When a young Amish woman (McGillis) and her son (Haas) are caught up in the murder of an undercover narcotics agent, their unlikely savior proves to be the worldly and cynical Philadelphia detective John Book.

Harrison Ford is sensational as Book, the cop who runs head-on into the non-violent world of a Pennsylvania Amish community. The end result is an action-packed struggle of life and death, interwoven with a sensitive undercurrent of caring and forbidden love.

Peter Weir received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his part, but Witness was to win Academy awards for Best Editing and Best Writing.