Is Harrison Ford a good actor?

C

c.g._eads

Veteran
I just realized that outside of Indiana Jones (or I should say the first 3 Indiana Jones) and Star Wars, Ford has been terrible about 90% of the time. Even in his "good" roles (like "Witness") he's so understated as to make you wonder if he wasn't just playing his own boring self. In movies like Sabrina, Random Hearts, Firewall, Hollywood Homicide, and Indiana Jones 4, he's been absolutely dreadful. Have we been fooled this whole time? Was the wool pulled over our eyes this whole time because of Han Solo and Indiana Jones??
 
He's great as Jack Ryan though. Best of the three that have played that character. Plus he was exceptional in 'The Fugitive'.
 
he's a solid guy on-screen. though his range may not be as dynamic as a character actor like oldman, he has an undeniable charisma -- think strong silent type -- that makes him fun to watch. he is also somewhat of an eccentric, with a surprising hook here and there just to keep you going.

also, his abilities as a physical actor are quite excellent. did you see the old fella get pummeled in 'firewall'? tough dude.
 
Do you suspend disbelief when watching him? Do you get involved emotionally in the story? If so, then he's good. The fact that he's been pulling in an audience since American Grafitti (1972-73) must say something well about his abilities, besides guys like Speilberg & Lucas repeatedly hiring him.
 
I didn't like his Jack Ryan, thought the role should be more cerebral like the way Alec Baldwin played it. But he was great in The Fugitive and Blade Runner. Especially in the director's cut of Blade Runner, without the narration, you focus more on his performance and can see how good he is. He was also real good in The Mosquito Coast and very funny in Working Girl. He's a good actor, but in the last ten years or so he's been in a rut.
 
I think he's a good actor for the roles he plays. He's a believable, interesting, real, solid pro.

I often use him vs. Schwarzeneger as an example of two very different movie star ways to walk into a room with a gun and shoot a bunch of people.

Schwarz its almost boring because he doesn't break a sweat. Walks into the room like a killing machine and blam blam blam.

Even sometimes when Ford is playing a guy with Military training, it's like he'd have to change his underwear when it's all over - sweating, shaking, grimacing, barely getting through it. He always plays life or death stakes in life or death circumstances. Seems obvious, but not a lot of action hero's do that.

Eastwood is another interesting variation. Somehow he can walk in and not break a sweat but it's believable and not cartoonish like with Arnold. Maybe because he's so haunted. He often has everything Ford has going on in such situations, but under the surface. His characters, unlike Fords have usually already lost so much that they are numbed in a way or have become a believable killing machine.

Ford's most cavalier characters are Jones and Solo but they're in the broadest genres he's done.
 
Blade Runner? Really? I thought he was kind of uninteresting in that (I'm not a Blade Runner fan btw). Good call on The Fugitive. I totally forgot about that movie for some reason. Then again, when you think of The Fugitive, and who comes off as the most memorable performance from that film, it isn't Ford.
 
Fugitive: True, it's Tommy Lee Jones' whipped hang-dog scowl I most visualize when thinking back to The Fugitive, but Ford lent it a constantly gripping energy even in the 'plotting' scenes, a stark contrast to the cat & mouse stuff that sold the film.

Also, who doesn't like a guy who can work with wood and appreciates Wyoming (I used to live there, I admit it)?
 
He was great in What Lies Beneath. He was perfectly convincing as both the loyal, loving husband and the psychopath. I believed him entirely in both roles. I don't think that's easy. Most casting would have given us a creepy husband who we suspected from the beginning, or an unconvincing villain.
 
I think Harrison Ford is a good movie star. He delivers a distinct Harrison Ford sort of performance, and when that's coupled with the right character it can be pretty great.
 
I just watched Raiders tonight (helped reaffirm some things after having gone through Indy 4) and The Fugitive a few nights ago - and the answer has to be yes, the guy has a presence that can really carry films. Is his range limited? Sure, but then no one wants to see Harrison Ford as "a neurotic guy chasing a girl way above his league" - he's Harrison Ford, you want to see him punch out the bad guys.

He does seem to have a strange way of turning down great movies and picking rubbish ones instead (Schindler's List, Syriana etc.), but when he's in form I think he's great. If you haven't seen it I'd highly recommend you see The Mosquito Coast, that's one hell of a performance.
 
Grug said:
I just watched Raiders tonight (helped reaffirm some things after having gone through Indy 4)
Click to expand...
Things like, the basic goodness of the world, the presence of justice and truth, and the existence of a merciful deity...?
 
One thing that always disappointed me with Harrison was his stray from more demanding material. Early on, he seemed very concerned with choosing roles other than ACTION HERO POPCORN

From 1979 to 1991

Apocalypse Now - Coppola
The Conversation - Coppola
Blade Runner - Scott
Witness - Weir
The Mosquito Coast - Weir
Frantic - ****ing Polanski !
Presumed Innocent - Pakula
Regarding Henry - Nichols

From 1991 to Present ?

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Firewall
Hollywood Homicide
K-19: The Widowmaker - This is when his career jumped the shark.
What Lies Beneath
Random Hearts
Six Days Seven Nights
Air Force One
The Devil's Own
Sabrina
Clear and Present Danger
The Fugitive
Patriot Games

-

It's not to say I did not enjoy these films, but they seem less demanding from an actor than the previous era of films.

But when you suddenly are making $20,000,000 + a picture, I'd assume the material gets less meaty ?

=

I am eagerly curious of his next project Crossing Over (w/ Penn and Liotta) but have no clue who the director is.
 
He was the quintessential American hero. You'll find most audiences (including me) quite forgiving with his acting ability. You have to ask yourself if this question would have been raised 10-20 years ago in his prime. It wouldn't have. But now that he no longer holds the role of action hero, we see an old man up there on the big screen and start questioning his acting ability, now that the curtain has been lifted.

My personal opinion is he's amazing. You can't judge a car by it's tires. Acting is complex, it's a package deal. It's in his subtle nuances, look at the man's eyes, they do most of his acting for him. He's one of the rare actors that does not need to say a word, his eyes do all the talking.

I know exactly what he's thinking at any given moment, a perfect attribute for an action hero. His jack Ryan roles were phenomenal by the way. Is he a one trick pony? Maybe, but we like that trick and there's nothing wrong with it.
 
I have enjoyed the Jack Ryan films, but always found them less than awesome. Definitely not films I have felt compelled to own.

The Hunt For Red October is the best in the series and Baldwin was wonderful in it. I like to think Harrison would have kicked as much ass with McTiernan at the helm.
 
I like him as an actor, however every role he has played I believe could have been casted with someone else to better the role. He draws money for hollywood, because men and women love him.

It could be worse, put Keanu Reeves in as Jack Ryan. Or Nicholas Cage in the fugitive with his look of "The constipated thinker". (My view on Nick, he always looks like he is thinking real hard while trying to grunt a steamer)

My point of view eads, I do think he sells the roles he has played.
 
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