ROTTEN TOMATOES: Indiana Jonesin': The Best of Harrison Ford

Indiana Jonesin': The Best of Harrison Ford

by Jen Yamato

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3. Captain John Book in Witness
Tomatometer: 96%

Ford's lone Oscar nomination came thanks to this 1985 undercover cop-in-Amish-land thriller. Go figure. As police Captain John Book -- who's not above laying into a few punk kids on the behalf of the Pennsylvania Dutch -- Ford is many things: brutish, protective, handy with a hammer. Plus, his romance with Kelly McGillis is the right kind of wrong.

Best quote: Eli Lapp, on Book's impending smackdown of local toughs: "It's not our way."
John Book: "It's my way."

Video

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2. Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back
Tomatometer: 97%

Han Solo, one of Ford's major career-defining roles, had plenty of his own character-defining moments in Episode V. Three years after helping the Alliance destroy the Death Star, Han is getting antsy -- and plans to take off on his own again. But there's that pesky problem of his... increasing loyalty to the cause and to his friend, Luke Skywalker, who he saves from freezing to death only to get trapped in a double-cross by Lando Calrissian. All of which leads to two of Han Solo's most memorable achievements: heating things up with Princess Leia, then getting frozen in a chunk of carbonite.

Best quote: Princess Leia: "I love you." Han Solo: "I know."

Video

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1. Rick Deckard in Blade Runner: The Final Cut
Tomatometer: 97%

In the year 2019, ex-cop Rick Deckard (Ford) is summoned out of retirement to hunt and kill a group of rogue "replicants" -- bioengineered androids who've proven unstable and deadly -- and so begins one of Harrison Ford's most celebrated, if decidedly darker, roles. He filmed Blade Runner directly after playing Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and resumed those characters immediately after, in Return of the Jedi and Temple of Doom. But it was a smart departure for Ford -- and, decades later, earned him enduring cult status.

Best quote: "All he'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die."

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Related Items

Movie:	Blade Runner - The Final Cut
	The Empire Strikes Back
	Witness
	Star Wars
	The Fugitive
	Presumed Innocent
	Working Girl
	Clear and Present Danger
	Air Force One
	Patriot Games
	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Celeb:	Harrison Ford

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(1-20 of 44 posts) | Reply

TombstoneLawDog writes:
on May 12 2008 09:18 PM

I've always thought that if Ford had a strength, it was playing to his.. strength(?). He does(did) the reluctant hero thing better than just about anybody. Range? not so much. Charisma? in spades, circa 81 through 94.

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Superzone writes:
on May 12 2008 09:19 PM

Harriswon Ford is freakin' awesome. 'Nuff said.

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Jen Yamato writes:
on May 12 2008 09:37 PM

Totally agree, Tombstone. He's not a versatile actor, but he's damn good at what he does.

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Vortex&Vertigo writes:
on May 12 2008 10:01 PM

I have to disagree with the best quote on TESB, The best quote is this one:

Leia
I love you

Han
I know

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jasper de large writes:
on May 12 2008 10:09 PM

'witness' is a great one. also, check out 'mosquito coast' by the same director. i guess its tomatometer wasn't hot enough to make the list[really?] but it's def one of his standout roles

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Floor Man writes:
on May 13 2008 03:00 AM

Dayum...that man has been in a lot of great movies...I forgot! :)

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Weston B writes:
on May 13 2008 07:39 AM

I have to admit a bit of a man-crush on Harrison Ford.

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rle4lunch writes:
on May 13 2008 08:18 AM

Talking about range, while he doesn't strech too far from his main genre, he did do well in 'Regarding Henry'. I actually enjoyed that movie, even though I was in High School when that movie came out. As well as playing a bad guy in 'What Lies Beneath'.

thoughts?

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Books writes:
on May 13 2008 09:13 AM

What the hell. The Mosquito Coast is my favourite movie of all time. It didn't even make RT's ****ty list? Ford has also personally stated it is his favourite role.

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DarthWonka writes:
on May 13 2008 09:42 AM

It seemed obvious to me as well that the best line from "Empire" was "I know" after Leia's "I love you." Ford made up that line himself after several takes of "I love you too" failed to feel right. I think RT should either change his best line or make room to add this one.

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Jen Yamato writes:
on May 13 2008 09:50 AM

Geez ok folks, I'm changing the Empire quote. The people have spoken!

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Jen Yamato writes:
on May 13 2008 09:53 AM

Books, we didn't handpick these roles - otherwise I wouldn't have included Han Solo and Jack Ryan twice. We went by the Tomatometer - Ford's ten best-reviewed films (with a few conditions), because these ten films also happen to be some of his most memorable characters.

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smi1ey writes:
on May 13 2008 09:59 AM

In reply to this comment (#1733166)
Oh lord I agree with Vortex... that quote from Star Wars definitely should rank high on the best quote list!

What about "He didn't have his ticket." after he throws the guy out of the zeppelin from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? I always loved that one.

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Shatter24 writes:
on May 13 2008 10:20 AM

I agree with Jasper on "Mosquitto Coast". An excellent turn by Ford in a different kind of role. I think he does have some versatility, and this, along with another good, non-Ford role, "Regarding Henry", shows that this guy can really act. He does take roles he is good at and comfortable with (which has made him a box office star) and has a definite Ford charisma, but there are subtle character differences in Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Rick Deckard (they are not all the same guy).

I hope Hollywood can find a place for Ford after Indy IV. His last good film was 2000's "What Lies Beneath" and he's been cast in crap ever since. I'd like to see him do a final Jack Ryan film, with the "Debt of Honor" storyline, where he becomes Vice-President, because of some political bargaining, there's terrorists, and a surprise twist at the end. That would be a great, age appropriate film for him.

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ihatecarneys writes:
on May 13 2008 10:50 AM

The best line of his career was from "The Last Crusade."

Connery, "I didn't know you could fly a plane."

Ford, "Fly yes. Land, No."

Classic Ford.

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tgibfo writes:
on May 13 2008 11:24 AM

Simply put, and I'm going into fanboy overload on this, Harrison Ford is God. I have to disagree with the Tomatometer on BLADE RUNNER over EMPIRE, and I think it would be obvious (to me) that RAIDERS would be number one on the list (at 98% I believe) if the Indy series was allowed on here, but an otherwise good list. Worth checking out also btw is HANOVER STREET, FRANTIC and FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE.

"I don't know, I'm making this up as I go."

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on May 13 2008 12:27 PM

Harson Ford is numer 1!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hes still proving hes the best and better action star and actor the Steve McQuenn. Firewall was the only movie I didnt like that he did. Raiders of the Lost Arc is the best movie ever.

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PennsylvaniaJames writes:
on May 13 2008 01:18 PM

No Indiana Jones on this list? I'm disappointed! I would think that Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade would be there.

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NotoriA writes:
on May 13 2008 01:44 PM

The classic hero of many film generations, from Star Wars to Indiana Jones, to playing the president of the USA. However what makes Harrison Ford such an amazing actor, is that his movies still ring true today and no matter how crappy a film he might have made ( cough* Random Hearts cough*) He still has so much charisma when he acts that you really end up loving the film because of him.

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tomwaitsjr writes:
on May 13 2008 04:01 PM

I thought air force one was one of the dumbest movies he's ever done.

I think he's fairly versatile, I remember Regarding Henry.

He can play the wisecrackin' Han Solo, and then that murderous guy in . . . well, some movie he did with Pfeiffer.

(he also had a small role in Apocalypse Now)

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