Which Indiana Jones film did Harrison Ford give his best performance in? [Archive]

The_Raiders

04-24-2008, 03:45 PM

Wow, I think that's a tough one between ROTLA and TOD. ROTLA has always been my favorite, but I think he does an awesome job in TOD, for some reason I find LC lacking, I like it but, it's just not my favorite.

Raiders of Clay

04-24-2008, 03:47 PM

For me, his best acting performance is Raiders of the Lost Ark. That was the movie that makes him Indiana Jones. Each movie does bring its own look at Indy, and Harrison plays great in every Indiana Jones movie he is in.

loganbush

04-24-2008, 03:55 PM

In Last Crusade I think he gave a great performance and showed off his serious/comedic timing with Connery.

Stoo

04-24-2008, 05:15 PM

"Mystery of the Blues"

I Hate Snakes!

04-24-2008, 05:17 PM

I'd have to go with Temple of Doom. Great acting in that one. :up:

The Man

04-24-2008, 05:21 PM

The Last Crusade is just adorable with he and Connery. The humour is absolutely wonderful.

Major West

04-24-2008, 06:57 PM

"Mystery of the Blues"

I really enjoyed his assured performance in that. "But sometimes they are".

As for the movies, I prefered his performance in Raiders and TOD. I wasn't overly keen on how the father/son dynamic changed his character. Also there wa a little bit too much comedy in LC.

eroc

04-24-2008, 07:32 PM

He really showed his acting chops in LC.

Hedwig

04-25-2008, 07:47 AM

Hard choice... I have to go with Raiders of the Lost Ark. He was so scruffy, tough guy, a bit of a weasel. But a lovable weasel.:) In Temple of Doom he was still scruffy and tough, and a lovable weasel, but it didn't quite match with the way he was in Raiders. And in Last Crusade he wasn't scruffy anymore (because he hardly had any stubble) and there were less lovable weasel scenes.
But all of the films are awesome, and I can't wait to see KOTCS!:D

-INDY-

04-25-2008, 07:59 AM

Tough choice...But I would say Raiders of the Lost Ark.

IJ_KELLER

04-25-2008, 08:03 AM

I guess it depends on what side of Indy you want to see. But my personal favorite is Raiders.

herr gruber

04-25-2008, 10:32 AM

Temple Of Doom. I was expecting a poll!:(

jonesissparrow

04-25-2008, 11:04 AM

Last Crusade for me, the expressions he gives moves me immensely especially when his father calls him Indiana for the first time and his look of "you love me after all" moves me almost to tears. I think what works for me is that he traded his tough guy image for an innocent boyscout who is very adventurous like in the beginning. TOD had an interesting moment where it shows that Harrison Ford has acting chops is where Indy steal the stones and turns to walk away but then he hears the children cry out and a look of terror and guilt is written all over his face which is itself priceless.

AHegele

04-25-2008, 11:57 AM

He was the most physically fit for Temple, but I think he was most confident in The Last Crusade, where he also displayed a wider range of humanity.

IndySeven

04-25-2008, 01:53 PM

Raiders, no doubt!:up:

GlasgowChivas

04-25-2008, 04:28 PM

Impossible to answer - all three (hopefully four) show Indy in different lights but all essentially the same man....and that is down to Ford KNOWING Indy

So no best performance but my favourite is Raiders

What a Badass.

sarah navarro

04-25-2008, 05:58 PM

Definitly not LC, i would say TOD :whip:

No Ticket

04-25-2008, 06:00 PM

The_Raiders

04-25-2008, 06:02 PM

I could've SWORN I replied to this thread already. Was I imagining things? Anyway, I don't think I can pick a favorite. I feel like Ford played the character pretty consistently throughout all three movies... you just saw different sides of the same guy.

You did reply to it, so did I. http://raven.theraider.net/showthread.php?t=13844&highlight=Indiana+Jones+film+Harrison+Ford+give+performance

jonesissparrow

04-25-2008, 09:24 PM

I said it on the other one but I'll say it again...LC

Last Crusade for me, the expressions he gives moves me immensely especially when his father calls him Indiana for the first time and his look of "you love me after all" moves me almost to tears. One of my favorite scenes is when he says "it's alright" to Ilsa and gives her reassuring smile and then she swipes the diary from him and he gave a look of shock and betrayl that could not have been topped in the other films. Also another favorite scene is when he meets her again in Berlin and he put a lot of emphasis on the anger that could rival Clark Gable's performance in Gone with the Wind . I think what works for me is that he traded his tough guy image for an innocent boyscout who is very adventurous like in the beginning. TOD had an interesting moment where it shows that Harrison Ford has acting chops is where Indy steal the stones and turns to walk away but then he hears the children cry out and a look of terror and guilt is written all over his face which is itself priceless.

rowerguy7

04-25-2008, 10:49 PM

raiders. he was literally creating the character on screen in front of us. every movie after that was just a branch off of this character he sculpted in raiders.

No Ticket

04-26-2008, 01:22 AM

You did reply to it, so did I. http://raven.theraider.net/showthread.php?t=13844&highlight=Indiana+Jones+film+Harrison+Ford+give+performance

Where's the mods at yo? This seems like a prime example of merging two threads together. No reason for double vision!

DocWhiskey

04-26-2008, 03:02 AM

I really can't choose! He's perfect in every film. But if I HAD to choose, I'd say ToD, only b/c he's a bit more selfish and cocky, but that's just me. I'm a sucker for anti-heroes.

oki9Sedo

04-26-2008, 06:18 AM

I could've SWORN I replied to this thread already. Was I imagining things? Anyway, I don't think I can pick a favorite. I feel like Ford played the character pretty consistently throughout all three movies... you just saw different sides of the same guy.

Yes, I deliberately posted the same thread twice so that people would reply to one and then not be able to find their post on the other, and think something very strange is afoot......

Nah, I just posted it twice by accident, haven't a clue how.:D

Attila the Professor

04-26-2008, 10:32 PM

Poll now added.

|ZiR|

04-26-2008, 10:44 PM

Oooh, this is a toughy.

Either ToD, or Crusade...

Y'know, I think I'm going to have to go with Last Crusade on this, despite it being my least favorite. Harrison came into his own in ToD, but the father/son dramafest that is LC squeezed out one of his most stellar performances.

It showcases his amazing versatility as both a serious and comedic actor the most out of all the IJ films.

deckard24

04-27-2008, 09:49 AM

I had to go with TOD for several reasons:

1. Working with child actors is never easy, and Ford's chemistry with Ke Huy Quan was awesome in the film. As great as he was with Connery, to work with a little boy with a language barrier and no prior acting experience, would be a lot tougher.

2. He had to get in the most intense physical shape of probably his career!

3. He had to overcome a serious, near crippling injury, and still gave a great performance while in pain.

4. In Raiders he was new to the role, so a lot of the appeal was the freshness of the character, with a new dimension to Ford. A lot of the success that happened was impromptu, so you could say there was a bit of luck thrown into the mix. Whereas in TOD he had to return to the character, bring it back to life, and infuse a more comedic side for the second installment.

5. He had to play possessed!:eek:

stunrun

04-27-2008, 11:11 PM

i'd have to go with Raiders', the Cairo bar scene between Ford and Freeman swayed it for me!

Nurhachi1991

04-27-2008, 11:33 PM

Raiders by far

Dr. Gonzo

04-28-2008, 01:10 AM

Raiders was my favorite performance but Im going to have to swallow some pride and say "Last Crusade" is where he had the most range.

Way of the dodo

04-29-2008, 01:04 AM

Temple because he's carrying the "silliest" story on his shoulders and he sells it.

Stoo

04-29-2008, 12:39 PM

Poll now added."Mystery of the Blues" is missing from the list of choices!:(

marky_77

04-30-2008, 05:14 AM

in order of when they came out for me. he came across just as well really in doom. by crusade it felt like the 3rd film feeling, but still good all the same.

MarxBrosFan

05-01-2008, 09:04 PM

I voted for Raiders but I really don't think any of his performances stand out above the others.

Jim Tigernuts

05-03-2008, 10:24 AM

Sure, his performance in LC is brilliant (with tremendous range—I love the scene where he is hugging his dad after falling off the cliff), but I'd have to go for TOD. That is classic Indy in my books. Cartoony, but very engaging!

I've always felt that he was a bit more two-dimensional in Raiders. He has his moments (Raven bar, for example) but the character doesn't seem as absolutely solid and convincing as the one in TOD. He may be a cartoon, but he's pretty freakin' real all the same!

ReggieSnake

05-06-2008, 09:04 AM

I voted Temple of Doom, but of the three there really wasn't one where he doesn't pull off the character. ToD, because he is working with weird circumstances and carries the movie from club to spike chamber to demonic possession to rope bridge. ToD may be less believable than the other two, but not cartoony. This my have been the case, however, if Ford's performance had been less strong.

YouNeverKnow

05-08-2008, 12:10 AM

Chalk me down for ToD. I'm drawn to this movie so much despite its darkness. Indy's warning to the party not to come up by the sacrificial statue is sooo full of portent. That, the bridge scene, and Indy's look of pure unadulterated contempt before he clocks the one overseer are just awesome.

Agent Spalko

05-08-2008, 12:14 AM

Raiders all the way. Doom was so ridiculously camp it's almost embarrassing. He sold us The Man With The Hat in Raiders. Instant classic.

Burwolf

05-10-2008, 06:46 PM

My vote is for The Last Crusade...

Yure

05-10-2008, 07:28 PM

Mine is for LC too, a mature and balanced performance.

DiscoLad

05-25-2008, 08:57 PM

Raiders...He had to be sad, He had to be mad...alot was done and it was a good act...

Bullwhip

05-27-2008, 03:14 PM

Last Crusade, but Harrison in ToD's bridge scene is really ****ing good.

indyrcks

09-26-2008, 11:28 AM

I think The Last Crusade because the scenes with Sean Connery was just adorable and the way he acts in it

Cagefighterkip

09-26-2008, 01:46 PM

1) Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (more than anything he just seemed to be enjoying himself, and happy to play the role again and that was cool)

2) Temple of Doom
3) Raiders of the Lost Ark
4) The Last Crusade

Dewy9

09-26-2008, 04:32 PM

Harrison and John Williams are the Old Faithfuls in the Indy franchise. He's just excellent in all the movies, but I think he did a particularly great job in the two most recent movies- LC and KOTCS. A year ago, Indy 4 was being ridiculed for Harrison's age, but amist all the bashing and nit picking, people forgot to mention that he was as great as ever. He is Indy.

muttjones

09-26-2008, 09:06 PM

they're all fantastic but i think there was less character conflict in rotla that he didnt have to act as much. so my order is:

1. LC (father son conflict with Sean Connery was great)
2. KotCS (happy to be back and hasnt lost a step)
3. ToD (The arguments with Willie and the fatherly stuff with Short Round)
4. RotLA (If the rest of the bar scene hadnt been dropped from the final cut this probably would be higher)

Sankara

09-27-2008, 09:03 AM

muttjones

09-27-2008, 09:31 AM

I don't know... he is sooo great in "Raiders", "Temple" and "Crusade"!!! :D

I don't think we should say that "Skull" is an Indiana Jones-Movie. It is not!

In "Raiders", "Temple" and "Crusade" Ford IS Indiana Jones! In "Skull" Ford tries to play Indiana Jones. This is not only the fault of Ford... it's the this lousy script. :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick:

though you may not like it, kotcs is actually an indiana jones film. You must be another fan who already had the film figured out in their heads and then saw that kotcs was different from that so jumped and screamed and had ti hate it because it had to be the same as the 80s films even though it is from 2008.

Sankara

09-27-2008, 09:44 AM

No. You know I'm not a Fanboy. I'm critical. Like most people I think that "Skull" is by far the worst of the Indy-Movies.

Crusade>Raiders

09-27-2008, 10:30 AM

No. You know I'm not a Fanboy. I'm critical. Like most people I think that "Skull" is by far the worst of the Indy-Movies.

For the last ****ing time, would you stop pulling facts from your ass? You don't know if "most people" think Skull is the worst...you will NEVER know that Skull is the worst unless you go to each and every single person who saw the movie, have seen the original trilogy, and get their opinion on it.

You don't like it. We know. You take every opprutinity to state that even in topics that don't REMOTELY mention Kingdom. But stop taking your opinions as fact. Even RA realizes what a huge ****ing imbecile you are.

Sankara

09-27-2008, 11:41 AM

Please you show a poll where Skull is before Raiders, Temple and Crusade!

Do you need a proof that most people think that "Jaws" is better than "Jaws 4"?

Same here with "Indy 1 - 3" and "Part 4".

StoneTriple

09-30-2008, 01:48 AM

1. Kingdom - Deeper, more realistic.
2. Raiders - Not quite as deep, still developing the character.
3. Crusade - At times bordered on caricature of Raiders portrayal.
4. Temple - Uneven. Fault of script, not Ford.

Indy's brother

09-30-2008, 02:41 AM

A lot of folks here keep trying to figure out which sequel to compare KOTCS to, but performance-wise, but I think that TOD (which I also love, btw), was Harrison's weakest. That ain't sayin' much, as I thought he was pretty good in it, too. For me, I have to say that although his portrayal of Dr. Jones was best in Last Crusade (which I am currently watching), as it was the most rounded off and complete, my vote goes to ROTLA, as it was the origin story, from which all of the Indy love was birthed. So in summation:

1.Raiders
2.Crusade
3.Skull
4.Doom

Let me reiterate, though, that no matter what you think of the films, ranking Ford's performance in them is kind of like splitting hairs. He's been pretty consistent with the character.