Top 10 Harrison Ford Films according to Rotten Tomatoes: You ask the teenagers of the mid-twentieth century what Harrison Ford truly means and what his presence means to them, and you will get several outpourings of nostalgia and words of glory. The roguish enigma he held in his prime was captivating beyond comprehension, and it is incredible how well he sustained it as an older, wiser man with a more pronounced mainstream film career than fairly well-known actors less than half of his age. The actor, turning 81 this year, has met with a very recent commercial flop and lukewarm acclaim through the latest entry into the Indiana Jones franchise, but none of that is against his superbly commanding dad energy.
As someone from a generation much ahead of his own, I honestly cannot relate to the hype he gets, even for his earlier performances. They definitely feel modern and refreshing more than occasionally, but what decent piece of pop culture does not? But piecing the fact together, that is precisely what makes him so iconic – that he is the last flagbearer of that house, and we cannot keep more like him coming in any way. The most recent memory of him dazzling in the spotlight that I have of him is the straight-faced and supremely engaging speech that he gave as an announcement of the winner of Best Editing at the 93rd Academy Awards, taking out a piece of paper and reading the criticism received for the editing of ‘Blade Runner’ all the while back.
In celebration of his lifetime’s worth of work, here is a list of his 10 best films in a ranked sequence according to the critical consensus database Rotten Tomatoes. I hope you enjoy our efforts to bring this together!
10. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
RT score: 84%
Steven Spielberg’s third film in the Indiana Jones franchise and a prequel to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981), this film works on a Jeffrey Boam screenplay based on a story written by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. The film follows Indiana Jones embarking on a search for the Holy Grail upon the request of an art collector. The film was a direct improvement over its predecessor, ‘Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom’ (1984), and designed to be so, with lighthearted and comedic touches aplenty apart from the swashbuckling adventure.
A winner of the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing (now simply called Best Sound), ‘Last Crusade’ still remains a work of Hollywood legacy with very few parallels. It is a properly robust sequel that inspired many future franchises to do better with those. Obviously, Ford is a little more relaxed and in sync with the humor here, but he remains consistent with what he is designed to do in the franchise and pulls off a balanced performance like one would expect him to. The critical consensus says, “Lighter and more comedic than its predecessor, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade returns the series to the brisk serial adventure of Raiders while adding a dynamite double act between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.”
9. Presumed Innocent (1990)
RT Score: 86%
Long before swearing by the names of modern-day blockbusters actually became a thing, a Harrison Ford starrer became the highest-grossing film of Warner Bros in the year 1990. Directed by Alan J. Pakula (of All the President’s Men and Sophie’s Choice), this gripping legal thriller was adapted from the 1987 novel of the same name, written by the then-debutant novelist and established lawyer, Scott Turow. The film follows a prosecutor Rusty Sabich (played by Ford), who is charged with the murder of a colleague Carolyn, who is also his mistress.
Atmospheric, engaging, and complex in ways most mainstream films would only strive to be, ‘Presumed Innocent’ is spearheaded by a riveting leading turn from Ford, who, according to Roger Ebert, pulled off a tough balancing act, given the challenge to exercise plausibility both as a killer and as an innocent man. The film has continued to inspire filmmakers and producers to date, and an Apple TV+ mini-series is in development in which the same role would be played by Jake Gyllenhaal, a tough challenge to live up to given the bar set by the veteran. The critical consensus to the film says, “Thanks to an outstanding script, focused direction by Alan Pakula, and a riveting performance from Harrison Ford, Presumed Innocent is the kind of effective courtroom thriller most others aspire to be.”
8. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
RT Score: 88%
Considered by numerous critics and film lovers the most beloved science-fiction achievement of the last decade and one of the best films of the 21st century in general, Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to the Ridley Scott classic was a bewildering sci-fi neo-noir, delayed by destiny since the nineties to emerge this great in the late 2010s, and effectively turning out to be a successful cult classic after a disappointing run at the box office. Villeneuve’s film is considered a landmark in modern world-building, and the visuals still remain unparalleled. If you spend a lot of time on Twitter, or even a fraction of what you define as a ‘lot of time,’ chances are you would have witnessed a screengrab or two from it.
Although primarily a Ryan Gosling film, with treats for the Ana de Armas simps, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ is a good place for new film-watchers (like me) to get a glimpse of the range of Ford as an actor, who reprises his role as Rick Deckard from the original movie. The film was met with a number of accolades and won the ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Visual Effects’ awards at the Academy Awards. The ways in which a dystopia has been incorporated here have been a subject of rich division and debate, but that alone establishes it as a thought-provoking and masterful drama beyond its expensive motifs and graphics. The critical consensus says, “Visually stunning and narratively satisfying, Blade Runner 2049 deepens and expands its predecessor’s story while standing as an impressive filmmaking achievement in its own right.”
7. Blade Runner (1982)
RT Score: 89%
Ridley Scott’s dystopian classic in a future already past us, ‘Blade Runner’, was an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1968 sci-fi novel ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ Chances are high that you are not aware of the fact, but the chances are higher that you know what a pioneer this film is in the areas of both neo-noir and cyberpunk, meanwhile perfectly sustaining itself as a human drama. Although it severely underperformed at the box office, and there were seven versions of it, out of which only the Final Cut (2007) was the one at which Scott regained artistic control, the film continues to introduce and inspire a range of cinephiles. Heck, it inspired filmmakers to take up more of Philip K. Dick’s works.
Complete with memorable stories about its release and development, which are a bulk material for a standalone film in itself, the film is the starting point of Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, and although he had mixed feelings about the filming of the entire thing, he pulls off a performance nearly as atmospheric and densely moody as the film itself, hence becoming a part of its eventual and later success. The legacy critical consensus reads, “Misunderstood when it first hit theatres, the influence of Ridley Scott’s mysterious, neo-noir Blade Runner has deepened with time. A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece.”
6. Witness (1985)
RT Score: 93%
Peter Weir came back with another knockout film a decade after the mysterious Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) with a masterful neo-noir that pulled critical attention. An original crime thriller about an urban police detective and a young Amish country boy with ‘nothing in common but a murder,’ the film is a compellingly established mystery with ingenuity in terms of entertainment value that has sustained itself over the years of its release.
The film solidly caters to the demands of the genre boundaries meanwhile becoming its own beast altogether in the process. It was met with massive critical acclaim and accolades, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Actor’ nominations at the Academy Awards. It also won the Oscar for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ and ‘Best Film Editing’. The critical consensus says, “A wonderfully entertaining thriller within an unusual setting, with Harrison Ford delivering a surprisingly emotive and sympathetic performance.”
5. Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (1977)
RT Score: 93%
The film that started the iconic space opera – need I say more? Titled so by George Lucas to define its placement in the larger universe of films that he was attempting to create, ‘Star Wars’ is one of the classic masterpieces of sci-fi cinema, the elements and thematic richness of which are still sworn by and studied at film-based institutions. It has got both the heart and smarts in as much proportion as the out-of-earth jargon.
The film has a lot to describe and discuss, but let us stick with the fact that Harrison Ford’s electrifying performance as the swashbuckling Han Solo is a compelling character’s debut, to say the least, and remains one of his most memorable performances to date. The critical consensus for it says, “A legendarily expansive and ambitious start to the sci-fi saga, George Lucas opened our eyes to the possibilities of blockbuster filmmaking and things have never been the same.”
4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
RT Score: 93%
The seventh film of the Skywalker saga and the direct sequel to ‘Return of the Jedi’ (1983), this well-received and more contemporary Star Wars entry was directed and co-written by JJ Abrams. Although the first of the Star Wars films not to include the mind of George Lucas, the film retains the original zing to outstanding effect and was surprisingly well-constructed, exceeding expectations by more than a thin margin and delivering on the pourings of nostalgia (even if Lucas himself was way too loud about his dislike of the film). Did I mention it also being the most expensive film ever made, thanks to the lack of clarity we still have on the definite budget of the Avatar sequel?
Harrison Ford delivers one of his best sci-fi performances as an older Han Solo in ‘The Force Awakens’, and that is reason enough to enjoy this ride. At the Academy Awards, the film received nominations for Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. The critical consensus for the film says, “Packed with action and populated by both familiar faces and fresh blood, The Force Awakens successfully recalls the series’ former glory while injecting it with renewed energy.”
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
RT Score: 93%
It is difficult, despite his age, to process the fact that Harrison Ford is currently walking the downward slope of his lifetime. Prominently because he has mostly been associated with great beginnings, and this is the most memorable of them all. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ is criticized for being a bit dated currently, but it is the classic opening of the world of fedora-clad adventurer Indiana Jones, and for that alone, it is important for the annals of movie history.
Starring Ford in the most remembered of all of his leading roles, the film is highly campy and has its own specific pleasures as a tribute to the serialized pictures of the early 20th century. Although the male white savior narrative must be approached with caution at all costs, Raiders of the Lost Ark earns plus points from its razor-sharp takedown of irresponsible fascist regimes from its core narrative. Apart from that, it was also the highest-grossing film of 1981. At the Academy Awards, it received five Oscars, including Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. The critical consensus for the film says, “Featuring bravura set pieces, sly humor, and white-knuckle action, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most consummately entertaining adventure pictures of all time.”
2. Star Wars Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
RT Score: 94%
It is an unsaid rule for successful franchises that in their initial run of films, each one should be better than the next, and every commercially and critically unsuccessful sequel decreases the chances of further expansion. And the second film of the Skywalker Saga is brilliant proof, coherent, and visually expansive in the best sense of the word. Directed this time by Irvin Kershner yet still based on a story written by George Lucas, the film profiles its predecessor and updates the international phenomenon as only the greatest second parts would.
It is big, splashy, and quite obviously, also breathtaking. But more importantly, it has a more assuredly dark tone than its predecessor, which somehow works fantastically in its favor. Ford’s performance as Han Solo here is greatly helped by the more complex character development that gives a renewed energy to the film itself. In the Academy Awards, it won the award for Best Sound and a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects. The critical consensus for the film reads, “Dark, sinister, but ultimately, even more involving than A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back defies viewer expectations and takes the series to heightened emotional levels.”
1. The Fugitive (1993)
RT Score: 96%
Harrison Ford surely knows how to mint in Oscar darlings which are also compelling films worth watching, and this has to be the finest example. ‘The Fugitive’, based on the 1960s TV series of the same name created by Roy Huggins, is one of the very best and presently underrated American action thrillers of all time, complete with a screenplay written by David Twohy and Jeb Stuart, which has a gripping sense of urgency. The film has such fantastic cult potential that many who have watched it at random say that they did not know for sure that they needed it so much.
A nominee of seven Academy Awards at its time, including Best Picture, the film features an emotionally stirring and grounded Harrison Ford performance. A spin-off by the name of ‘US Marshals’ was realized back in 1993 but could not replicate the success of the film. It is currently the highest-rated Harrison Ford film for mostly all the right reasons, and the critical consensus for the film says, “Exhilarating and intense, this high-impact chase thriller is a model of taut and efficient formula filmmaking, and it features Harrison Ford at his frantic best.”
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