4:07 PM

Harrison Ford: Because I Can

Posted by Rebecca | Labels: , , ,

I was introduced to Star Wars the worst way possible. I was in my early double digits, sitting in a hotel room and these small teddy-bear things came onto the screen. Entranced, I watched the last hour of perhaps the greatest movie trilogy of all-time before I had seen anything that had come beforeit. I know. Blasphemy.

But it will make you all feel better to know that I eventually did go back to watch the rest of the trilogy and, thanks to perhaps the worst memory on the planet, I managed to completely forget that hour I had seen before. Sure, I remembered the teddy bears but WHAT? He’s his father? And HAN SOLO IS GOING TO DIE! In fact, I expressly remember calling my father at work sobbing at the end of Empire Strikes Back and him saying something like “I had to wait three years!” Fathers. But anyways, Star Wars managed to start me out on my first actor marathon (to be followed years later by the likes of Ewan McGregor and Michael Sheen). I wanted to watch every Harrison Ford movie ever made.Now a lot of people say that Ford is perhaps the worst popular actor of all time. Everyone loves him, but the guy can’t act. And although I may agree that it’s about time that Ford retire (cough*IndianaJonesandtheCrystalSkull*cough), I can’t agree that the guy didn’t have his moments. His great moments in fact. Here are my favorites:

5: Regarding Henry: This little-remembered film is one of the few Ford films that don’t revolve around being anaction hero. Instead he’s a creep of a lawyer that gets shot in the head and wakes up remembering nothing of who he used to be. It’s his most understated film in his list, which means that it’s some of his best acting.

4: Air Force One: I mean—it’s Air Force One. Perhaps I just love this one because it was my first R rated film and it made me feel old, or maybe it’s because I just really, really, really like this movie. It’s Ford being an action hero, but it’s Ford being a Presidential Action hero. And that’s really cool. Don’t we all, sorta, wish Obama was a little bit more like him?

3: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: Indiana Jones may be my favorite action hero of all time. You know what, scratch that, he is my favorite action hero. Consider the facts: He’s a smart historian who’s interesting in preserving the past. He battles the Nazis for control of the Ark of the Covenant. He has an obvious, fun weakness (why does it always have to be snakes?), and…well….he goes around wearing a really cool hat.

2. Empire Strikes Back: Han Solo. Need I say more? Sure, I will. Although people think that this is pretty standard fare for Harrison Ford, I believe that the Star Wars trilogy would have been less without him. Sure, I guess Tom Selleck might have been interesting (a mustached Han Solo? Let’s all think about this for a second), but Harrison Ford brought this roguish, fun angle to it.

1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: I’m watching this in the background as I type this blog post. It was supposed to be background noise as I worked, but…well…that didn’t really work. This is perhaps the movie that my family quotes to each other the most (INDIANA! Elsa never really believed in the grail.) But it’s also, I think, Harrison Ford at his best. A weathered hero who has to protect his family, stop the Nazis, and outwit three ancient traps. It’s brilliant. It’s epic.

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