The Package: A Thriller which was More Than Just Bullets
When Andrew Davis came up with The Package in the year 1989, most people thought of a typical military suspense. From the trailer, one would conclude that the highlight of the movie was the intense chase scenes throughout the city of Chicago, the nail biting Cold War standoffs, & the ever talented Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones. At first glance, the movie seems like a typical action movie filled with gun shooting and espionage. But it is much deeper than that. It isn’t simply about soldiers and people hired to kill. It encompasses the issues of trust, betrayal, & the immense paranoia the America was facing in the late Cold War. Interestingly, it shows the personal experiences of the lead actors which is often ignored by many movie goers.
More Than a Military Mission
The movie portrays Master Sergeant Johnny Gallagher rather simply. The first impression the audience gets is that is rather an obnoxious career soldier. He is given the job of escorting a rather enigmatic prisoner in the form of Thomas Boyette who is being played by Tommy Lee Jones. Gallagher’s life changes when Boyette frees himself from being captured. He gets captured in a conspiracy which involves the corridors of US army and negotiations with The Soviet Union, all centered around an assassination which has the potential to annihilate the peace talks.
Even so, the symbolism was difficult to miss. Boyette is not merely an escaped prisoner. He is the disorder that seeps through the fissures of society, treachery personified within a soldier. Gallagher, is the opposite. He is a man of principle in a society where devotion is as fluid as light. Their cat and mouse relationship reflected the greater fears of the 1980s. Was it possible for countries to trust each other on the brink of détente, or was treachery a given?
Gene Hackman’s on and off screen unwavering focus
Choosing Hackman for the role of Gallagher was not just a safe option. It was a ‘statement’ choice’ Hackman was acclaimed for being ‘down to earth’ in films, such as, The French Connection and Mississippi Burning. By the time The Package came out, Hackman’s reputation was that of a man entangled in a web of ‘systemic’ corruption, but portrayed moral clarity.
Even Off screen, Hackman had a soldier like discipline to the role of Gallagher. He was not the sort of person to ‘stoop’ to Hollywood circulating gossip and to catch the ‘flashy’ attention of self seekers. He was like Gallagher, working with integrity. In a way, Hackman’s form in Hollywood was reflected through Gallagher. He was a primal actor in a dominated younger stylized action filled industry.
Tommy Lee Jones Before Stardom
In the film, Jones was a secret weapon, andhis character was a Boyette. Jones was some years away from becoming a household name with The Fugitive. His film and television work was years behind him, and the need to work on roles with intensity heavy on his character was begging to be filled. Boyette was the perfect choice. He was charming and a strategically lethal mercenary, and his character’s unpredictability maintained a death grip on the audience.
In his real life, Jones was both difficult and magnetic, and his reputation suited him impeccably. He was Boyette part and parcel, and he was able to soldierly camaraderie, and with the same breath, cold-blooded betrayal. Jones in interviews, more often than not, blended sharp and vicious humor with unfiltered, honest taunt from a all-out, take-no-prisoner spirit. Early audience members to private screenings performances understood this was something to keep an eye on, and correctly, Jones’s career was on the edge of launching something.
Chicago as a Character
Andrew Davis, one of the region’s most well-known directors, clearly has an affinity for the city of Chicago. He does not wait for The Fugitive to make the city an integral part of the narrative. In The Package, the winter streets, the federal structures, and even back alleyways of Chicago were not merely settings; the city itself represented the mental and emotional quagmire of the film. The city’s winter coldness reflected the iciness of the world’s super-powers, and the city’s grimy streets offered the realism needed for the espionage story.
People who were fans of the film, even after seeing the trailer, recall the suspenseful races over famous city landmarks. For town residents, the movie represented a nostalgic glimpse of Chicago during the late 1980s, which locals lovingly refer to as their own “Cult Classic’ as it showcased the city amid steel and snow.
Hidden Themes Beneath the Action
Unlike most political thrillers, The Package had quite a few layers to it:
Betrayal versus trust – Gallagher’s journey is largely about whom he can believe, echoing the the skepticism experienced by so many soldiers embroiled in endless geopolitical struggles.
Expendability of soldiers – The conspiracy illustrates the degree to which people are unthinkingly sacrificed on the altar of state policies, a classic case of ‘Cold War’ Realpolitik.Masks of loyalty – While tragedy often evokes one’s personal life, Boyette’s duplicity here is also an avatar for countries preaching peace while preparing for war in secret.
These Dysonian incongruities were not unintentional. There is a compelling rationale for why Andrew Davis and John Bishop in screenwriting chose to craft a work of fiction to a suspense thriller correlating to the fears of anxiety during that particular era.
Buzz Before Release
In 1989, buzz surrounding the Package included it’s new film trailer showing alongside other political dramatizations, with reviewers claiming it resembled the older, more experienced thriller with a fresh twist, No Way Out. The partnership formed between Hackman and Jones intrigued critics – one a respected, experienced legend, and the other a young and contemporary. Interviews in the media during that time showcased Hackman’s unchanging professionalism and highlighted Jones’s chaotic fragment of a personality, creating more publicity for the new film’s pair.
Discussions among fans in the pre internet years centered around if the film was to be another unoriginal pot-boiling thriller centered around the Cold War, with a lack of consideration to the more serious elements it encased, or was the film a balanced political observation. Hackman’s reputation for gritty realism preceded him. Above all else, people expected sophistication that was hand crafted to the excess clichés of espionage.
The Production Stories Few Talk About
The Package was not simple to complete. Winter filming in Chicago was very challenging. The icy landscape made it difficult to capture the actors and crew. To portray Gallagher’s steps and frozen (physically hackman determined) dexterity, he apparently did several of the strenuous action sequences and himself.
There were whispers about the possibility of changing the cast. The Davis script had with the idea of casting ageist in the other line for the purpose of generation gaps in the army, however Davis argued for tomee lee jones saying the character in his role had to have ‘unpredictable bunble strength’ to smooth the edges of the story. The risk was worth it.
Another intriguing planner, Davis, was willing to do anything to capture the essence of action, inclination montages explosions converses Davis. Davis worked against possible tide explosions in his attempt to prove that silliness drenched in reasonable fiction dominated The Package. Reasonable fiction made the tension alive, while the absence of fireworks conquered the box office.
What the Film Left Behind
Although the original world premiere of The Package did not break box office records, the film was considered a tense political thriller earned respect for the performances of Hackman and Jones, along with the directorial work of Davis. In the world, the film has gained the reputation of a precursor for the more acclaimed Fugitive, wherein Davis and Jones also starred and gained further acclaim.
Hackman’s performance further strengthened his reputation, while for Jones, this was the beginning of what was destined to be a successful career. For all those who had the chance to revisit the film later, was treated to something different from the marketing of the film. Rather, they saw a deep addition to history filled as an action thriller—a burdensome action thriller filled with history, morality, and the frailty of humanity.
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