Best Harrison Ford film performance

[TownerFan 4,983]

I was talking about Harrison Ford with some friends and this question popped up in my mind. I don't know if anyone ever did such a poll here. Sorry if it was already done.

I didn't include of course every single item of his career, but only pivotal films/roles from 1977 until today.

Personally, I think his best ever are Raiders, The Mosquito Coast and Frantic.

[chuck 154]

I like his performance in Air Force One.

And in K-19:The Widowmaker.

[Wojo 2,453]

I voted Crystal Skull because I don't feel like taking the world seriously today.

[TownerFan 4,983]

I like his performance in Air Force One.

And in K-19:The Widowmaker.

Poll amended

[Quintus 5,399]

Raiders by ten billion light years.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

A few of those I still haven't seen, so I can't say definitively. But I'd probably go with The Empire Strikes Back.

Presumed Innocent deserves a mention though.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Greg1138 3]

Raiders of the Lost Ark by a country mile.....but honourable mention to Air Force One - one of my favourite screen US Presidents.

[King Mark 3,630]

Raiders and TESB

He's not a very good actor outside of Han Solo or Indiana Jones I'm afraid, but those 2 characters he inhabits perfectly

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Well I really liked the ambiguity he brought to Presumed Innocent.

[Quintus 5,399]

I love him in anything.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

KM is full of crap.

Ford is a terrific actor. He was fine in Star Wars, ESB, Raiders, Blade Runner, etc. but it was two roles I struggled between. Witness is a superb performance, full of nuances and little quirks, but its his turn in What Lies Beneath that is the one I chose.

To see him play against type was terrific. I urge those who have not seen this film watch for him performance. It is exceptional.

[Jay 37,336]

Ford has indeed been fantastic in many other movies besides the "big 6". Even in The Fugitive he is great.

[Datameister 2,041]

I haven't seen many of these, but he's great in Raiders...

[pixie_twinkle 48]

No Return Of The Jedi? Wow. That's harsh.

He gets almost nothing to work with in Jedi, so I can understand why it isn't on the list.

I went with Bladerunner. His best films are Raiders, Star Wars, and Empire, but if we're judging his performance alone I think Bladerunner shows off his acting talents slightly better.

Surprised Hannover Street isn't on the list, though it's a pretty dull film.

[Trent B 337]

Air Force One gets my vote. It's one of my favorite movies and he did a hell of an awesome job in that film.

The runner up would definitely be The Empire Strikes Back.

[Quintus 5,399]

KM is full of crap.

Ford is a terrific actor. He was fine in Star Wars, ESB, Raiders, Blade Runner, etc. but it was two roles I struggled between. Witness is a superb performance, full of nuances and little quirks, but its his turn in What Lies Beneath that is the one I chose.

To see him play against type was terrific. I urge those who have not seen this film watch for him performance. It is exceptional.

I wouldn't go that far, but I agree he was certainly pretty damn good and entertaining in the role. Very entertaining, and surprisingly rather threatening!

[TownerFan 4,983]

He's not a very good actor outside of Han Solo or Indiana Jones I'm afraid

I do not agree. While he surely ain't Al Pacino or Daniel Day-Lewis, he's a very good actor with more craft than he usually recognized for. He got sort of typecasted into stoic hero roles for too much time. There was a time during the late '80s/early 90s where he showed his better skills imho (Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Frantic, Working Girl, Presumed Innocent) and seemed he wanted to pursue a more varied career. At that point, he was one of the few modern Hollywood actors who seemed to have the same knack of classic 1940s/1950s Hollywood stars while having a modern edge at the same time.

Then, after the huge success of The Fugitive and Jack Ryan movies he got again stuck into marble-like roles of the undefeatable American hero and got away with some questionable fare like Air Force One or forgotten duds like Six Days and Seven Nights or Devil's Own. During the last 10 years he didn't do particularly good movies, none of them featured a memorable performance (with the exception maybe of What Lies Beneath) and most of them will likely end up forgotten. That's why he became tied more than ever to his great roles of the past, Indy above all.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

He's the quintessential Hero. If one has to be typed cast into a specific characterization this is not a bad one to be stuck in.

BTW his performance in Raiders of the Lost Ark is terrific work. It's something a Pacino(overrated actor in my book) or Daniel Day Lewis (often too intense) could ever do. That's why there are so many outstanding actors out there with varied talents.

[Incanus 5,714]

Harrison Ford's portrayal of Indiana Jones in the Raiders of the Lost Ark (and indeed in the sequels) is iconic.

[TownerFan 4,983]

He's the quintessential Hero. If one has to be typed cast into a specific characterization this is not a bad one to be stuck in.

BTW his performance in Raiders of the Lost Ark is terrific work. It's something a Pacino(overrated actor in my book) or Daniel Day Lewis (often too intense) could ever do. That's why there are so many outstanding actors out there with varied talents.

I agree he's the quintessential film hero and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. And I do agree with my whole heart that only him could pull off such a great performance in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I just pointed out that there was a time in his career where he seemed interested in taking more challenging roles (like the work he did for Weir and Polanski, two clever directors who played smartly with his iconic hero status) but later got stuck into predictable/unmemorable characters.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Blade Runner

[JoeinAR 1,949]

His only Oscar nom was for Witness.

[Jay 37,336]

I really, really enjoy his performance in Temple of Doom.

Especially his deliver of "Nice try, Leo Che!", "We. Are Going. To DIE!", and just the whole opening sequence in Club Obi-Wan. Also the smaller moments like when he tells Willy to eat the food the villagers gave her, when he's at dinner talking about the Thugees, etc. Really great performance.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I enjoy that performance quite a bit and he also has great physicality in that performance.

[Jilal 569]

Where's American Grafitti?

[Quintus 5,399]

Justifiably absent.

[Wojo 2,453]

His only Oscar nom was for Witness.

Interesting. At one point, I remember reading that the only film Ford was ever in that was nominated for Best Picture was The Fugitive, but that is not true since Witness also was.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Apocalypse Now?

[TownerFan 4,983]

His only Oscar nom was for Witness.

Interesting. At one point, I remember reading that the only film Ford was ever in that was nominated for Best Picture was The Fugitive, but that is not true since Witness also was.

Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark were up for Best Picture as well.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

His only Oscar nom was for Witness.

Interesting. At one point, I remember reading that the only film Ford was ever in that was nominated for Best Picture was The Fugitive, but that is not true since Witness also was.

whatever you read was completely wrong.

American Graffiti

Star Wars

Apocalypse Now

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Witness

The Fugitive

All were nominated for Best Picture.

[Quintus 5,399]

He'll end up with the Lifetime cheevo, soon.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Has anyone won an Oscar after winning the Lifetime Achievement Award?

[TownerFan 4,983]

I really, really enjoy his performance in Temple of Doom.

Especially his deliver of "Nice try, Leo Che!", "We. Are Going. To DIE!", and just the whole opening sequence in Club Obi-Wan. Also the smaller moments like when he tells Willy to eat the food the villagers gave her, when he's at dinner talking about the Thugees, etc. Really great performance.

There's a much more pronounced comedic tone in Ford's performance in ToD. I guess he and Spielberg wanted to show a lighter, funnier side of Indy. In Raiders, Ford has a boldness which reminds me of 1940s actors, but with a dark, sly overtone which makes him so unique.

Has anyone won an Oscar after winning the Lifetime Achievement Award?

Paul Newman, if I remember well.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

He exhibits a Bogart quality in Raiders.

[SF1_freeze 131]

Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, but for a performance i say Blade Runner!

[Laserschwert 475]

This is a tough one... in fact so tough, it's impossible for me to choose. I grew up as a huge Han Solo fan, grew older as a huge Indy fan, but now I'm just a huge film fan, and Harrison has so many great performances, I still can't believe he never won an Oscar. Deckard might've been the deepest part he's played, although I'll never forget the scene of him standing at his daughters hospital bed in "Patriot Games" starting to cry. Or him being completely lost (and making the viewer feel just the same) in "Frantic". Ford has an incredible talent to depict the vulnerable hero, rising above himself while not being shy to show fear, pain or despair ("The Fugitive" comes to mind).

Still, ultimately he's 50% Han Solo and 50% Indiana Jones.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

The Mosquito Coast

[nightscape94 965]

Raiders, because what he does in that film is a lot harder than people might initially think.

[Datameister 2,041]

He exhibits a Bogart quality in Raiders.

Even though I've never been a Bogart fan, that's probably the quality that I like so much about the character in Raiders. It's a quality that's sorely lacking in the later films. There are moments when it's there, but a lot of the time, Indy is off doing or saying stuff that the Raiders Indy simply never would have done or said. I like the character best in his original incarnation, which Ford absolutely nailed.

Damn, now I need to watch Raiders.

[King Mark 3,630]

Well, it's not all that bad for him

He has 2 iconic roles but not many "great acting" Oscar worthy performances

A lot of actors have zero iconic roles even if they're better actors overall

[Wojo 2,453]

I actually voted for The Fugitive.

[JamieC 13]

He was so accomplished in Star Wars, Temple of Doom, Working Girl, The Mosquito Coast, Witness, Frantic and Presumed Innocent and his supporting role in The Conversation is pretty nifty. I always wish he'd done even more comedy: check out The Frisco Kid and Sabrina. He's the king of the understated double take.

[TownerFan 4,983]

I forgot about The Frisco Kid! He's great in that one.

[Incanus 5,714]

He was so accomplished in Star Wars, Temple of Doom, Working Girl, The Mosquito Coast, Witness, Frantic and Presumed Innocent and his supporting role in The Conversation is pretty nifty. I always wish he'd done even more comedy: check out The Frisco Kid and Sabrina. He's the king of the understated double take.

Ford has always been pretty adept in the understated comedy. He does it so well in Indiana Jones films, both subtle and sometimes the overt, physical comedy and well written humorous dialogue. Hollywood Homicide in which he is in a comedic lead role he delivers most of the few laughs in that film.

[indy4 155]

Raiders, but I could vote for any of the first 3 Indy films or Star Wars films.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Empire. He's just so cocky and smooth in that movie.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Have you guys all seen The Mosquito Coast?

I also think he was underrated in roles like Working Girl and Sabrina. I actually prefer him to Bogart in that one. Under different circumstances, I think he would have gotten more recognition.

[Thor 7,490]

E.T.!

Seriously, though, i would have to pick BLADE RUNNER, if only because it's one of my favourite films, and he contributes to that (but Rutger Hauer is the real acting centerpiece of that film, of course).

I think Ford is quite an underrated actor. There's a lot of details going on in his face at dramatic points. There's a shot of him....I believe it is at the end of CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER when he's sitting in the chopper after having been rescued....that just expresses a whole range of emotions in subtle details - anger, relief, sadness, frustration. Just brilliant. There are many moments like this in his filmograhy.

[A24 4,329]

Seriously, though, i would have to pick BLADE RUNNER, if only because it's one of my favourite films, and he contributes to that (but Rutger Hauer is the real acting centerpiece of that film, of course).

I always thought so too but when I last saw the film (The Final Cut in cinema), I left the theater thinking, "It's Ford's movie!"