Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan still hasn't forgiven himself for failing to save John F. Kennedy in Dallas the day the President was assassinated. In this thriller, a new threat looms on the horizon. An assassin has told Horrigan that he is going to kill the President during his re-election campaign and has challenged Horrigan to stop him. This cold-blooded murderer believes he is a worthy opponent for the maverick Secret Service agent. Can Horrigan summon the stamina, the courage, and the prowess to save this President from a bullet? Or will the assassin, who calls himself Booth, go down in the history books by accomplishing his mission?

Clint Eastwood is perfectly cast as the guilt-ridden Horrigan. Now in the twilight of his career, he is still a self-sufficient and obsessed loner who has a knack for fighting his superiors and going his own way. Wrestling with his demons makes Horrigan vulnerable and appealing not only to movie-goers but also to a female Secret Service agent played by Rene Russo. John Malkovich is sinister as the predatory assassin who loves playing the cat and mouse game with Horrigan.

We all yearn to lay down a heavy burden of guilt and savor the lightness of being. In the Line of Fire feeds that yearning with equal doses of action, mystery, and heart-felt emotion.