Harrison Ford

Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, Harrison Ford has a long list of memorable characters to his name. It's hard to believe that Ford is almost 70 years old, but no matter how old he is, he is and will remain one of the great stars in the last quarter of the 20th Century. A true star. Reviews of the original Star Wars trilogy and the Indiana Jones movies have been on my to-do list for awhile so hopefully they'll be coming along soon! Click on the movie titles for the full reviews.

Apocalypse Now (1979): An odd, existential, somewhat meandering look at the Vietnam War through the trippy eyes of director Francis Ford Coppola. Somewhat loosely based off of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, it serves more as a condemnation of war than anything. Ford has a small part as an Army Intelligence officer, joining a cast that includes Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, a young Laurence Fishburne, and Robert Duvall.

Blade Runner (1982): An early non-Star Wars part for Ford in this Ridley Scott-directed science fiction classic. In a future society, replicants almost resemble human beings to the point it's nearly impossible to differentiate them. Ford plays Deckard, a Blade Runner, a man responsible for capturing any fugitive/renegade replicants. The look of the movie is incredible, and the ending is especially memorable.

Cowboys & Aliens (2011): A western mixed with science fiction?!? How can you go wrong? I wanted to love this movie but only ended up liking it. Ford teams up with born action star Daniel Craig in this genre-bending action flick. Lot of fun, but it takes itself a little bit too seriously. Even a little humor would have been welcome. Good movie, could have been better.

Force 10 from Navarone (1978): Bearing little resemblance to its source novel and having no holdovers from the original, The Guns of Navarone, this is a sequel that stands on its own. It isn't a classic, but as pure WWII action/adventure escapism, it's hard to beat. Ford, Robert Shaw, Edward Fox and Carl Weathers are commandos helping Yugoslavian partisans with a seemingly impossible mission. Also look for Franco Nero, Richard Kiel and Barbara Bach.

Journey to Shiloh (1968): A low-budget western mostly notable for its cast of future stars, including Ford in a nearly silent part, James Caan and Michael Sarrazin. It has the distinct feel of a TV show as a gang of teenage Texans join up in the Civil War, quickly finding out there's no such thing as the "glory of war."

The Devil's Own (1997): Solid, unspectacular story of a Chicago cop taking in a "distant relative" without really knowing what's going on. Ford and rising star Brad Pitt are good together, but the movie on the whole is missing that special something to make it especially memorable.

American Graffiti (1973): One of the pre-Star Wars movies that helped put Ford on the map. He has a small but memorable part as a drag-racing, cowboy hat-wearing teen with a reputation. Coming of age stories seem a dime a dozen, but this one from director George Lucas and featuring Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfuss deserves the very positive reputation it's built up over the years.

Patriot Games (1992): Han Solo or Indiana Jones might be Ford's most instantly recognizable characters, but Jack Ryan may be his best overall, starring here for the first of two parts as the Tom Clancy hero. Ryan is a former CIA analyst who draws the murderous aim of the IRA after accidentally stumbling into and foiling a hit attempt. James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, Sean Bean, Anne Archer all join the cast.

A Time for Killing (1967): Not really a "Ford movie" mostly because Ford (in just his third movie) is only on-screen for a few seconds. An underrated, off-beat western though with a mean streak up its back and an all-around solid cast.

Hopefully many more reviews to come for Ford fans!