There aren't many actors that I would watch virtually ANY film they're in. Sad or not, Arnie, Stallone, Fillion and Faris are a few that I'd watch any old crap that they'd appeared in. For the former two, it's more of a sense of loyalty. For the later, I like what they do as they can lift any project with their mere presence alone. Harrison Ford is part of the former. Apart from Crystal Skull, the screen legend has had few hits over the last 15 years, and even less acclaim (Hollywood Homicide/Firewall). But, when he puts the effort in, there's still traces of the man who played Han Solo to be seen.
Extraordinary Measures, Harrison's latest self produced drama, is all that you heard it would be; an inoffensive Hallmark TV Movie about a father's (Brendan Fraser) attempt to produce a medicine for his dying kids. To do so he teams up with grumpy genius, played by Harrison, who has the know how, but not the business fundraising savvy, to create the new drug. It's solid drama, with a gently line in humour, and which is prone to large dollops of sentimentality.
Best thing about it? Harrison Ford. The older and grumpier he gets as a person...and the more he's able to channel that into his acting, the more of a return to form he approaches. With the JJ Abrams scripted Morning Glory next in line (in which he plays a pompous windbag presenter) and Jon Favereau's Cowboys Vs Aliens (in which he plays a baddie/anti-hero) it looks like he's finally ditching the good guy persona and embracing characters that are a little more interesting. The trick for Harrison is choosing equally interesting movies in which these interesting characters can thrive. Extraordinary Measures, while in no way terrible, is not one of these movies.
Good luck Mr Ford.
No comments:
Post a Comment