Him getting killed is the worst part of the movie for me. I loved this character, and when lousy Downey Jr. kills him, it ruins the movie for me a bit. Plus, every time I watch The Fugitive now, I know Newman dies in the sequel, and it ruins The Fugitive for me too a little. Why couldn't they have killed the mustachioed cop, or Joe Pantialino's(sp) character, or the black lady cop?? I don't care about them.
sharelol. But tell me something !!
Didn't you feel a relief in your heart/brain , when TLJ goes to Downey "Why'd you kill that kid ??" And that emotional expression of anger in his face. I love it the way he says that! And then he shoots him. Didn't you just feel !! Ahhh justice is served. What a scene !!!!!!! Love that film.
My first name is Noah. I hated when he killed "that kid" and FELT GREAT when he was SHOT by TLJ. I did feel great. I loved how cool TLJ is when he switched guns and ammo and allowed for his attempt to be shot by Downey's character. No fear, no flinch. A great scene.
Hard to believe that DSS agent is both IRON MAN and "The dude playing a dude, *disguisged* as ANOTHER dude" in Tropic Thunder.
Love Newman. I really hate that he died. I thought TLJ did great when he asked Robert Downey's character " Why did you shoot that boy?" & then killed him. Poetic justice.
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I've only watched "US Marshalls" once for that very reason. He was my second favorite character after Gerrad.
http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?HuckleberryBeej.
"Him getting killed is the worst part of the movie for me. I loved this character..."
Agreed. At least I'm not the only one who's upset when he dies. And not only am I touched by the emotion of the scene when Gerard asks Royce "Why did you shoot that boy?", but the emotion he has in the ambulance when they're trying to save Noah is equally as touching. "His name is Noah." :(
To sum up, Newman was THE BEST. That is all.
Honey Bee 14
Well I am not the only one who was mad that Noah got shot. I didn't want to see any of the others killed, but that ruined the movie for me as well. And it is true, the whole time we were watching The Fugitive this last time I complained to my husband about why he had to get killed in the other movie.
Fully agree with OP's views on Newman's death, but I have to say that he was always the most vulnerable of Sam Gerard's team. If you can recall, in 'The Fugitive' he very nearly bites it during a raid and is only saved by a gutsy move by Gerard which leaves them both a little shaken. As this is a textbook Hollywood sequel (nothing wrong with that, mind) the ante had to be upped, whilst retaining the basic winning formula of 'TF', so we get an epic aeroplane crash in place of an epic prison van crash/train derailment and Snipes jumping from a 6-storey building instead of Kimble's death plunge from a dam. The anteupping-o-meter registers a 'fail' on that last one, I'm afraid.
In the same spirit of one-upmanship, the death of Newman is really just an escalation of the first film's plot. In 'TF', the protagonist (Kimble) loses someone he holds dear (his wife), but in 'U.S. Marshals' the protagonist (Gerard in this case) & the audience lose someone they care about. Newman, as 'the kid' of the gang and played with wide-eyed innocence by Tom Wood, was really the only candidate - sympathetic enough for maximum emotional punch, but not important enough to the 'franchise' to be bullet-proof. Would we have cared as much if Royce had killed Renfro or Biggs?
As a perfect example, you only need to watch the very end of the film, after the denoument has played out. Faye Dunawaye's character tells Gerard to take his team out on the town to unwind from the events of the film (on a side note, considering how frequently everyone complains about their lack of sleep during the final third of the film, you would think a night on the booze is hardly what the doctor ordered... but I digress). As Gerard joins his now-depleted gang, there is a sombre beat before Renfro begins 'bantering' with him in the same light-hearted manner as he does at the film's start. Newman is expendable enough for Biggs to quip that they are going to toast him with milk! I know it was de rigeur for late-80s and 90s action films to end on a wisecracking note, but even so it strikes me as a little callous when you think about it!
Phew!
They did it for that reason. Killing off a likeable character is a great way to move an audience and get a reaction. It's like you said, we wouldn't care that much if it was one of the others.
shareTotally disagree that his death ruins the film. Far from it. His death was pivotal and allowed for the Robert Downey Jr. "twist," one of the more memorable moments in the film. Given how underwhelming USM is, memorable moments were few and far between and offing Newman gave it a much needed jolt.
shareAgreed. Newman dying was one of the few moments I remember from seeing it 25 years ago.
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