At one time he was the most bankable, reliable and biggest “A” List name in Hollywood. Harrison Ford, for seemingly eternity, could absolutely no wrong. Film after film that he appeared in was both critically acclaimed, fan appreciated, and financially successful (to varying degrees). His was a name that when it was attached to a movie, everyone sat up and took notice of that project. The next Harrison Ford film was a big deal. Especially to me. I love this guy!
Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Patriot Games, Witness, Working Girl, Sabrina, Regarding Henry, and hell… even Air Force One. The man was pure money and like I said, it seemed he could do no wrong. But then suddenly it happened.
About 10 years ago something changed. It was right after Air Force One and hit us across the face like a woman who didn’t appreciate you playing a spontaneous game of nipple twister with her. Six Days Seven Nights with Anne Heche came out of nowhere and punch Ford fans in the proverbial balls. An awful, terrible movie… not the worst ever made by any stretch of the imagination… but the first truly poor Ford lead film I had seen. Surely… it must be just a fluke right?
Then came one of the truly worst films I’ve seen in the past decades… and maybe deserves a spot on the worst 20 major films of all time list. Random Hearts. A film so bad, that it’s even reported that the director just didn’t know where to go with it and once sat down with the leads and asked them “What do you think this movie is about?”. It was 2 in a row… but it was not the last… not by a long shot.
What Lies Beneath came out as one of the most boring, cliche ridden plot hole filled “horror” films I’d ever seen. WE GET IT!!! THE DOOR CLOSING BY ITSELF IS SPOOKY… WE FRIGGING GET IT!!! For some reason, some people liked it, and critics didn’t hate it… and it even did respectably at the box office… but it really was 3 strikes… and suddenly… when it was announced that his next film, K-19 The Widowmaker was coming out… people didn’t really care. For the first time in my lifetime, a Harrison Ford movie was coming out that was getting next to no attention.
The unthinkable had happened. Harrison Ford wasn’t “A” List anymore. The era had come to an end. And it was only about to get worse.
Hollywood Homicide was just sad (and I mean that literally) to watch. To see this legend… this icon… now laid so low. It broke my heart. And the next film, Firewall… although a little better, wasn’t nearly enough to cure the situation.
So here we are… nearly 10 years into this age of a non-bankable, non-“A” List, non-buzz generating Harrison Ford. 10 years… and it still doesn’t feel right.
However, with the coming of Indiana Jones 4, we stand on the cusp of something we haven’t seen in almost a decade… a movie with Harrison Ford as the lead that people are actually excited and buzzing about. As a matter of fact, a recent survey showed that Indiana Jones 4 is the most anticipated movie of the next 12 months.
The question is… what does this mean for Harrison Ford? His name will be in the spotlight again for certain, but what does this do for his career at 65 years of age? He’s going back to his roots as the king of adventure, but once he puts down the whip, I highly doubt we’ll see other studios lining up to sign Ford for their next big summer blockbuster adventure movie.
He’s no longer the believable heart throb for younger leading ladies (shown in Six Days Seven Nights), so I doubt another Working Girl is in the cards.
And folks let’s face it… comedy just ain’t Harrison’s thing at all (although it works pretty well in his adventure movies).
So where does Harrison Ford go from here? Once the slam dunk blockbuster success of Indiana Jones comes and goes, where does that leave our beloved Harrison? Let’s face it, even though Sylvester Stallone made a fantastic Rocky 6 movie, and people are buzzing about seeing Rambo again, I don’t hear anybody talking about Stallone apart from those roles at all. No one is talking about Sylvester in other movies anymore. People are more interested in the character than they are in the actor. Is the same thing going to happen to Harrison Ford?
Once Indiana Jones 4 is gone, are we left with a renewed popularity for one of our generations greatest actors? Or are we left with just “the guy who was just Indiana Jones again”? At 65, with no more adventure and Indiana Jones behind him, can this Indy buzz infusion re-kick start Ford’s career… or are those days truly long gone? Personally, I really hope for the kick start.
