Movie #45 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

"He's back in an all new adventure."

Not the most catchy tagline in movie history... but this is definitely one of those films that marked the start of the marketing scheme and product placement pushes of the late 80's, leading into the early 90's.

I remember when this film was released on Memorial Day in 1989, the commercials were rampant of a multitude of products that the character of Indiana Jones was trying to sell to its consumers. From soft drinks to candy bars, this was the beginning of what has now become common place in the movie industry.

Its not a surprise that it was enhanced by this film, considering it was made by two of the bigger movie "sellouts" - term used in the most complimentary tone - in movie history, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. If you compare how much these gentlemen have made from movie endorsements and product licensing, then you know what I am talking about.

The movie itself... I still believe is the best one of the whole lot. Not only are the whole cast of characters previously developed in this film, ranging from the villains to the side cast, but you add two actors / characters that strengthen the movie in the end. Sean Connery - cast as Indiana Jones' father Dr. Henry Jones and River Phoenix - cast to portray a young Indiana Jones. Both added depth to the Harrison Ford character and both allow Spielberg and Lucas to delve deeper into Jones' past.

I especially like the context of this film - the search for the Holy Grail. Its a great storyline and one that has been told in various adventure books and films - in a sense, the search for eternal life. The two collaborators get it right with this film and thus, should've represented the culmination of the Indiana Jones trilogy.

However, in the spring of 2008, the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls was released. Not only is Harrison Ford now 19 years older, but the appeal of the Indiana Jones franchise probably will not translate to success with this new generation of fans. Although the Indiana Jones franchise represents the advancement of the adventure movie - the CGI era has definitely taken away form many of the thrills one used to enjoy with plain old camera tricks and great set design. At least the villains changed for this one. I haven't seen the film myself, but I will definitely pick it up on rental just to ensure that I watched them all.

Movie #28 - Firewall

"They will make him steal... but he will make them pay."

That is the clever tag-line to this poorly done film. Its actually a little sad seeing Harrison Ford's illustrious career continue to spiral down into oblivion. If this film had been done a few years ago, I would think it would draw more fans and more support in Hollywood, however, Ford's been swinging at air when it comes to blockbusters and he hasn't had one in quite some time.
I don't remember when it first started to happen. My wife and I have debated this topic a couple of times... she claims it started with Hollywood Homicide, I claimed it started with What Lies Beneath.

Here's the theory. Harrison Ford has always played the quintessential good guy. He's always the protagonist and the one we root for as our heroic character. Even when the chips are down and he's down and out, Ford's long list of successful characters win out in the end. With What Lies Beneath - (*spoiler for those who haven't seen it*) Ford is revealed as the antagonist and a murderer. This is a complete 180 degree spin on what we are used to seeing... although a welcome change in my opinion from his stereotypical roles, it destroys a wonderful streak of strong roles as the good guy.

This is where the demise of Ford's career first started to appear. Follow that up with such poorly done films such as K-19 The Widowmaker or Hollywood Homicide... and you got exactly what your film's title proclaims... the death of your career.

Back to Firewall. The movie is a complete flop from beginning to end. It has some strong character actors cast in a movie with little to no script or plot. Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, and Robert Patrick provide support in this film, but it just seems very unrealistic.
Shedding his typical Indiana Jones / President of the U.S. / CIA agent / lawyer / doctor persona (please take your pick), Ford is poorly cast as a firewall expert for a major banking institution.

This seems to be quite a stretch at first because most IT experts don't look like Ford - no offense to those that do. Also, when Bettany does steal the money holding Ford and family hostage... Harrison's character suddenly drinks some Jack Ryan juice and kicks some ass. I'd like to see our IT specialists do that at my work.

Either way... I do not recommend seeing this film for it taints the success of previous Ford films. I hope that his current production of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will breathe some life in this actor's career.

Reference: I originally published this article on Helium.com.