I've always thought it was kind of ludicrous for The Fugitive to be nominated for Best Picture. It was such a commercial film, and most movies nominated in this category are often independent films. That's not to say mainstream movies can't be worthy of the award, but as good as it is, The Fugitive was a fairly standard action thriller that's not even original; it's based on an old television series from the 1960s.
With roles he's taken in the past several years, I've forgotten Tommy Lee Jones was an action movie star. U.S. Marshals is kind of unusual because it's a sequel and a spin-off. It's based on the original U.S. Marshals team that pursued Dr. Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford, in The Fugitive from 1993, and it hit theaters about five years later. Tommy Lee Jones reprised his role as U.S. Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard, in which he won Best Supporting Actor for The Fugitive, and new cast members include Wesley Snipes and a young Robert Downey Jr.
U.S. Marshals has similarities to Con Air, and it has some humor but without the over-the-top action. It has the familiar cat and mouse story with the signature crash and escape sequence à la The Fugitive, but otherwise, U.S. Marshals is not simply a rehash of the first film and has a refreshing story involving another government agency.
With most sequels these days, you have to see the previous film to understand and appreciate the follow-up film, but that's not the case with U.S. Marshals. People remember The Fugitive but probably have forgotten the 1998 spin-off, which is too bad. U.S. Marshals is an excellent film, and it's noteworthy that it's original material.
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