Sunday, July 13, 2014

Harrison Ford's Top 5 Characters


Happy Birthday Harrison Ford!

Today, one of the heroes of my movie going youth turns 72 years young. With some very recent critical acclaim and some rather big upcoming projects, the man is still going strong. Hopefully, he'll be all healed up from his injury soon so he can resume work on the new Star Wars flick. In the meantime, we might as well honor him by taking a look at his top 5 characters. Characters is the key word. These are not necessarily individual performances because, as many of you know, he's played several characters more than once. With that in mind, let's get started...


#5
President James Marshall
(Air Force One)
Obviously, I could have went a lot of different ways here. I chose this character because the movie he was in was truly all about him. Air Force One is such a fun, if at times goofy movie, and every bit of our enjoyment is due to Harrison Ford. And when he finally says "Get off my plane!" we can't help but cheer.


#4
Dr. Richard Kimble
(The Fugitive)
I absolutely love this movie. There really is no way around it. Anyone who tells me that Harrison Ford wasn't brilliant in this is either lying or crazy. His cat-and-mouse with Tommy Lee Jones is truly epic.


#3
Branch Rickey
(42)
Wait a minute...this? Ahead of his work as Dr. Kimble or Pres. Marshall? This? Yup. Here's the deal, I don't think 42 is a better movie than either Air Force One or The Fugitive, but Ford is better personally. If there's one character he truly disappears into, this one is it. The person, or persona, I think of when I hear the name Harrison Ford never surfaces during this performance. Not once.


#2
Han Solo
(Star Wars Franchise)
Okay, so you probably knew this one was coming. That doesn't make Han Solo any less iconic. And let's not forget cool. In fact, the biggest thing this character has going for him is that he's the coolest character in the Star Wars universe. Some of you are thinking "What about Darth Vader?" Answer this question for me: which one would you rather hang out with?


#1
Indiana Jones
(Indiana Jones Franchise)
Given my #2, there could only be one answer for the top choice. Indy is cool, especially under pressure, super smart, gets the ladies, and travels the world taking down archaeological terrorist. Oh, I almost forgot, he does it all with his hat on. For me, that last factor is enough to put him over the top. For you, I'll throw in the fact that Indy doesn't have to take a back seat to anyone and can save the world with or without help.


Well, there's my 2 cents on the matter. The man has credits going back almost 50 years so I'm sure I left a character out that you're just dying to tell me about. Feel free.



14 comments:

  1. Good list! Whenever I think of Harrison Ford, I immediately think og Han Solo and Indiana Jones.

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    1. Those two guys really are who he is, aren't they? I wouldn't be surprised if he has a drivers' license in either name.

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  2. Great list! I don't think Ford is ever replaceable as Indiana Jones (no matter how Hollywood tries). Air Force One is also one of my favorite movies of his.

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    1. Yeah, whoever the new Indy is can't possibly be as good. And yeah, Air Force One is just plain fun.

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  3. He's one of the heroes of my youth too and I can't fault your choices.
    One Harrison Ford character I would give a mention to is John Book is Witness. That film and the character rank amongst my favourites and to quote Roger Ebert from his original review “Harrison Ford has never given a better performance in a movie.”

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    1. That's a great one. He was excellent in Witness, as well. I considered it, but left that one just on the outside looking in.

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  4. Awesome picks! Loved that you added in Rickey! He rocked that performance. I've always thought of President Marshall as Richard Kimble in another life. Amazing list. This was a fun read!

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    1. Have to admit I never thought of Pres. Marshall that way, but now that you bring it up it makes sense. Thanks.

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  5. When it comes to Star Wars/Star Trek debates. Never say that Han Solo is cooler than Captain Kirk nor call Han Solo a bitch. After all, the real enemy is those Twilight fans.

    W/ the exception of 42 which I haven't seen, this list is spot-on as I want to include John Book from Witness which I think is one of Ford's best performances.

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    1. Sound advice, indeed. He really is amazing in 42, a good not great film.

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  6. Dude. I would totally rather hang with Solo. I mean, not only cause he's cool as shit, but I'm bound to get some face time with Chewbacca, not to mention maybe some inadvertent Leia action. Way cooler than Vader. Hands down.

    I love this list other than I haven't seen 42, but, in my defense, I have seen Morning Glory. And let me tell you....I hated everything about it. Even Harrison Ford.

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    1. I wasn't thinking about the Chewbacca angle, but that's a great point. Haven't seen Morning Glory. Sounds like that's a good thing.

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  7. Great list! The Harrison Ford characters that stand out to me are: President Marshall (Air Force One), Dr Henry Jones (Indiana Jones), Dr Richard Kimball (The Fugitive), John Book (Witness - one of the greatest movies ever made IMO), and Jack Ryan (Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games..)

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    1. Another vote for Witness. It's been a while since I've seen it. Might have to refresh my memory. I'm surprised you're the first person to mention Jack Ryan, though. He received some heavy consideration, but ultimately missed he cut.

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