Witness

A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.

In Peter Weir's thriller Witness, Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy, witnesses a murder in the restroom of a Philadelphia bus station. Harrison Ford stars as John Book, the police detective investigating the murder. When Book discovers that the crime was part of a conspiracy involving several officials in his department, he flees Philadelphia to the Amish community where Samuel lives with his widowed mother, Rachel (Kelly McGillis). Slowly assimilating himself into the Amish community, Book eventually finds himself falling in love with Rachel in the midst of his investigation. Eventually, the corrupt police track Book down, and he is forced to confront them, while also trying to protect Rachel and Samuel. — Matthew Tobey

With a compelling story, excellent performances, and assured direction, Witness remains one of the most successful examples of the romantic thriller. Director Peter Weir's first film set in America, it gripped audiences and critics alike with its beautiful austerity and a quiet force as restrained as the romance between its two central characters. One of the only feature films ever to focus on Amish culture, it does so without condescension, displaying the respectful curiosity of a thoughtful tourist. The film is also remarkable for Harrison Ford's lead performance as a hard-boiled Philadelphia cop: previously pegged as a one-dimensional action star, Ford finally demonstrated the range of his quiet talent. His Best Actor Oscar nomination established him as a more "serious" actor and helped him to branch out into films that didn't take place in outer space or feature bullwhips as a plot device. — Rebecca Flint Marx