Witness (1985) ****

Though a decade separates Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975) (review) and Witness (1985) there are obvious similarities between them—the dreamlike quality, the painterly cinematography, characters emoting largely through looks rather than dialogue. Peter Weir's American debut expertly taps into many genres—neo-noir, crime thriller, western, romance. 

There's wonderful moments of humor that never devolve into the stupidity that often results from cultural clash situations played for comedy. There's a smoldering sensuality between Harrison Ford (in his best performance) and Kelly McGillis (in only her third role). Maurice Jarre's synth-heavy score appropriately sets the mood of each scene—from ominous to playful to romantic. Witness deals in tension and the filmmakers know that the power of cinema can sometimes come from the buildup rather than the release. A beautiful, moving, and charming film.

Peter Weir Feature Films Ranked