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Witness

Play trailer 1:17 Poster for Witness R 1985 1h 52m Crime Drama Romance Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 48 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
An eight-year-old Amish boy witnesses a drug-related murder in a Philadelphia train station. The Philadelphia police captain discovers that the murderers are cops trying to squelch a corruption investigation.
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Witness

Witness

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Critics Consensus

A wonderfully entertaining thriller within an unusual setting, with Harrison Ford delivering a surprisingly emotive and sympathetic performance.

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Critics Reviews

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Jake Cole Slant Magazine Oct 31, 2023
Witness takes serious stock of the gap in experience and attitude between its protagonist and his caretakers to see what shared essence can be found between them. Go to Full Review
Ed Potton The Times (UK) Apr 6, 2020
4/5
... striking thriller. Go to Full Review
Nick Roddick Sight & Sound Mar 24, 2020
The film allows us, in the company of Book, to take a sort of holiday from our normal concerns, to visit other values en touriste , drawing the strengths from a strange and alien tradition without really immersing ourselves in it. Go to Full Review
Michael Walsh The Province (Vancouver) Apr 14, 2026
In a Weir film, every little thing is given cosmic significance, an effect achieved here by pouring composer Maurice Jarre's rumbling score over scenes as if it were a thick syrup. Go to Full Review
Kathy Fennessy Video Librarian Magazine Nov 13, 2025
4/5
In 2023, the year he announced his retirement, Peter Weir received an Honorary Oscar in recognition of his four nominations for Best Director... Witness was the film where he proved he could infuse Hollywood filmmaking with restraint and romanticism. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Feb 10, 2025
5/5
Harrison Ford delivers one of the best performances in his career in Witness. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Romas M @Romas 17 hrs ago Greetings from Lithuania. Re-watching "Witness" (1985) in 2026 on a Arrow Video release of on 4K UHD was a blast and I can recommend it to any fan out there. This is a must for a fans of the movie, or great movie fans in general. This is one of the best films with Harrison Ford, that does look stunning on 4K UHD disk. Beautiful cinematography does looks amazing here. Colors aren't perfect, but this film has never looked better by far. Sound is in 5.1 and it is a pretty weak one, but those gunshots did sound great. But this film isn't a demo worthy in terms of sound design, nor it was intended to be. Great movie in best quality on 4K UHD by Arrow is a must. Overall, this is an old yet great film. Great thriller and character study film. See more Maarit L @Komedienne Aug 24, 2026 Nice movie. Well made. See more Timothy S. @TJSubject Jun 8, 2026 Witness rests upon a remarkably simple premise: an Amish child witnesses a murder committed by a corrupt police officer and subsequently becomes a target. At its core, the narrative is little more than a pursuit thriller, one that could arguably have been conveyed in far less time. Rather than emphasizing urgency and momentum, the film devotes considerable attention to the contrast between urban law enforcement and Amish life, as well as to the evolving relationship between its central characters. While these elements undoubtedly add thematic depth and cultural texture, they also slow the narrative considerably. As a result, the film's success depends largely upon the viewer's willingness to value atmosphere, character development, and cultural observation as much as plot advancement. Those seeking a tightly constructed thriller may find the pacing excessive, while others may regard the same qualities as the film's greatest strength.its enduring reputation reflects this division among See more Chirag P. @trini May 2, 2026 Great movie for the era made with peak Harrison Ford See more Ray C @RT17651982 Mar 19, 2026 I really liked Witness. It’s much less of an action movie than I was expecting, but it still moves at a steady pace and never drags. I can’t believe this is the one movie Harrison Ford got an Oscar nomination for. Not that his performance here is bad by any means, but I feel like he’s had better ones in other movies. I would’ve liked it if the actual police investigation got more focus. It feels sidelined for most of the movie, and then it suddenly launches into a climactic shootout finale. That said, I thought the romance between Kelly McGillis and Ford was solid, and I enjoyed the fish-out-of-water style comedy throughout. Definitely an easy recommend. See more Christian K @ckacar Feb 23, 2026 This movie relies on you enjoying Ford assimilating into an Amish community for the majority of its runtime which I was fine with. But the scene of Ford and McGillis dancing to the Sam Cooke song is enough on its own to highly rate this movie. See more Read all reviews
Witness

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Witness

Witness: Official Clip - Rachel's Choice Witness: Official Clip - Rachel's Choice 1:57 Now Playing Witness: Official Clip - Right of Way Witness: Official Clip - Right of Way 2:02 Now Playing Witness: Official Clip - Murder Witness Witness: Official Clip - Murder Witness 2:12 Now Playing Witness: Official Clip - A Lesson on Guns Witness: Official Clip - A Lesson on Guns 1:49 Now Playing Witness: Official Clip - I'm Not a Child Witness: Official Clip - I'm Not a Child 1:19 Now Playing Witness: Official Clip - It's Over Witness: Official Clip - It's Over 2:13 Now Playing Witness: Official Clip - Ingrained Witness: Official Clip - Ingrained 2:12 Now Playing Witness: Official Clip - Time For Milking Witness: Official Clip - Time For Milking 1:38 Now Playing Witness: Official Clip - Positive Identification Witness: Official Clip - Positive Identification 1:49 Now Playing View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis An eight-year-old Amish boy witnesses a drug-related murder in a Philadelphia train station. The Philadelphia police captain discovers that the murderers are cops trying to squelch a corruption investigation.
Director
Peter Weir
Producer
Edward S. Feldman
Screenwriter
Pamela Wallace, Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama, Romance, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 8, 1985, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 6, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$65.3M
Runtime
1h 52m
Sound Mix
Surround
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