8 Milestones in the Evolution of Harrison Ford
Witness (1985)
It's amazing that this movie isn't discussed more today. Perhaps the "Amish Crime Thrillers" genre isn't what it used to be 25 years ago. Regardless, Ford would receive his one and only Oscar nomination for Witness.
Mosquito Coast (1986)
Ford plays a kind of insane (I never did get used to Ford's hair in this film) inventor named Allie Fox who moves his family to Belize. He later makes ice for a small village and is treated as a god. Helen Mirren plays Ford's wife and River Phoenix plays his son, Charlie. Three years later, Phoenix would play a young version of Indiana Jones. Ford's (arguably) best performance is also his only true box-office bomb of the 1980s.
The Fugitive (1993)
The 1990s were a strange time for Harrison Ford. He had his early '90s hits like the Jack Ryan films and The Fugitive, people forget how good Ford was in the latter, but Tommy Lee Jones upstaged him and won an Oscar. For whatever reason, this is right around the time that Ford started thinking that he could start making light-hearted comedies. Look, Ford can be a funny guy, but his humor is very awkward and dry -- not entirely conducive to films like Sabrina and Six Days Seven Nights. Things got worse in the 2000s.
Extraordinary Measures (2009)
This is by no means a good movie, but it perfectly sums up what was happening to Ford's career. I mean, the guy became an Internet meme for screaming, "I'm already working around the clock!" His grumpiness had become a caricature of himself. What's odd is that Ford found success in 2000 playing a pretty despicable character in What Lies Beneath, but then still chose to pursue roles as the lead hero like in crap like Firewall. This is why Morning Glory is an exciting move for Ford: He learned that he can play grumpy for laughs -- or perhaps even parlay this attribute into his role in Cowboys and Aliens. We'll see...
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Comments
What about Get Offa My Plane?
I've always felt that the best thing for Ford's career would have been crashing in one of his airplanes right after "The Fugitive" He would had forever been the ultimate hero, instead of a washed up, bumbling old man. Oh...and no Indy 4 either! Too harsh?
Yeah, that was considered. It was between that and The Fugitive.
Bob Falfa a break out role? Really? He isn't in the film that much and though Falfa was a fun character, I think the only reason we look back on it now is because Ford played him. But I'll allow it...
If you watch empire strikes back, he is already SERIOUSLY phoning in han solo. every line reading has only enough effort behind it to make the words audible.
I'd say half phoning, half acting in TESB. But Jedi turns it up to 11.
I don't think I've liked any of Ford's roles since The Fugitive in 1993.
He is one of my all-time, all-around favorite actors. Harrison Ford made so many terrific movies. Of course, I loved the adventures of Indiana Jones and with Sean Connery as his father, simply hilarious! The Fugitive and Air Force One were two of my all-time favorite films, and I like him as Jack Ryan. Do not know if I am going to like him in Morning Glory, but I have been Harrison Ford-starved so I guess I will find out.
If I had to choose between The Fugitive and Air Force One. It would be The Fugitive, an excellent job.
I don't think that's true at all, but to each his own
there's no business like show business
what about YOU crashing and burning,so i did not have to read you're retarded post
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Very good article.Really thank you! Really Cool.