Harrison Ford’s been a legend of the silver screen for decades now, first getting his start in the 1960s with minor roles before he exploded in popularity by the late 1970s, and became a leading man by the early 1980s. He’s been a part of some truly popular franchises, too, including theIndiana Jonesseries, which has seen its fifth installment -The Dial of Destiny- get released in 2023.
WhileThe Dial of Destinymight be too flawedto count as a truly great Harrison Ford movie, at leastthe legendary actor - now in his early 80s - has been in numerous other iconic movies over the decades. What follows are some of his best, aiming to highlight the various genres he’s excelled in over the years and will hopefully continue to do for a little longer, seeing as hedoesn’t have any plans to slow downany time soon.
25’Sabrina' (1995)
Directed by Eric W. Schwartz
Based on a 1954movie written and directed byBilly Wilder,Sabrinatakes the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to remakes. It follows the title character after she manages to make her longtime crush, David, fall for her, only for complications to arise due to him already being engaged.
Harrison Ford is featured in the role thatHumphrey Bogartplayed in the original; that of David’s older brother, Linus, who also harbors feelings for Sabrina, despite being much older than her. It’s one of those very old-fashioned films that might only appeal to those who can get on board with the premise, making it a strange choice for a 1990s remake… but at leastas far as remakes go, few could call it a bad one.
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24’The Age of Adaline' (2015)
Directed by Lee Toland Krieger
A movie that combines fantasy with romance,The Age of Adalinerevolves around the title character, a woman who mysteriously stops growing older while in her late 20s. Ford plays a man who was once in love with Adaline but obviously kept aging, as normal people tend to do, with the film ultimately exploring how this causes Adaline angst in her romantic/general life.
Few people would call it one of Ford’s very best movies, but itgave him a great deal to do as an actor, and he rose to the occasion, being another film that shows he can fit into the romance genre surprisingly well.The consensus on Rotten Tomatoessays as much, expressing how Ford and starBlake Livelyare both good, even if the movie itself is flawed.
The Age of Adaline
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23’Patriot Games' (1992)
Directed by Phillip Noyce
One of twoJack Ryanmovies starring Harrison Ford in the lead role and havingAustralian filmmakerPhillip Noyceas director,Patriot Gamescan sort of blend into the crowd of 1990s Harrison Ford action/thriller movies. Buckle in, because there are plenty more mentioned below, and their titles can be easy to mix up.
The plot here centers on Ryan and his family being in danger after the CIA agent interferes with an IRA assassination, leading to plenty of expected action and suspense. It might not rewrite the playbook when it comes to these sorts of movies by any means, butit gets the job done and was successful enough for a sequel in 1994.
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22’The Frisco Kid' (1979)
Directed by Rovert Aldrich
Contrary to popular belief,Westerns can be funny sometimes, and whileThe Frisco Kidisn’t the most well-known Western/comedy film, it is notable for starring a young Harrison Ford. It’s something of a buddy comedy, following Ford’s bank-robbing character going on a series of misadventures with a rabbi, after the two cross paths out in the Old West.
Gene Wilder plays the rabbi here, and of course, also featured in perhaps the most famous Western/comedy crossover movie of all time,Blazing Saddles.The Frisco Kiddoesn’t have quite the same level of acclaim, butanyone looking for more wild and chaotic entertainment in a Western setting could certainly do a lot worse.
The Frisco Kid
A Polish rabbi wanders through the Old West on his way to lead a synagogue in San Francisco. On the way, he is nearly burned at the stake by Native Americans and almost killed by outlaws.
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21’Presumed Innocent' (1990)
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Presumed Innocentis another 1990s Harrison Ford thriller, though this one’s more of a mystery/thriller/drama rather than an action-heavy thriller. Ford plays a prosecutor who gets accused of a crime he didn’t commit, and so has to fight for his innocence in a case that gets more and more complicated with every new development.
It was directed byAlan J. Pakula, who was best known for making a series of successful, paranoia-heavy thrillers in the 1970s, includingAll the President’s Men,Klute, andThe Parallax View.Presumed Innocentis another solid film from Pakula that scratches a similar itch to those 70s releases, andFord gives a good performance as a desperate man struggling to protect his innocence.
20’Clear and Present Danger' (1994)
To poorly paraphraseSmash Mouth, the 90s Harrison Ford thrillersstart coming and they don’t stop coming.Clear and Present Dangeris the secondJack Ryanfilm that starred Ford and was directed by Phillip Noyce, and sees the CIA agent getting wrapped up in a conflict between the U.S. government and a Colombian drug cartel.
Of all themovies based on novels byTom Clancy,it’s one of the most well-known and widely liked. It’s a little better thanPatriot Gamesoverall, having a slightly snappier pace despite being longer, while also benefiting from havingWillem Dafoeappear this time around, who’s a welcome presence in any movie he shows up in.
19’Air Force One' (1997)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
After earlier 1990s thrillers that saw Harrison Ford playing agents who serve the U.S. president,Air Force Onegave him the chance to play the role of (a fictional) president himself. It takes place largely on the titular plane, revolving around how President James Marshall handles the presidential aircraft getting hijacked.
It can be seen as silly or perhaps even a little derivative ofDie Hard, given that movie helped popularize the idea of action/thriller movies taking place in confined locations. But it still overall works,committing to its wild premise with confidence, with things also beinghelped by Ford giving a naturally confident and captivating lead performance.
Air Force One
Communist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.
18’Working Girl' (1988)
Directed by Mike Nichols
A romantic comedy directed byMike Nichols,Working Girlstars Harrison Ford alongsideMelanie GriffithandSigourney Weaver. Though she was billed below Ford and Weaver, Griffith is the protagonist here, playing a young woman who decides to screw her boss over after her boss screws her over, which sees her taking over her boss’s life while she’s recovering in hospital following a skiing accident.
Its tendency to be syrupy and quite aggressive as a romantic comedy means that the satirical edge the film could’ve had is buried, but at least it works as a romantic comedy, silliness and all. While the genre isn’t typically recognized by the Academy Awards,Working Girlproved surprisingly popular among Oscar voters upon release, getting a total of six nominations, including one for Best Picture.
17’Frantic' (1988)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Frantic’san efficiently made andoverall tense psychological thrillerthat will unnerve any viewer who tends to have fears surrounding travel in unfamiliar locales. Ford plays a doctor who goes to Paris with his wife, only for things to quickly turn nightmarish when she suddenly disappears, leading to a desperate search for any clues as to her whereabouts.
As might be expected, complications arise, and it becomes apparent that there’s a wide-reaching conspiracy surrounding the disappearance. It never quite goes so far as to become completely stupid, but it definitely flirts with crossing a line into unreality, which at least keeps it consistently entertaining and unpredictable.
16'42' (2013)
Directd by Brian Helgeland
42is a biopic aboutJackie Robinson, a legendary athlete who made history for being the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball, back in the 1940s/50s. It was one of the first starring roles for the lateChadwick Boseman, who played Robinson, with Harrison Ford playingBranch Rickey, a sports executive who signed Robinson, breaking a previously held color barrier.
The film covers the challenges Jackie Robinson faced resulting from his unique position at the time, ensuring42’sa sports film that also looks at America’s history of racism during the 20th century. It doesn’t break any biopic conventions by any means, but tells a story worth telling, and tells it well, also beingbacked up by strong performances by Boseman and Ford.
