Musings, Nits, and Praises

At age 64, Harrison Ford is starring in yet another action-thriller-- Firewall. If you haven't seen the trailer, he's the designer of some bank who is strongarmed by a bad guy to rob the bank once the bad guy kidnaps his wife and daughter. Despite some roles in more dramatic pictures--American Graffiti and Regarding Henry being the only two of real note--he's a star because of the action-thriller. Now, I like plenty of Harrison Ford movies (the aforementioned dramas, Witness, Frantic, Patriot Game, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc.) but at some point does any actor get to old to star in action flicks? I mean, Clint Eastwood had the good sense not to continue shooting Dirty Harry movies.

And, of course, the latest Ford thriller is replete with his obligatory, overacted "I'm a ticked off tough guy" line, which nearly always center on his character's wife or family: "I want my wife!"--Frantic, "I didn't kill my wife. You find that man!"--The Fugitive, and in the latest film "You get your money when I get my family!" Of course, there's "Get off of my plane!" to the painfully un-Russian Gary Oldman in Air Force One. (Since he's protecting his family in that one, it counts with the others.) I suspect that if one were to read the script of an action movie not starring Ford, one would find "to be read like Harrison Ford" beside intense lines.

Incidentally, Indiana Jones 4 is slated for 2007.