Posted on 07/13/2022 9:42:00 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Harrison Ford has played some of the most memorable and iconic characters in the history of cinema. Han Solo, Indiana Jones and Rick Deckard in the Bladerunner films despite making their first screen appearances, decades ago, and still remain audience favorites.
In addition to the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Blade Runner series, Ford has starred in many hugely successful films, such as The Fugitive, Air Force One, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger.
But the downside of superstardom is that some among Ford’s efforts were dwarfed, not because of their lack of eminence, but because of the tendency of audiences and critics to focus on the blockbusters and the iconic characters.
On his 80th birthday, let’s revisit some of Harrison Ford's underrated films, in no particular order of importance.
Witness (1985)
When a young Amish boy witnesses a murder, the investigating officer (Ford) goes into hiding with the boy and his mother in Amish country. The film is notable for the endearing love story that develops between Ford’s detective and the boy’s widowed mother. This is arguably Ford’s finest acting moment and that earned him his only Academy Award nomination, so far.
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Ford is enthralling as Allie Fox, the cynical but genius inventor who relocates his family to the jungles of Central America because he is sick of the decadence within the U.S. Fox is selfish, unpleasant, humorless, and egocentric to the point of madness. As he goes deeper into the jungle, he begins to lose his sanity.
The film is dark and disturbing, and also a fascinating character study.
It makes one wonder what Ford's career would have been like in the absence of his superstardom. He would have excelled playing a wider variety of parts that were not necessarily virtuous.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
his acting always struck me as seeming like he was heavily pumped full of Thorazine- no emotion hardly- even his occasional smiles seemed forced and awkward- never liked his acting- the movies he starred in were good though
Oh, how I swooned over Han Solo and Indiana Jones back in those days.
I first became aware of that hunk in “American Graffiti.”
How can he be 80? That was all just a few years ago, wasn’t it? 😏
That one was in the article.
Random Hearts (1999) with Kristin Scott Thomas is a lesser-known Harrison Ford movie but one I enjoyed, not what I expected.
I saw that movie when it came out and everyone stood up and cheered at that scene. FWIW I was on a date and my date thought the movie was stupid. That was our first and last date.
#38 - One of my favorite scenes ever. 😆
Right - there are great actors like Jack Nicholson, Jon Voigt or Christopher Walken, who played bad guys as often as good guys - and I was just fine with it.
I guess Harrison Ford was type cast as a good guy for so long it was hard for me to switch gears.
Plus, in movies like the Fugitive and Presumed innocent, the whole plot revolved around him turning out to be innocent - so this one movie (What Lies Beneath) was a bit confusing (at least to me).
He was great until he turned 60 or so. After that, he started to phone it in and was doing it just for the money.
I thought he was great in the Witness and Air Force One in the '90s, but it seemed that his performance dropped after that.
Harrison doesn’t even come close to the stature of Clint as, either, an American or an American icon...
IMHO
The plane was a single wing WWII trainer. A Ryan PT22 Recruit.
It was a PT 22, A mono plane. The old Kenner had a carburetor problem he did a pretty good job putting it down and keeping it from being totaled and not hurting anyone. IMO.
A very nice restored one. Very expensive.
*kinner. Dictation mode
#25 Calista got him to wear an earring....
Actress Melora Hardin: Even Harrison Ford isn’t cool with an earring.
You forgot Sabrina.
That one was in the article too.
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