“In the Line of Fire” The battle between those who believe in the state and those who don’t believe in it *Note! Contains spoilers.

Great Eastwood, casting of actor Malkovich

There were plans for Tommy Lee Jones to play the role of Frank Horrigan, but it was the great Eastwood who got the role.

"I read the script and thought it was so good that I wanted to give it a go. There was talk of me directing it, but it was right after ' Unforgiven ,' so I made a calm decision. I was going to be in a lot of scenes, and I said that I really didn't want to direct, so after searching around, we decided on Wolfgang Petersen." ( Excerpt from the interview )

Yes, it was Eastwood himself who hired Wolfgang Petersen, a German film director known for " Das Boot " (1981) and " The Neverending Story " (1984). Thus, this film was transformed into one with a strong Eastwood touch.

Trailer for "Das Boot"

There was another important mission: casting the assassin Mitch Leary. The first choice was Robert De Niro. Hearing about a showdown between Eastwood and De Niro would excite anyone, even if they weren't movie fans, but due to scheduling conflicts with " A Bronx Tale " (1993), the "dream collaboration" did not come true. Big names like Robert Duvall, Jack Nicholson, and Ed Harris were also considered, but John Malkovich was ultimately selected for the role.

"The eccentric actor" Malkovich accepted the offer and lived a secluded life for more than a month to express Mitch's loneliness. A noble assassin with a hidden madness inside. He took his time to create a character comparable to Hannibal Lecter.

Eastwood always placed himself in the center of power.