It’s not exactly a guilty pleasure, more like a dependable chicken soup movie that never disappoints.

In terms of acting, “The Fugitive” (1993) serves up two great stars — one on his way up, one on his way down.

Tommy Lee Jones perfected his dangerous deadpan as Deputy United States Marshal Gerard. He hadn’t had a lot of winners on his resume up till then. He was capable, but limited in “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1980) and no great shakes in “The Betsy,” “Fire Birds” and “Under Siege.” He was, in 1993, at the age of 47, a journeyman.

Harrison Ford, who was 51 when “The Fugitive” was made, was at the top of his form as Dr. Richard Kimble (“An innocent victim of blind justice,” as the 1960s’ TV show declared each week). Ford had “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” under his belt and could do no wrong.

The two gave their roles — hunted and hunter — all their energy and talent with the result that “The Fugitive” became that rare remake of a TV series that became an enormously successful and admired movie.

Much credit goes to the supporting cast, beginning with the two, unimaginative, lard-ass detectives who charge Kimble with his wife’s murder. Then there’s Marshal Gerard’s team of annoyed-but-loyal investigators; Sela Ward as Kimble’s wife; Julianne Moore in a cameo as an ER doc, and Andreas Katsulas as the one-armed man.

The plot, inspired by Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables,” is much improved from the TV series starring David Jannsen. Clever, convincing and worked through at a breakneck pace, the movie is one long chase. No, two: Gerard chases Kimble and Kimble chases the one-armed man who killed his wife.

And what chases these are — by ambulance, police car, police helicopter, a very unfortunate freight train and an elevated train.

And even though he’s very much on the run, Dr. Kimble pauses to diagnose an injured corrections officer and save the life of a little boy.

Where Kimble is consistently decent, if driven, Gerard is inconsistent and driven. One minute he’s joking, musing on doughnuts with sprinkles, the next he’s putting two into some guy’s head.

“The Fugitive” is so hard-charging, the film editing is so exact and the acting is so enjoyable that you forgive, or shrug off, the overly complex motives of the villains who hired the one-armed man. Let’s just agree that the bad guys are the big pharmaceutical corporations and be done with it.

The director, Andrew Davis, never did anything better, though fans of “Holes” (2003) might disagree.

Tommy Lee Jones went on to make “Men in Black,” “The Client,” “Natural Born Killers,” “Batman Forever” and the critically acclaimed “No Country for Old Men.”

Ford never again rose so high. After “The Fugitive” came a string of disappointments or ho-hummers: “Sabrina,” “Air Force One,” “The Devil’s Own,” “Six Days, Seven Nights,” “Random Hearts,” “What Lies Beneath” (actually, pretty good), “K-19: The Widowmaker” (bor-ring), “Hollywood Homicide” and the wildly uneven “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

Their paths and careers intersected in “The Fugitive” just as each was at full strength. What a moment!

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