Grays Almanac

Home/Episodes/Witness

‘Witness’ With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin

August 26, 2025 · Witness (1985) · Crime · Drama · Romance · 1:58:12

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 49:22Mentions the barn raising scene as riveting and beautiful, and the sponge bath stare down scene
Mallory Rubin▶ 46:17The barn dance scene with Harrison Ford and the car radio playing music - describes it as maybe their favorite scene in a movie ever

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:41The corn drop/corn murder scene
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:11:53The corn murder scene

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:15:18Rachel moving on too quickly from her husband Jacob's death and being in the stepdad market
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:15:48Initially disagreed with another host's pick, saying Rachel wasn't interested in Daniel and was only attracted to Harrison Ford's character, but eventually seemed to concede the point

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:24The slow motion makeout scene where she starts laughing in the middle
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:18:56Academy Awards results from this year and racially profiling T-Bone

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:17This is Harrison Ford's best part of any role he's ever played, ranking it above Indiana Jones and Han Solo
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:21:48Witness is not really a cop movie - it's a Western and genre mashup, with the cop plot just being mechanism rather than core focus

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:29:28Geena Davis — Geena Davis for Kelly McGillis's role - she was relatively anonymous, only been in Fletch, tall brunette with curly hair
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:30:15Kelly McGillis — Keep Kelly McGillis - agrees with Peter Weir that famous American actresses like Michelle Pfeiffer know too much to be believable as Rachel

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:34:21Harrison Ford — Harrison Ford - yes, this movie is his Apex Mountain as he's 'the first phone call after this movie for any movie he wants'
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:34:45Harrison Ford — Harrison Ford - yes, after being Han Solo, Indiana Jones and Deckard, getting nominated for Best Actor for this movie nobody wanted to make proves his peak juice

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:47:06Wayne Jenkins
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:46:39Wayne Jenkins

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:47:14Harrison Ford
Mallory Rubin▶ 1:47:17Best Picture - thinks the movie should have won Best Picture

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:55:45There's never only one way

Best Double Feature

Mallory Rubin▶ 1:55:50The Mosquito Coast — Pair with Mosquito Coast - the two Harrison Ford/Peter Weir team-ups in consecutive years

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:56:35Harrison Ford

Movies Referenced (32)

Blade Runner (1982)

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin▶ 3:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Top Gun (1986)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin▶ 31:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Out of Africa (1985)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin▶ 15:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Working Girl (1988)

4 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons▶ 7:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Atonement (2007)

3 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons▶ 49:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Walk of Shame (2014)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin▶ 48:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Die Hard (1988)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 33:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lethal Weapon (1987)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 32:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Patriot Games (1992)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 37:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin▶ 3:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Fugitive (1993)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 14:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American Graffiti (1973)

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin▶ 7:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Peter Weir

21 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons · Known for The Way Back, Witness▶ 4:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Scorsese

3 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 1:39:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anson Jew

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for Wonder Woman▶ 1:37:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Cronenberg

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Fly, Dead Ringers▶ 1:26:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Jackson

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for King Kong▶ 33:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner▶ 15:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Penn

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 1:14:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Warren Beatty

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Heaven Can Wait▶ 11:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (49)

Harrison Ford

78 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive▶ 1:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kelly McGillis

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Witness, Top Gun▶ 3:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny Glover

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Lethal Weapon▶ 19:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Han Solo

8 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons▶ 7:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Newman

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Road to Perdition, The Verdict▶ 3:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Redford

8 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Natural, Ordinary People, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid▶ 3:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Elando Baltimore

6 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons▶ 27:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brad Pitt

5 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith▶ 9:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 5:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Burt Reynolds

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Boogie Nights, Smokey and the Bandit, Striptease▶ 4:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michelle Pfeiffer

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Mallory Rubin · Known for What Lies Beneath▶ 1:29:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Omar Doom

3 mentions · Mallory Rubin, Bill Simmons · Known for Inglourious Basterds, Death Proof, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood▶ 4:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (3)

Critical Role

1 mentions · Mallory Rubin▶ 1:29:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Earl W. Wallace

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Witness▶ 35:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Gabriel Goodenough

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Man of the Year, A Beautiful Mind▶ 2:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗