Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, we’re counting down our favorite movies from the legend himself: Harrison Ford! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
Jack Ryan is easily one of Tom Clancy’s most iconic characters. We’ve seen a few different iterations of the character, but one of the more notable ones was Harrison Ford’s turn as the character. So for this week’s BEC, I decided to give the 1994 film Clear and Present Danger, a follow up to the preceding Patriot Games, a watch. In many ways, Ford may be the most prototypical actor to play Jack Ryan, and in this film he shows it to the best. I’m a bit sad this was the last time we see him as the character, because he provides an interesting foil to the character, someone who is finding their footing in the C.I.A., but once determined to make a decision, is beaming with confidence and determination. It makes me want to read the books even more than any other performance by any other Jack Ryan’s through the years, because it just fits him so well. (Joseph Davis)
A true testament to an actor’s legendary status is when you can mention their name and any number of iconic roles can spring to mind. Harrison Ford is one such actor. With a career spanning decades, Ford has delivered in the big moments time and time again. However, it is when he’s more subdued that I have found myself truly enamored. Perhaps none more than the 1985 crime-thriller, Witness. Directed by Peter Weir, Witness follows the story of a police detective as he attempts to protect an Amish woman and her son after he becomes the sole witness to a murder. What has always stood out to me is that in a time with a seemingly endless supply of cop films, Witness feels elevated. So much of that has to be attributed to the Oscar-winning screenplay, as it keeps your attention from moment one. Viewers are dropped right into the story. It doesn’t waste time detailing an inciting incident or giving unnecessary backstory. It trusts the audience to understand the story and implications of what’s going on, which then inherently allows us to get more invested moment to moment. Weir does his usual brilliant work behind the camera, and brings together an incredible cast to tell a rich and nuanced story, all led by Ford who, in my humble opinion, gives a career best performance. (Nashua Doll)
Baseball has undoubtedly had more than its fair share of films over the years, and 42 stands out as a clear home run. Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who decided to break the color barrier by bringing Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to play for them. It’s remembered today as a personal story, but it’s framed here as about much more than just Jackie. Branch brought him to the Dodgers to make a point about Black players generally being good enough for the major league. Jackie just happened to be the player he picked. That’s not to say Jackie didn’t go through a lot to pave the way for others like him. He had to have the courage to ignore the verbal abuse he received, most notably from opposing manager Ben Chapman (Alan Tudyk). I adore the cinematography of the baseball game scenes. It looks exactly like a game from the 1940s. What makes that all the more impressive is that none of the baseball grounds featured exists anymore. It also shows both sides of the argument about having a Black player in the Major League. Many players were worried about the abuse and bad press it would bring. I especially love the scene where a pitch hits Jackie, and his teammates start a brawl with the opposing team, while Jackie remains on the ground, oblivious to any of it. Baseball is a winner here; in the words of Billy Joel: “Brooklyn’s got a winning team.” (John Tillyard)
In this pre-Star Wars George Lucas effort (one that earned him Oscar nominations for both his writing and directing), American Graffiti follows a group of teenagers who have recently graduated high school as they hang out for one final night in their northern California town before some of them split for college on the other coast in the summer of 1962. Harrison Ford is set up as the drag racing competitor to one of our trio of friends among a cast of characters that also includes a young Richard Dreyfuss and pre-directing Ron Howard. All taking place over the course of one night, it’s very much a slice-of-life kind of film which captures a moment in time. It’s greatly influential to those of a certain age, and a fun, early marking point for some future Hollywood heavy hitters. (Jake Bourgeois)
Early on in his film career, before he was Han Solo or Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford got a boost from working with some great directors. The year after appearing in George Lucas’ American Graffiti, Ford appeared (briefly) in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. The Best Picture nominee follows Gene Hackman as Harry Caul, a paranoid surveillance specialist who fears the couple he is currently surveilling might be in peril. It’s a tense thriller that oozes ‘70s style, and is a masterclass in the use of sound. Ford doesn’t play a large role, merely the assistant of one of Caul’s clients, but it’s a fun LeoPointing.GIF moment nonetheless. It wouldn’t be the last time he’d appear in a glorified cameo in a Coppola film, either… (Jake Bourgeois)
The first time I saw Blade Runner was just in time for the sequel. I had to understand what I was getting myself into, and what an experience I received. In a dystopian, cyberpunk 2019 Los Angeles, synthetic humans known as replicants were made to work in space, only to escape back to Earth and be hunted down by worn-out cop Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). While Deckard is hunting down the rogue replicants, led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), he falls in love with Rachael (Sean Young), a replicant who believes she’s human, and we watch Deckard deal with the fact that he is falling for someone who happens to be the very thing he has to hunt. I love how Ridley Scott shot the film at night and in the rain, with all the vibrant colors of the future. The film doesn’t rely so much on action, but on the story, exploring what it’s like to live amongst humans, while not being one, but believing you are one. It’s a mouthful, but the film makes sense when you delve into it. The subtle but significant “Tears in Rain” monologue is my favorite scene. We watch Roy, staring death in the face, speak of his life, as he comes to peace with his end. I love how Scott allows an open-ended ending, because Deckard and Rachael get away. There could be more to their story… and there is. You just have to see the sequel. (Chantal Ashford)
In an age when TV shows crossed over into movies, not only was The Fugitive ahead of its time, but it did it better than a lot of movies try to do today. Dr. Richard Kimball (Harrison Ford) is on the run for a crime he didn’t commit. Chasing him is Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones). Ford and Jones are electric together, and the intense cat-and-mouse game they play is fantastic. The Fugitive is definitely in the pop culture lexicon as well, being parodied or referenced in shows like The Simpsons and Scrubs, and movies like Wrongfully Accused and The Mask. I saw The Fugitive at a drive-in theater when I was young; it is a perfect end-of-summer movie with action and a great mystery. Jones definitely earns his Oscar for this one, and it even spawned a not bad sequel, U.S. Marshalls. The real star of the movie, though, is Ford. He brings such gravity to Kimball, playing a man who’s experienced tragedy, while balancing being on the run and figuring out how to clear your name. Ford doesn’t miss in this one. (Mike Hilty)
Did you even remember that Harrison Ford was in Apocalypse Now? I would not fault you for forgetting. He only appears in a quick but important scene, as a part of the team that gives Willard (Martin Sheen) his mission: Find Kurtz; kill Kurtz. Simple but extremely dangerous, this mission takes our protagonist deep into a heart of darkness that is hard to navigate. Sheen anchors this anti-war fever dream, as he comes across some of the most nightmarish elements of Vietnam imaginable. Robert Duvall’s Kilgore is a bloodthirsty surfer with a knack for napalm and a lack of empathy. There is the endless fight to keep a bridge too far that has taken the soul and humanity of its protectors. But it is the climatic arrival into the heart of this dark and dangerous jungle where Kurtz comes to life in shadow and menace. Marlon Brando’s enigmatic performance is one that stands as a monolith in the history of cinema. Francis Ford Coppola adapts Joseph Conrad into the Vietnam film that just may have broken him as a man and director. Apocalypse Now must be seen to be believed. (Shane Conto)
Harrison Ford has starred in some phenomenal franchises over his career, and none more so than his massive character Indiana Jones. This series has now spanned over five movies, but the first for me is the most iconic — it’s the one I have rewatched the most. (Indiana Jones and the) Raiders of the Lost Ark introduces us to the titular character (Ford), an archaeologist in 1936 who is hired to find the infamous lost Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. Armed with his wit, whip, gun, and now iconic hat, he teams up with friends to find this lost treasure and save the world. This movie defined what treasure hunting media has become. You have the protagonist looking for the lost treasure for history’s sake, and the antagonist looking for the treasure for evil purposes — hey, if it’s not broken, why fix it? Ford was born to play Indy. With the release of the fifth and possibly final film in this series, why not take another look at the iconic beginning? (Austen Terry)
The movie that started it all, the film that redefined what cinema is, while giving us some “fresh, new stars”. That and more is Star Wars (which was its original title), now mostly known as Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. The movie that came didn’t flop as many believed it would; instead, it made history as one of the biggest movies of all time. It also took this former carpenter, and not very well known actor at the time, and shot him among the A-listers. Yes, it’s hard to think Harrison Ford wasn’t that known before this movie, and that had it flopped, he wouldn’t have become Indiana Jones and, in turn, one of the most beloved movie stars of all time. Star Wars is a perfect introduction to this vast galaxy, and although many prefer The Empire Strikes Back, this is where it started: This is where all the characters had to work and capture us, and this is where the road was paved (unknowingly) for generations and decades worth of movies, TV shows, and games to come. It will always hold a special place in my movie-loving heart. And to address the “age-old” debate: “Who do you think of first, Han or Indiana, when the name Harrison Ford gets brought up?” I say, why not both? (Luke Burian)
Presumed Innocent
Do you like legal dramas? Are you a fan of suspenseful thrillers? Or, as this list is all about, do you just love some Harrison Ford? Well then you should check out Presumed Innocent. It was Gone Girl nearly 25 years before Gone Girl, a riveting tale of murder, deception, betrayal, and the horrors of loopholes and back dealings within the legal system. It features a tremendously subtle and nuanced performance from Ford. The conviction that he displays, as well as his connections to the other performers, are great. There’s also a chilling score by the legendary John Williams that will send shivers down your spine. This is just a solid, and largely forgotten, early ‘90s movie. It’s not one of the all-time greats, but it’s certainly entertaining and worth your time. (Heath Lynch)
Frantic
A red ribbon and a Dukakis/Bentsen bumper sticker on a Samsonite could have prevented a whole lot of danger, distress, and death in an often forgotten 1988 Harrison Ford thriller. Before he was fleeing from Tommy Lee Jones, throwing hijackers off his plane, and analyzing terror threats, Ford was Frantic. And “frantic” really is the only way to describe the series of events that follows Dr. Richard Walker’s (Ford) arrival in Paris with his wife Sondra (Betty Buckley) for a medical conference. After grabbing the wrong suitcase at the airport, Sondra goes missing, and due to a surprising lack of interest by local authorities, Dr. Walker is forced to take matters into his own hands. His Taken-esque search leads him to the depths of the Parisian underworld and into the company of murderers, drug dealers, and basically anyone else you should avoid if you value your safety. By far the most underseen of Ford’s stint in the espionage genre, Frantic is well worth a watch. I guarantee you’ll never grab your bag off an airport carousel without triple checking it’s yours ever again. (Patrice Downing)
Working Girl
One of the few romantic comedies to ever be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Working Girl is a fun and entertaining romp. Though I’ve never found Melanie Griffith to be the most compelling performer in our lead role, Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver are tremendous in this movie, and those two more than make up for Griffith’s lack of energy which makes this movie come together. The fact that this movie even has thematic underpinnings about social mobility and the working class trying to move up the corporate hierarchy makes it even better. It’s a simple, gripping tale of savvy business maneuvers, a lot of adorable jokes, and some really sexy people being romantically silly. I don’t think this is a movie that would be nominated for Best Picture these days, but the late ‘80s were a different beast, and it is still a fun and entertaining movie worth watching. (Heath Lynch)
Air Force One
Die Hard is a fantastic action thriller. With such an easy-to-follow formula, it’s no surprise that many copycats arose in the years to come. Terrorists take over a thing, innocent hostages are held prisoner, and a lone person must singlehandedly defeat them. Under Siege was Die Hard on a boat, and Speed was Die Hard on a bus. But one of my favorites, and probably the best since Die Hard,is the Harrison Ford’s Die Hard on a plane thriller, Air Force One. Russian terrorists infiltrate, and hijack Air Force One in an attempt to use the president to free a Russian political prisoner. Gary Oldman plays the leader of the hijackers and delivers a terrifying iconic performance, as only he can. Ford plays president James Marshall, and rather than escaping during the struggle to take the plane, he secretly stays on board to fight and save his family. This movie is not only incredibly tense and full of heart-stopping moments, but it also showcases Ford’s incredible charisma and proves that even in his mid-50s, he can still be an action star. Air Force One also has the honor of giving us one of Ford’s best line readings of his career. I dare you to not pump your fist in the air when he proclaims, “Get off my plane!” Air Force One may have started with the premise Die Hard on a plane, but in my world, Die Hard is merely Air Force One in a building. (Nick Ferro)
The Mosquito Coast
In 1989, River Phoenix played the younger version of Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But three years before that, he played his son in The Mosquito Coast, in which Ford plays an inventor who is disillusioned with the idea of the American Dream, so he packs his family up and moves them to the jungles of Panama to start building a new society. Forget Han Solo and Indiana Jones, because there is no trace of them in what is probably the most unhinged role of Ford’s career. The Mosquito Coast is at the very least an interesting movie that’s worth watching to see Ford play way out of type at least once. (Robert Bouffard)
The Age of Adaline
Over the years, I have watched several romantic dramas, and a recent Blake Lively-led one deserves another look. The Age of Adaline tells the story of Adaline Bowman (Lively) who must navigate her life after a car accident in the 1920s renders her unable to age. After not living a single life, she finally meets Ellis Jones (Michael Huisman) who she falls in love with. Upon meeting his family, she realizes she dated Ellis’s father William (Harrison Ford) in the past, and William still has feelings for her. This story is convoluted and sounds bonkers, but it truly is a great movie about love and life. Lively, Huisman, and Ford deliver excellent performances, and make this movie worth sticking it out. (Austen Terry)
Sabrina
Attempting to remake a classic film featuring Hollywood legends (Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden) that was written and directed by the iconic Billy Wilder is no easy task. Harrison Ford taking over the role (from Bogart) of workaholic curmudgeon, Linus Larrabee, and Greg Kinnear sliding into the patent leather dress shoes of Holden as playboy socialite David Larrabee, breathe new life into this tumultuous love triangle. It also began a decades-long series of films that follow the ugly duckling trope, turning Sabrina (Julia Ormond) into a sultry swan. As a fan of Sabrina (1954), I hadn’t set particularly high expectations the first time I saw the remake, but I was both delighted and impressed with the new version’s twist on the story, which still pays homage to the original. Sabrina goes through a similar comedy of errors when arriving in Paris to pursue a career in fashion instead of culinary arts, and the film pays tribute to the career flip by making her father, Fairchild’s (John Wood), love interest a chef. When arriving home from her time in Paris, Ormond is similarly and glamorously dressed as Hepburn, though she doesn’t have a Parisian pup in tow; however, Maude Larrabee (Nancy Marchand) receives one as a birthday present. These little touches increase the charm of an already enchanting tale. Despite the predictability of the final outcome, seeing all three main characters grow and develop into better versions of themselves is a joy to watch. (Patrice Downing)
Ender’s Game
From the time it was first published in 1985, Ender’s Game was considered to be an unfilmable novel. Telling the story of Ender, a prodigious teenager recruited to a tactical battle school to help fight a war against aliens, much of the narrative and drama progresses within the thoughts of the reserved protagonist. Given that and the immense amount of special effects that would be needed for various space battles and simulations, it wasn’t until 2013, almost 30 years after the initial publication, that a film adaptation would be released. Starring Asa Butterfield as the precocious Ender and Harrison Ford as his instructor, Colonel Graff, the film exceeded the expectations of many by turning out to be pretty good. Much of the novel’s charm shines through in the adaptation, with fun and inventive action sequences, strong performances from Butterfield and Ford, and a well-written script that knows when to stay faithful and when to deviate from the source material. Although it isn’t perfect, Ender’s Game is a solid sci-fi film, a feat much greater than anyone would have thought it could have achieved. (Jake Hjort)
What Lies Beneath
Up until the end, What Lies Beneath is completely a Michelle Pfeiffer movie. Harrison Ford is in it some, but the film is mostly in Pfeiffer’s point of view. But towards the end, Ford turns menacing in a way we’ve almost never seen him — perhaps just to show that he could do it — and the film becomes quite intriguing. Robert Zemeckis directs a movie that could easily be forgotten amidst his filmography since it came out the same year as Cast Away, but his direction is really what carries the movie all the way through. The direction and creative cinematography elevate this to watchable schlock. (Robert Bouffard)
Also See: The Call of the Wild, Crossing Over, Regarding Henry, Morning Glory