Harrison Ford Dramatic Thrillers Movie Reviews

[00:00:00] This podcast is a production of Unfiltered Studios. If you would like to know more about joining Unfiltered Studios, please visit our website at unfpod.com for more information. What happened was I moved to a new school and I was about 12 years old and there was already a well-formed society in that school. And because I was the outsider and didn't fit in, the school sport became throwing me off the edge of the parking lot.

[00:00:30] I got down a 20-foot bank every recess and I don't really remember how it started. But I know that my reaction was just to pick myself, dust myself off and crawl up to the top again. And I developed great sympathy from the girls. So while I was getting thrown off the hill at recess, I was gaining a benefit that lasted through the rest of the day. Mind is we have... any questions then?

[00:00:57] I had taken a course in drama without realizing that it involved a stage appearance. For my dead body. It was nerve-wracking. Well, my first ambition was to overcome that fear. Then I became involved, after that fear dissipated, in the other processes that made acting interesting to me.

[00:01:23] The interest in storytelling and the effect that was created between myself and the audience. That began to help me find a place in society that I hadn't felt before. I never really did do well in television. I survived from small part to small part.

[00:01:46] But my ambition was always to do the kind of work, to play the kinds of roles that didn't seem to occur very often in television. Especially not episodic television. And episodic television, I should say, has come a long way since the days when I was doing Love American Style. Oh, wow. It must have been a really bad scene, huh? What I was anxious to do was to play with the big boys.

[00:02:13] I wanted to do ambitious kinds of films. I wanted to take on characters that were a bit more complicated and interesting. I didn't kill my wife! I don't care! And I was aware of the fact that if I stayed at the same place doing episodic television over and over again, I would wear out my face. I mean, I don't want to wind up like that.

[00:02:39] I never get a chance to do the kind of work I wanted to do. Everything's under control. Situation normal. And because I discovered another way of putting food on the table for my young family by doing carpentry, I was able to wait it out. Because I always knew that tenacity was more important than almost anything else.

[00:03:04] I arrived in Hollywood with the metaphoric bus with a group of young people who all had a similar ambition to mine. And as the years went by, the attrition rate eliminated many of those people from the competition pool. It's very useful to me in selling movies to be well known. The problem that I have is that the most valuable thing to give up in your life is anonymity.

[00:03:34] It's to be able to pass unnoticed through life when you want to. I have learned over a period of time as I have become more and more in public view to deal with the reality of that situation. There are practical means for staying as small as you can in public and not attracting attention to yourself. You know who I am. Aren't you one of those guys? Andrea and a toe. Those guy guys, you know, those guys with skills. Skills?

[00:04:04] I love making movies. I love the opportunity to live different lives. To work with different people on different kinds of subjects. I love getting to travel. I love playing with the big toys that are involved in the evening. I have, I think, the best job in the world. Welcome all, welcome all.

[00:04:29] So once again, we're going to be doing various actor and filmmaker retrospects. You got some new content. You also got some stuff from the archives. We're doing a careful mix. Just there's some stuff is like, yeah, it's got to be unleashed on the world again. It's really delightful chats and sit downs with various people, including my fellow buddy, John Mark, as well as. Well, Steyer, some other various podcaster collaborators. They'll all be credited here in this episode.

[00:04:58] But in this case, we're getting into various chapters of Harrison's career. Many of them just dramatic thrillers. And so enjoy the rest of the show.

[00:06:00] Ensemble. Just huge star power in every project he's on. I think you could say it even just goes all the way back to even just, you know, American Graffiti, Apocalypse Now and even, you know, the more subtle thrillers he does like Mosquito Coase, Witness, Frantic. I think that's a rarity in and of itself. Well, what's your take on it, John?

[00:06:29] So it is funny how you say that. I was reevaluating the Mosquito Coase a few weeks back. I think that's kind of interesting, though, how he decided. He's had some very unusual bad guy roles. And people kind of forget that when they say they're just so used to him being the hero or the anti-hero. And it's like, yeah, but I mean, Harry plays just a symbolic guy who basically destroys his family based on reading and greed.

[00:06:58] And it's like, that's a dangerous role for someone to do back in that prime of their career, you know? It used to be like, no, you're the bad guy. I only see you as the rapist or the serial killer. No, that's what you're playing the rest of your life. People were harsh back then with time casting. Still are in some degree. I definitely recommend Mosquito Coast. That just doesn't get enough love.

[00:07:23] That's another different role for him because that's one where his character basically goes crazy throughout the film. And I mean very subtly, like he just slowly starts raising his voice and then he just does other actions instead of just kind of overacting. Everyone else would kind of chew the scenery and he just kind of just chooses to kind of be manic, but still a little reserved. He's like, what? Okay. Like he just where he takes a lot of machete and just starts hacking down the bamboo himself.

[00:07:53] It's like, man, he's playing a different kind of go getters. There's someone who thinks so I'm not doing anything wrong. Everything I've done, I'm going to justify it, even though it's the worst possible thing ever. Yeah. I guess it goes back to the whole actors, you know, the character background backstory, whether it's in the script or not is like you justify everything they do. That's why you're a good actor.

[00:08:22] He apparently just was able to do the basics and his heart was really in it. But when I saw him on inside the actor's studio, it was definitely interesting because he kind of talked about, I don't recommend it for everybody. And yet, if you want to get the emotional reward out of it, that's when you know you made it. It was like, that was kind of fascinating to me. Everyone else would have just said, you know, it was a girl's money, fame.

[00:08:50] And he just kind of, for whatever reason, he didn't really know what else he wanted to do. But he knew it was like, just kind of got that different personas I want to play around with in front of the camera. Right, right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's strange because I just watched Frantic two or three days ago. Oh, nice. Yeah. And that's one I've described as a very Hitchcock-inspired thriller that he stars in.

[00:09:21] It's a very nuanced performance that you don't normally see with Harrison Ford as often as you should. Yeah. All right, gang. We're on with another series of Star Wars discussions. So, as I probably said before, yeah, just with all these different discussions we're having, I gotta say, like, Harrison is the man.

[00:09:49] And he knows how to just implement and add so much more to every kind of scene, every kind of movie. Frantic is definitely in one of his top ten movies. While it is unfortunate, Roman Polanski is a terrible person. And he, this is definitely one of his more mainstream movies when he's out of the art house and obscure film scene. And again, like, it sounds like a taken type or man on fire type movie nowadays. Not the case.

[00:10:16] It is way more just like about suspense and there's a mild shootout and car chase at the end. But it's kind of much like Chinatown where he just adds realism and gets a little psychological on what would you do? How do you speak a different language? How do you go into these different nightclubs when you're just stranded in Paris one night and got no clues? It's like just beyond compelling who done it. It just shows you how you can make even just the most, you know, Roman's talent was much like Woody Allen.

[00:10:46] Another guy who's a terrible person, but a group filmmaker where he could make the most mundane details. Be just so well framed and very compelling for every audience member. And it's a good starter pack. It's probably one of the first movies I saw by Roman and then put two and two together and realize, wow, I didn't know he actually did that one. I thought he just was the Chinatown Rosemary's baby guy. So it still stands the test of time. It's more than just about who done it.

[00:11:16] It's about here, who, when, where and why. And they there's just so many other supporting characters who add some mild comedy as well without compromising the tone of the movie, which is otherwise serious. And it's able to take levity in between each thrilling segment. It's still a keeper. Still a great movie. I know one we could mention. I also watched a few days ago was presumed innocence.

[00:11:46] Yeah. Yeah. Uh, night. Were you able to see that one? I saw that a long time ago. Yeah. It was one of those. I would always, I would always see it on channels, but I, I always never like saw it all the way. Cause commercials is just terrible. Seeing it on the movie channels, just uncut, you know, and it's glory. It's it. He literally bears his naked soul in that movie. Oh yeah. Yeah.

[00:12:12] Like, and he's technically not even a good person, but just a flawed person. And it's just an interesting is like, how do you defend yourself when, you know, you've done two unforgivable things, been dishonest with your wife, been, you know, job over actual life. And it was like, it's an interesting dilemma and he plays perfectly off of his lawyer, Rahulia. Uh, yeah. I mean, more or less.

[00:12:39] And, uh, and definitely an underrated role for him. And I'm at least glad that he got to play a classic kind of what would have been a forties or fifties, you know, be pitcher with, you know, great music and lighting, you know, just made it. Nineties. Um, I guess you can say he's been, he definitely had a good agent who was just able to get all these movies and, uh, guest spots booked.

[00:13:08] It, he's even funny on his various, you know, late night appearances. Yeah, he has. Oh yeah. So each time he's been on Conan, he's been unexpectedly sarcastic. It was like, never would have seen it.

[00:13:22] Uh, I know Hanover Streave and, uh, random hearts both got lampoon, but I found the rat

[00:14:55] a reasonable despite them having pretty out of wax soundtracks. Hmm. It's still not a six day, seven night. Unlike some of the other people we really covered where they mostly. Had a pretty straightforward, pretty cool resume. He, what blunders he's had have either gone on to be unintentionally funny or just not so bad that they just literally destroy him for the rest of the decade. You know, like in the nineties, he, he fortunately again, yeah, he had food to do.

[00:15:25] If he had a few other lesser seen movies that like devil zone, we got to play opposite Brad Pitt and random hearts, but like those kind of make up for, you know, six days, seven nights. Yeah. And what lies beneath. Yeah. And what lies beneath. So there you go. It's like, all right. So, you know, I've talked about it before, but yeah, random hearts was not half bad. I do not understand why that one just got blessed at the time, but there's like devil zone.

[00:15:54] I think it's a compelling, it's a very sexy movie and there's no sex on screen, but it is really neat seeing Harrison play off of Kristen Scott Thomas and Sidney Pollack is kind of doing again on unofficial kind of Sydney Lament film because there are kind of elements of the dog day afternoon or Serpico in this. Cause there's a crooked cop supporting character played by yours truly Dennis Haysburg.

[00:16:20] You know, the all state guy you've seen him on lonesome dub to 24 the unit. But aside from this, like there's just so many other just great moments to this. And I like how it's just like two atypical people who have a connection, just like, this is pre nine 11. It was like a plane crash, kill both their spouses. And somehow there was just a loose connection while trying to say they were sorry to significant others. So Nick Pollack's behind the wheel.

[00:16:50] And he also gets to start in front of this. There's some other decent supporting star power, including Peter Coyote, Richard Jenkins, Charles is done and Dylan Baker. I would put it on just occasionally. I, it is not a one out of four star movie. That is for something that's just fucking boring and uncapelling this one because it's a typical, I'm just drawn into it every time. And I don't understand why people just want to shit on stuff like this. This was not formulaic at all.

[00:17:21] Uh, a safe Mondavi and Edie Falco even had small parts in this. It definitely everybody make use of your time. Uh, see it. If you're fans of the actors, I mean, there's CS Lee from Dexter's in this, Janine Garofalo's in this. See it. If you just want something that doesn't play by any kind of rules and allows the actors to even challenge themselves more, even if you don't like it, don't tell me it's actually just poorly made. Cause it's not.

[00:17:49] Now on to firewall again, it's a fun dad movie, but it has some problems, but it gets to the point and it gives you kind of what you need. I mean, it's basically the B or C list of Harrison's career. You know, we have the aim with less capers. Like we mentioned earlier with the mosquito quest coast and you know, all the Coppola and Spielberg and Lucas collaborations, but yeah, firewall pretty compelling as well.

[00:18:18] I didn't care for it when I first saw it premiere on FX cable, but it's grown on me over time. And yes, it's entertaining with or without the rift tracks as we'll get into later in the clip. And onto the next one. I guess you could say firewalls kind of an interesting rift tracks and just an interesting experiment on how he was willing to still kind of go the Jodie Foster route or Bruce Willis route of just doing his formula to death. It's still just doing it when everyone's still solid.

[00:18:48] Anyway, you're like, it looks terrible. Let's go see it. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. That one. Actually haven't seen. I don't. I know of it. I've ever seen previews for it back in the day. Okay. So here's my take on the firewall. It's one of those movies that doesn't reinvent anything, but it knows exactly what it is and leans into it. You basically got Harrison Ford doing the every man under pressure thing that he perfected in the 90s.

[00:19:18] And that still works. He's believable as this regular guy who gets pushed into an extreme situation. And the movie rides that tension pretty well. Yeah, the plot is super formalic family threatened smart guy forced out think criminals ticking clock all that but it's executed cleanly. The pacing doesn't drag the state state clear and there's enough tech entry with the bank security angle to keep it interesting.

[00:19:45] What really sells it is for himself. Even when the script is predictable, he grounds it. You buy his desperation, his frustration and those little moments where he's quietly figuring out how to fight back. It's not groundbreaking, but it's solid comfort food thriller territory. If you go in expecting a tight old school action suspense movie instead of something flashy or original, it absolutely delivers.

[00:20:13] I guess you could say it was interesting just how he kind of even starts slowly kind of doing very atypical kind of roles when he stops doing all the action stuff. When I saw the Jackie Robinson story 42 and crossing over very, you know, he did dramas and he doesn't play his typical persona and either of those, you know, subplots.

[00:20:36] But they were both kind of interesting movies because they were just very atypical, the predictable Hollywood formula. And so it's like, well, that might have been why they didn't do as great, but they still, you know, were pretty interesting movie. And it was kind of cool to see him kind of go back to that, you know, independent kind of formula on a big, you know, Hollywood budget.

[00:20:59] So kudos to him to even just bother to take that leap of faith and just say, no, I'm going to just play it safe, you know, with the big studio pictures all night. So as I implied a little bit here, yeah, crossing over pretty solid movie gives you what you want and what you need. And it's just so wild just seeing everyone was comparing this to everything. I, you know, it's like Magnolia, it's like Crash, it's too political, but it's good in its own right.

[00:21:29] It's definitely one of my top Harrison Ford roles. And, you know, much like 42, he was really challenging himself. And of course, because it was an action adventure or one of the underestablished properties, it didn't get seen by many. But despite the troubled history, I've come back to this movie a few different times. And 42, again, I had pals who were friends and family who were baseball fans who were kind of let down by that one.

[00:21:56] You're like, eh, it's, you know, it's an important story. It's just not really going where I want it to. But when an all-star cast, you know, the Jackie Robinson backstory, but it was a big, big deal. Luke Splack, Ryan Merriman, Alan Took, Brett Collin, John C. McGinley was the announcer, you know him from Scrubs. And Chris Maloney was one of the other disgraced baseball players.

[00:22:26] But I would recommend it, especially the other people they have in there. James Plickens Jr., Max Gale from Barney Miller. It was a solid production and got the job done, especially for someone like me who's not into sports. But all together, gives you what you need. So, yeah, the last thing I'm going to say is, yeah, Paranoia, not a good movie.

[00:22:51] You should probably watch it just because both Gary Oldman and Harrison are trying to make heads or tails about this otherwise very forgettable movie. I think I was blown away by it at first because I was expecting just bottom of the barrel. But then I also understood that's also the problem. Nothing about this stands out. We have a very bland actor, one of the Hemsworths, you know, in this. And then we have Everheard, you know, who I didn't think was very good, Free Scandal.

[00:23:20] And really nothing to recommend about it other than the electronic music. So you're probably only going to put this on if you're just on for a lazy day. But, yeah, that concludes. I love how I'm wrapping it up. There's not much to say. But that wraps up all those dramatic fillers for Harrison. Thank you. And until next time, let's entertain your ears. You'll return after these messages.

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