In the Line of Fire is a 1993 American
action thriller film directed by
Wolfgang Petersen, and starring
Clint Eastwood and
John Malkovich. Written by
Jeff Maguire, the film is about a disillusioned and obsessed former
CIA agent who attempts to
assassinate the
President of the United States and the
Secret Service agent who tracks him. Eastwood's character is the sole active-duty Secret Service agent remaining from the detail guarding
John F. Kennedy in
Dallas,
Texas, at the time of his
assassination in 1963. The film also stars
Rene Russo,
Dylan McDermott,
Gary Cole,
John Mahoney, and
Fred Thompson. The film was co-produced by
Columbia Pictures and
Castle Rock Entertainment, with Columbia handling distribution. Eastwood and Petersen also originally offered the role of Leary to
Robert De Niro, who turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with
A Bronx Tale.
In the Line of Fire was the final film Eastwood starred in that he did not direct by himself until 2012's
Trouble with the Curve.