A young Amish boy (Lukas Haas) witnesses a murder while in a train station bathroom. A police officer (Harrison Ford) assigned to the case ends up finding out there were dirty police officers behind the murder and is forced to hide within the Amish community to recover from a gunshot wound and to gather the strength to expose those responsible for the killing.

The greatest aspect of WITNESS is the tonality Weir captures of the Amish people. I had never seen a film made about people of this religious faith and am really happy to have experienced the human qualities displayed within this film.

Maurice Jarre provided the music score, which is very ambient and probably an influence to ambient music since. His music provides an airy mood of atmosphere that is pleasant and uplifting for most of time. The only times the score is darker and more threatening are the killing and the suspenseful climax.

Director of Photography John Seale is unequivably one of the best in the business. Seale works with Weir to capture a naturalistic look that is grounded to the earth. This works well with the simpleness of the Amish Community.

There are five documentary sections, which tell how WITNESS was made. These include recent interviews with the main cast and crew. I loved these pieces as they helped illuminate how Peter Weir and the actors worked. The one thing that stood out in each person’s interview was the genuine appreciation for Peter Weir and how they each felt WITNESS was a special experience. Kelly McGillis is even in tears at one point describing her love for the film.