Witness

"A big city cop. A small country boy. They have nothing in common... but a murder."

Feb 8 1985 R 1h 52m
Crime, Drama, Romance

A sheltered Amish child is the sole witness of a brutal murder in a restroom at a Philadelphia train station, and he must be protected. The assignment falls to a taciturn detective who goes undercover in a Pennsylvania Dutch community. On the farm, he slowly assimilates despite his urban grit, and forges a romantic bond with the child's beautiful mother.

Plot

An 8 year old Amish boy and his mother are traveling to Philadelphia, on their way to visit the mother's sister. While waiting at the train station, the young boy witnesses a brutal murder inside one of the bathroom stalls. Police detective John Book is assigned to investigate the murder of the man, who was an undercover cop. Soon after, Book finds out that he's in great danger when the culprits know about his investigation and hides out in the Amish community. There, he learns the way of living among the Amish locals, which consists of non-violence and agriculture. Book soon starts a romance with the mother of the little boy, but their romance is forbidden by the Amish standards. But, it's not long before the bad guys find out Book's whereabouts.

Written by

William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, Earl W. Wallace

Directed by

Peter Weir

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Paramount

Languages

English, Deutsch

Awards

Won 2 Oscars. 13 wins & 28 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
108,468
Average Rating
7.4 out of 10
Metascore
76
Popularity
NA