Top 5 Harrison performances

Eileen as a Harrison Ford super fan from age 5+ I have to say I'm glad to see you went with a Ford centric focus for your blog! I too am buoyed by the news that he delivers an engaging -- and engaged -- performance in MORNING GLORY. It has me genuinely excited about seeing the film

Anyway, as to your list, I am curious to see where it goes from here. SDSN is actually one of my least favorite Harrison Ford films of all time (bottom three, perhaps). Still though you make a compelling case and I wonder if I should go back and reexamine it again. If nothing else, I've not heard Mr Ford deliver dialog like that in a film in quite some time, and it's been years since I last saw the movie.

Can't wait to see what clocks in at #4! Keep up the good work

EDIT: IMHO better casting would have been Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio or Linda Fiorentino, either one of whom could have been a better foil for Mr Ford's caustic banter than Ms Heche proved to be

EDIT: Also, the Schwimmer character was entirely too pathetic. It was just painful to watch him. You needed someone more worthwhile for her to be spending time with (even if that person was plagued with self doubt). IMHO Campbell Scott could have done interesting work, and elevated the film. It would make Ford seem like more of a jerk, and give his character more depth, if he was breaking up a relationship that was un-cringe worthy

I class this flick as a guilty pleasure. Ford seems to be playing an older Han Solo in this one (which is a good thing) and the whole film hinges on his charm.

It gets far more flack than it deserves.

Nail on the head Eileen, and I'll echo Ken's guilty pleasure comment. It's one of those performances that makes me stop flipping the channels on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Gotta say that I find Schwimmer more grating than Heche in this movie.

he has 5? Wow...

"Get off my plane" lol

It's almost impossible to give a bad performance when one shares space on the casting list with The Great Temuera Morrison.

It's always nice to remember back when Ford enjoyed being in films and just was not mumbling his way through the script.

Great use of the Dragonheart score in the trailer.

I enjoy this movie for the simple reason that we get to see what would happen to Han Solo if he ever retired from smuggling Kessel spice. Seriously, it's like Ford took all of the great roguish qualities from Solo and rolled them into Quinn. The attitude, the recklessness, the effortless charm...watch any of the scenese where he's actually flying the plane: that's pure Solo, and it's fun.

I'll man-up and admit to enjoying this movie. Nice pick, Eileen.

I don't really like the movie. Despite the aforementioned presence of the wonderful Temuera Morrisson.

But you're right that Ford is great in it. The character deserved a better movie.

Another great choice, It's the duelling awesomeness of Ford and Jones that help to make this film as good as it is.

Fantastic selection, and one of his very best films (certainly his best film of the 90s, I think). I am parroting what other Chewers have already said about Ford in the role here, but the dignity and righteous outrage he imbues into Kimble are what make the movie work. "You find this man! He took everything from me!"

Some people accuse Ford of being bland in the role when compared to the scene stealing TLJ and the villainous Soldier of Orange. Not so. Ford is playing a human being, which makes the horrific circumstances he's suddenly thrust into all the more harrowing. It's probably his least Jones like action role, I think. Even in AFO where he is playing a head of state, his character was a decorated combat vet. Kimble is just a rich, slightly paunchy guy pushed to extremes, and Ford sells that marvelously

PS Thank you for your praise of my suggestion of Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in the Anne Heche role for SDSN, Eileen!

PPS When I first saw this movie on VHS as a small urchin (must have been a year or two after the film came out), I found it terrifying. I was deeply unsettled by the idea that you could be sentenced to death for a crime you didn't commit, and I'd actually get worried that if I went to go visit my grandfather in NY state (where they have the death penalty), something would go awry and a member of my family could end up like Kimble. If they can accuse Harrison Ford of murder, it can happen to anyone! Without making too much of it, I think that the film probably did play some role in the evolution of my feelings on capital punishment

It may not be Top 5 material, but Ford was great in Persumed Innocent.

If Ford gave a damn, he'd fit right back in for the sequel Scott Turow just released.

He's so good in this film that it's more than just a fun thriller romp, it's actually tough for me to watch Kimble suffer. If this is "only" #4 ...

Liking the choices so far, especially that you're considering good performances independently of whether they were in good films.

One thing: If memory serves, when 6 Days and 7 Nights opened the distracting chatter about Heche wasn't regarding her age but her lesbian phase.