Wayne’s The Angel and the Bad Man, not exactly a remake. As always this was a great reaction.
Ramah Mustangs
2024-01-03 04:31:00 +0000 UTChttps://youtu.be/lOfZLb33uCg
Björn Karlsson
2023-05-18 12:54:09 +0000 UTCThis was a First time watch for me as well, didn’t think it was a bad movie but I don’t think it will make it into my top ten of Mr Fords films. As I’m with you with the ending I thought it could have been better as him just giving up was a bit of an unusual way of taking him down. But out of the list of movies you had from your mother I’d highly recommend Double Jeopardy.
Dean Holt
2023-05-17 22:56:00 +0000 UTC😂 the second I saw vigo I was waiting for you to recognize him 😂 only to go back to crimson tide 🤣🤣🤣also you're so Bad now " Dirty pieces of Crap " 😯😄 I haven't said it in a while but you are the Best .
Sam R.
2023-05-13 17:54:56 +0000 UTCAnother good one. Tad unique,,,, but good.
Michael J
2023-05-12 23:35:07 +0000 UTCYou might to make Erin Brockovich your pick. There are few movies where it will make you laugh so hard, it will make you mad as a hornet, it will make you cry but in the end it will warm your heart. I implore you to watch this one Cassie.
Zachary K.
2023-05-12 13:59:04 +0000 UTCI've lived in Amish country all my life. I actually had an Amish man and his sons working on my home for the last month or so. I had a similar experience with his 8 year old boy that didn't want to except a fun size Snickers from me, even though his father said it was ok. Photography is a hobby of mine and I learned real quick about not taking photos of them. In our area the Amish are respected and never bullied. They do have cell phones, but they are not kept on them or at their homes. That's made it a challenge having Paul working for me, but we've made it work. Great movie, thanks Cassie!
Gideon James
2023-05-12 13:39:26 +0000 UTC"I didn't know this was long ago" is the best reaction to seeing Amish ever.
Brian Pelts
2023-05-12 02:32:10 +0000 UTCTeamwork makes the dream work! Thanks to your Mother for this reaction. Despite the violence, this was an 80's classic!
TT
2023-05-12 01:12:13 +0000 UTCAll I can think of is the line "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs"
Anthony Perez
2023-05-11 23:43:02 +0000 UTCIs anyone else’s mind blown that Cassie’s parents have such great taste in movies. I wish that I could talk to her dad. I would say, “Mister PIB, CAN YOU BELIEVE that Raquel Welsh isn’t even Italian, not even a little, not even by marriage. I LITERALLY had no idea that she was Latino until I read her Obituary. Sorry, Mr. PIB I just had to tell someone who could understand the deep emotions I’m feeling right now.”
Uncle Phoenix
2023-05-11 22:59:05 +0000 UTC100% Never trust an actor when they tell you that they can ride a horse, unless that actor is The Kevin Costner. (*cough* Silverado *cough*)
Uncle Phoenix
2023-05-11 22:51:50 +0000 UTCOne of my favorites, especially the barn dance scene. Love the song too. I initially saw this when I was a teenager so I didn’t pick up on the Amish society versus “modern society”. WhatI did get was a good man who risked his life to save a young boy and his mother, who got stuck in a horrifying situation that could’ve killed them both always loved this movie. And the tension while he was in the corn silo trying to get the weapon save his own life had me on the edge of my seat. I’m so glad this movie won the poll.
Mary Alice
2023-05-11 22:26:43 +0000 UTCWhat lies beneath is another good Harrison Ford movie. So is Presumed innocent and Regarding Henry. If you have not seen 42, that is great also (except it’s really hard to sit through the things they said to Jackie Robinson during his career, especially his first year) you have to be prepared for it.
Mary Alice
2023-05-11 22:21:42 +0000 UTCKelly McGillis (Rachel) played opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
Zachary K. (Swiftie)
2023-05-11 21:31:36 +0000 UTCIt's such a perfect film. Best screen kiss ever!
Tommy.J
2023-05-11 20:01:41 +0000 UTCSame here I saw witness in the theatre. Next to Raiders it is my favorite Harrison Ford movie. It's my favorite Peter Weir movie as well. I had the soundtrack, love the music. I could watch that opening scene of the wheat fields blowing in the wind and the Barn raising scene all everyday.
Tommy.J
2023-05-11 19:49:45 +0000 UTCThe Mosquito Coast is a tough watch. No one wants to watch Harrison be mean to kids. I saw Witness & Mosquito Coast in the theatre. A Peter Weir movie I think Cassie would like is "The Year of Living Dangerously"(1982). Not sure if Cassie has seen "Dead Poets Society"(1989) or "The Truman Show"(1998)? They are a must Peter Weir watch.
Tommy.J
2023-05-11 19:44:25 +0000 UTCThis is the number one movie I was waiting for you to watch! I saw Witness in the theatre back in Feb/85. I love this movie! One of my favorite directors & one of my favorite actors come together and hit a home run. The dance in the barn was improvised and Harrison picked the song. Peter Weir is such a brilliant film maker.
Tommy.J
2023-05-11 19:35:55 +0000 UTCGreat to see this one again thanks to Cassie's mom! Lukas Haas was such an adorable kid. I was surprised that he's been in over 50 films and has a new one coming up. I think this was the first film that made any focus on the Amish. Harrison Ford is such a fave for all of us, I hope you get around to doing "What Lies Beneath", a creepy mystery with Harrison and Michelle Pfeiffer.
BRT
2023-05-11 18:30:52 +0000 UTCI thought for sure Cassie would have recognized Aragorn sitting at the table and in the wagon later on. I never realized he was even in this movie before!
Rainbow Dash
2023-05-11 18:21:08 +0000 UTCGood appetite!!
Marc Peterson
2023-05-11 17:40:58 +0000 UTCthe scene with detective Book doing carpentry is interesting since Harrison Ford didn't become that household name until he was into his mid-thirties, having spent much of the previous decade juggling middling acting jobs with working as a carpenter
Anthony Perez
2023-05-11 16:13:21 +0000 UTCI would t say what lies beneath is horror cause it’s not. It’s a suspenseful thriller but not horror. And I have been asking Cassie to watch that for 2 years now and still nothing. So we shall see I guess.
brooke atkins
2023-05-11 16:07:57 +0000 UTCI haven’t watched this yet. Are you telling me she does t recognize Kelly mcgillis after loving top gun so much. Oh boy 🤦♀️ that’s disappointing to hear lol her facial recognition skills are so bad. You have to laugh.
brooke atkins
2023-05-11 16:04:56 +0000 UTCI always thought I had seen this movie. But I was wrong! 😀 I have never seen Witness before. Good film! Nice reaction Cassie! Great to see Danny Glover and Kelly McGillis. And of course Viggo Mortensen (a.k.a. Ed Harris 😂). Have a wonderful Mother’s Day Cassie!
Robert da Spruce
2023-05-11 13:36:40 +0000 UTCGo ahead and shun me! I got that Harrison d, LOL.
Tonio
2023-05-11 08:37:30 +0000 UTCAlso Timothy Carhart played the guy in the train station restroom scene. Cassie saw him in The Hunt for Red October : "Hey I think someone just shot a torpedo at us!" He was also in Thelma & Louise (1991).
Ian Cano
2023-05-11 05:12:57 +0000 UTCAlso I was waiting for Cassie to recognize Kelly McGillis from TOP GUN!!
Philip Alan
2023-05-11 04:59:03 +0000 UTCForbidden Love - The Apple Of Your Eye! :) Haha! This was great!
Philip Alan
2023-05-11 04:48:37 +0000 UTCA couple more familiar faces where, Alexander Godunov, who played Daniel Hochleter. He was on the "Bad-Guy-Team" named Karl who lost his SH** when McLane killed his brother in 'Die Hard. Remember? He was the one Bruce Willis got into the big fight on the roof and was the last one shot by Reginald Vel Johnson's character, Al Powel, the Twinkie / Ding Dong eating Cop at the end. The other, of course, was main character Rachel, played by Kelly McGillis who was Tom Cruise's love interest, Charlie, in the original Top Gun. :-) So glad you watched this and loved it! Keep up the great work Young Lady! :-)
'Pappy' Johnston
2023-05-11 04:02:33 +0000 UTCWow, that was turning into “50 Shades of Plain” for a little while there at the end.
Uncle Phoenix
2023-05-11 01:16:31 +0000 UTCDid you notice King Aragon sitting at the table during the barn raising?
Jason Mangen
2023-05-11 00:26:12 +0000 UTCYes. That surprised me how she called it after the first scene with Schaeffer. Cassie is getting to good at figuring out movies.
Rick Williams
2023-05-10 22:16:47 +0000 UTCYour Mom has spectacular taste. Saw this movie when I was 8 or 9 on VHS. Been one of my favorite fish-out-of-water crime dramas ever since. Peter Weir and Harrison Ford teamed up again for a movie called The Mosquito Coast, which is one of my all-time favorite Harrison Ford performances (although I'm not sure if you'd like that one).
Steve Mercier
2023-05-10 22:16:37 +0000 UTCPresumed Innocent is a great movie. Well worth Cassie watching.
Rick Williams
2023-05-10 22:14:20 +0000 UTCYes. She has it bad for him. I've lost count on the number of men Cassie loves. 😉
Rick Williams
2023-05-10 22:11:45 +0000 UTCThat was a blast from the past. Good movie. This is one of my favorite Harrison Ford movies. He had a number of good movies in the 80's and 90's. Working Girl, Presumed Innocent, Regarding Henry, Devil's Own, Six days Seven Nights just to name a few that you should watch. Great Reaction. Thanks for taking me back to revisit this classic.
Rick Williams
2023-05-10 22:09:38 +0000 UTCI only saw Ed Harris.
Joel P
2023-05-10 21:59:19 +0000 UTCno one is going to mention Aragorn at the barn raising ?
Anthony Perez
2023-05-10 21:19:52 +0000 UTC'Witness' is a Christmas movie. It has Murtaugh from 'Lethal Weapon, Karl from 'Die Hard' and Han Solo from 'The Star Wars Holiday Special'. Prove me wrong.
David Patterson
2023-05-10 21:02:49 +0000 UTCThis was a charming reaction and fun to see how the cogs have been turning in Cassie's head a few times when Viggo was on screen. 😄 A lot of things have already been mentioned in the comments. I just want to point out one more thing: how Cassie is changing. I think 1-1.5 years ago she might have been surprised that Schaeffer betrayed Book and was actually one of the bad guys. Now she immediately called it after his first scene when Book filled him in and asked for his help.
Gábor Árki
2023-05-10 20:51:04 +0000 UTCI think Cass thought that this was Presumed Innocent, another great movie with Harrison Ford.
Uncle Phoenix
2023-05-10 19:57:31 +0000 UTCI'd give up electricity for Kelly McGinnis.
Daniel
2023-05-10 19:19:56 +0000 UTCJohn Book/Harrison Ford was basically saying "There are too many witnesses now; are you just going to shoot them all?" At that point, the Police Chief gives up because whether he shoots Harrison or not, too many people know the truth now. It's why he's so mad when the kid rings the bell.
SuicuneSol
2023-05-10 19:15:17 +0000 UTCI remember this a long time ago. Eh. Pass
Richard Bourne
2023-05-10 18:24:47 +0000 UTCI saw this movie in the theater and when it came out on VHS and I had to do a high school presentation on another culture I chose the Amish. Partly so I could bring in Witness as my visual aid and show the class the barn raising scene. The two things that always strike me when I watch this are the cinematography and the music. The use of lantern light and shadow is amazingly beautiful and this is one of my favorite film scores ever.
Rosanne Stewart
2023-05-10 18:11:37 +0000 UTCI always took that scene as Book's sister having said something crude and Rachel replacing the profanity with a more benign phrase when she repeated the story. Although I think I heard that crook/elbow thing before!
Rosanne Stewart
2023-05-10 18:06:17 +0000 UTCNo, Cassie has not seen WORKING GIRL, and it is one she needs to see. It is #78 right now in the Requests app, so she needs to clear enough top 50 movies that it gets up in there! But really, Cassie has expressed interest before in seeing the movie, and it seems to be one she would eventually pick for her Popcorn Pick of the Month. Can't come soon enough.
MikeLL
2023-05-10 18:05:52 +0000 UTCThe sheer glee on Cassies face when Harrison appears on screen !!
John Drake
2023-05-10 18:04:11 +0000 UTCHuge Harrison Ford fan and this is right up there for me. WORKING GIRL is another that Cassie would enjoy. ( if she hasn't seen it already) Some of his best work. Cocky and arrogant Harrison was great. Then came REGARDING HENRY. After that he made that 'Henry' look in every role, good or bad. Like an acting tick. Very annoying if you know the look.
nick bell
2023-05-10 17:41:02 +0000 UTCDon't you mean... Vigo Harris? 😂
ArsTropica
2023-05-10 17:25:47 +0000 UTCIs it me, or did I see Ed Harris in this movie? 😂
MikeLL
2023-05-10 17:12:11 +0000 UTCI still remember my family trip to the Amish country and it was all the way back in 1994. I remember how good the food tasted. I also remember seeing the people and the buggies. I distinctly remember seeing one Amish kid in Nike shoes. I don't even know how that happened but he had them. 😂 But my most distinct memory was me waving at the Amish. People who I saw. Most of them looked away. But when we were in the car and we were behind a wagon... There was a pretty Amish girl in the wagon and she looked sad. And I remember waving at her and smiling. Since everyone had ignored me to that point, I expected her to ignore me as well... But she waved back. Kind of a half-hearted, sad wave...and she made eye contact. I was so surprised that I kind of froze. I think she saw my look of surprise because then she looked away, like they all had. All these years later that memory has stuck with me.
Caomhan84
2023-05-10 16:20:42 +0000 UTCC & C Mom Thanks for picking a good one!
Terry Yelmene
2023-05-10 16:13:47 +0000 UTCI loved the barn raising gathering they all come together as a community to help a newly married couple to build a family future of their own,HF shows his construction and carpentry skills,he built movie sets before acting,put the Amish country in Pennsylvania on your list Cassie,the food alone is worth the trip..next time we visit the Amish I'm bringing home Amish bred shepherd pups and perhaps a Morgan horse. :)
Celeste McAllister
2023-05-10 16:06:26 +0000 UTCSo well said. Couldn't agree more Stick
nick bell
2023-05-10 15:11:06 +0000 UTCyes he is!!
Cassie
2023-05-10 14:16:25 +0000 UTCThis was Harrison's Oscar nomination film. I've always loved it...and every time I watch it, I wish they still made movies like it. It's not very long, but it still feels like you're immersed in the world and the characters have room to breathe, and each scene is deliberate and unfolds slowly. The carpentry stuff is also delightful, and I'm sure Harrison appreciated that, since he was a carpenter before he was an actor. In his recent interview for CBS Sunday Morning, he mentioned that his carpentry skills have "deserted" him, which I was kinda sad to hear.
Caomhan84
2023-05-10 13:25:51 +0000 UTCI live about halfway between Philly and Lancaster (Amish country) so a lot of the sites in the film are so familiar. I always stop at the Amish run roadside food stands or grocery stores because the foods are amazing and Kelly McGillis' portrayal here created a lifelong fascination with Amish women. lol
Mike Gallagher
2023-05-10 13:17:47 +0000 UTCDead Calm too, no? That movie was magnificient to watch, all that water....hmm...actually, Cassie might not like that given her thalassophobia. Should probably avoid Waterworld and the Abyss too. 😉
Ian Hunter (NewbieInOttawa)
2023-05-10 12:31:06 +0000 UTCDefinitely his career best acting in THE MOSQQUITO COAST
Matt Rose
2023-05-10 12:20:26 +0000 UTCOh man, I saw this in the theater when I was 12. I was/am a huge Star Wars guy, and to this day I say Raiders of the Lost Ark is my all-time favorite. Harrison Ford has p[played my favorite big screen heroes. But I really think this might be one of his best performances (Mosquito Coast too). He's perfect. McGillis too - everybody, really. And the music! Just fantastic.
Walter
2023-05-10 11:51:43 +0000 UTCYou should watch the mosquito coast as well, same director as well. Also Harrison ford has said it’s his favorite movie that he’s ever done.
Night King01
2023-05-10 11:28:20 +0000 UTCThis is the only Oscar nomination Harrison ford ever got in his entire career
Night King01
2023-05-10 11:25:43 +0000 UTCIt’s funny how the guy that played Daniel in this went on to play Karl in Die hard, the main henchman.
Night King01
2023-05-10 11:23:13 +0000 UTCStick Figure Studios comments are right on the money, Cassie! If anyone asks me to give them my best example of a perfect film, 9 times out of 10 I would say "Witness". The beauty of using a minimal amount of dialogue is that it allows the true message and intent of the film to come through loud and clear! The cinematography is the best I've ever seen..... the musical score is absolute perfection! You will never forget this one! :)
Lamar Savage
2023-05-10 11:03:38 +0000 UTCCassie you need to watch one of your reactions to Lord of the Rings to see Viggo Mortesen as Aragorn. Maybe you think of him always with a beard so when he shows up clean shaven it makes you think of Ed Harris.
Sean Stuart
2023-05-10 10:57:48 +0000 UTCI know what I’m doing this evening! Been asking for this reaction for ages!
Biggman83
2023-05-10 10:40:13 +0000 UTCEli Lapp is the MVP
Allen Bond
2023-05-10 10:31:42 +0000 UTCI think you make an astute observation about how unusual and surprising the ending is, Cassie. The resolution you were expecting (where Schaeffer is about to shoot Book but Samuel kills him with Book's gun) is probably how the movie would end in a standard Hollywood thriller: violently... with the boy only being able to defeat the bad guy by compromising his community's deeply held religious beliefs, by Hollywood propagating its own traditional ethic of might makes right, an eye for an eye. It would be a cliche and disrespectful to the very culture this film is trying to depict sympathetically. It would suggest the Amish way of solving problems without resorting to violence is naive and unrealistic. Fortunately, Australian filmmaker Peter Weir is not a standard Hollywood director. He thinks outside the box. He has the courage to conclude his stories unexpectedly. He understands that things like character/theme are more important and more interesting than hackneyed "sensational" action beats. His WITNESS ends not with a kid shooting a gun (becoming, as Eli says earlier, the very thing he is attempting to destroy), but with him ringing a bell to call a whole community to the rescue (he still fights "the bad men," but he fights them *his* way). It ends with the villain actually having a moment of clarity and a sense of shame, realizing that he can't win because he'd have to kill everyone who's there to "witness" his evil. He relents and he collapses... a broken man. It's not a "spectacular" climax. It's an emotional one (though we still get the typical action scene leading up to it). For my money, it's far more powerful, memorable, richer, deeper and, not least of all, more consistent with everything the film was saying prior to it. An excellent reaction (as always). So glad you liked it. :-)
Stick Figure Studios
2023-05-10 09:43:54 +0000 UTCA couple of other actors that you did not realise you have seen before. Kelly McGillis you last saw playing tonsil hockey with Tom Cruise in Top Gun. The late Alexander Godunov, who played Daniel the guy courting Rachel, you last saw playing the 2nd bad guy of Karl in Die Hard. The guy who wanted blood when John killed his brother.
Brian McGovern
2023-05-10 09:37:08 +0000 UTCPRESUMED INNOCENT is a terrific movie.
Stick Figure Studios
2023-05-10 09:17:57 +0000 UTCPresumed Innocent must be the Courtroom movie you are thinking of with Harrison Ford. It ranks right up there with the best of his movies. Two West Wing actors have big parts in that movie as well. It's based off a Scott Turow novel of the same name.
Shawn Kildal
2023-05-10 09:17:42 +0000 UTCTwice in a row that our King Viggo Mortensen is in a movie, several times the biggest face in the frame and Cassie missed it.
djKENTO
2023-05-10 09:17:19 +0000 UTCHarrison Ford was actually a carpenter before he got into acting which I'm sure came in handy during this film. The blonde Amish gentlemen that also liked Rachel you might recognize from the first Die Hard movie. He was the other main villain working with Alan Rickman. Rachel was played by Kelly McGillis who was also Tom Cruise's love interest in the original Top Gun
Shawn Kildal
2023-05-10 09:10:47 +0000 UTCI think a few of Harrison Ford favorite roles of his are Mosquito Coast, 42, and K-19: Widowmaker. I think k-19 would be a good war movie reaction
Sean Stuart
2023-05-10 09:06:30 +0000 UTCYou thought this might be a courtroom investigative story - which it wasn't. If you want *that* you might want to go with Presumed Innocent (1990)...with Harrison as a hotshot attorney on a big case. (That's non-spoilery enough, right?)
Kent Theaker
2023-05-10 08:34:38 +0000 UTCEhhhh are you Scandinavian like me??? 🫡😆
Björn Karlsson
2023-05-10 08:32:46 +0000 UTCDon't worry. Went we toured Hutterite colonies, they were hosting us. It wasn't an intrusion.
Ben Livingstone
2023-05-10 08:32:18 +0000 UTC"They don't have refrigerators?" Refrigerators use electricity, Cassie. :-)
Stick Figure Studios
2023-05-10 08:19:09 +0000 UTCThe barn raising is one of my favorite scenes in any film.
Brent Petty
2023-05-10 08:06:10 +0000 UTCCrook and bag of elbows. It’s a play on words. The part of your arm that bends is called “the crook of your arm” which is also your elbow.
djKENTO
2023-05-10 07:58:51 +0000 UTCAnother one from my reaction wishlist. I admit I don't remember much of the plot anymore, but based on my IMDB scoring I did like it when I watched it a long time ago, so looking forward to revisiting both the movie and watching the reaction. I know many consider it to be among the best performances of Ford. The one thing I'm most looking forward though is whether Cassie has recognized young Viggo in this. 😄
Gábor Árki
2023-05-10 07:19:42 +0000 UTCViggo Mortensen is in this.
Per Nielsen
2023-05-10 07:17:53 +0000 UTCWell only reason I saw this in theaters was my mom dragged me along so I don't remember much. But it's Harrison Ford, so who cares if he's not Indiana Jones, Hans Solo or Jack Ryan he's still here. 😂
David Freese
2023-05-10 07:12:15 +0000 UTCThis is now the second Peter Weir film you've watched on this channel (the first being MASTER AND COMMANDER), so you may have noticed that he is a very singular director who makes really, REALLY good films. Some others of his I'd recommend are DEAD POETS SOCIETY (with Robin Williams), THE TRUMAN SHOW, FEARLESS (with Jeff Bridges), PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and THE MOSQUITO COAST (also with Harrison Ford). All worth seeing. He really knows how to tell an involving story... and oftentimes just through visuals (the scene in this film when Lukas Haas finally identifies the killer in the police station and Ford gently covers the boy's pointing finger -- because he knows the implications of what is being communicated -- is just marvelous; virtually no dialogue and yet you are riveted knowing exactly what is going on the whole time). This is an excellent film. So glad you got to watch it. I can't wait to see this reaction.
Stick Figure Studios
2023-05-10 07:09:02 +0000 UTCI recommend What Lies Beneath (2000). Good horror movie starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Marko T.
2023-05-10 07:06:03 +0000 UTCFinally! Thanks Cassie and mom :)
Allen Bond
2023-05-10 07:00:12 +0000 UTCYes!!! N I have this one in my truck to watch along with!! Woot woot!
Benny50309
2023-05-10 07:00:04 +0000 UTC
