Art & Entertainment: Movie Review

Author: Whitney Brennan

Harrison Ford doesn’t move as swiftly as Indy in his thriller “Firewall,” but he proves that, at 63, he can still play the action hero. “Firewall” is not thought-provoking; it’s a good old-fashioned action movie with all the right ingredients. Speeding cars, shattering glass, intense fight sequences and fiery explosions—and Ford is in the middle of it all.

Ford plays Seattle banker Jack Stanfield, vice president of security, who is forced to hack into the security system he built to fork over $100 million to the bad guys who are holding his family hostage. Virginia Madsen is Jack’s architect wife Beth, who holds it together and falls apart beautifully at just the right times. Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe on the TV show “24”) shines as Jack’s assistant, a key player in many of the comedic moments. The criminal mastermind, Bill Cox, is played by Paul Bettany, who clearly practiced his villainous beady-eyed stare for weeks.

Director Richard Loncraine, who set up the love match between Bettany and Kirsten Dunst in “Wimbledon,” gets the action rolling from the opening credits. A few scenes reveal that the Stanfields have been—and are still being—stalked. When the movie begins, the viewer is watching the family through the eyes of the enemies. During its 105 minutes, the movie goes from suspenseful to intense to really intense.

The viewer experiences some lull-induced seat shifting during the transition from suspenseful to intense, but only momentarily. Jack makes good use of a large blender to kick off a riveting second half that redeems any dull scenes. A particularly violent “Oh!” moment occurs when Jack employs a weapon more obvious than a blender—but not a gun or knife. One camera angle in which Jack rushes to climb down a roof creates a dizzying effect, as if the viewer is climbing with him. And Rusty, the family dog, helps in a way that is fitting in a high-tech action thriller.

However, it seems that script writer Joe Forte couldn’t decide whether his bad guys should be just bad or downright evil. At times, Bill is entirely too agreeable with Jack (Ford), and he shares moments with Jack’s young son that are too sweet. Two of Bill’s cronies also show their softer sides to Jack’s family. One attempts a friendly chat with Jack’s wife about her job. The other—with a serious my-dog-just-died face—tells the family to try and get some sleep, even though it might be difficult.

Although these personality shifts could reflect Forte’s inability to create consistent characters, the good/evil combo increases suspense. Will one of the cronies betray leader Bill and save the family? Sure, the bad-guy-turned-good is cliché in Hollywood, but if it works…. Forte should also receive kudos for a plot that becomes more elaborate—and captivating—as the movie progresses.

The overt product placements, though, cannot be ignored. Jack uses his daughter’s iPod to thwart the villains. Dell products abound. During one scene, Ford shares the camera with a very obvious Dell logo that stands out in a sea of dark equipment. Jack drives a new, shiny, gray Chrysler 300C with black leather interior. Okay, the interior is just a guess, but Jack’s car has almost as many scenes as Jack.

Don’t go see “Firewall” expecting an original. Expect an entertaining action movie with all of the Hollywood clichés executed well—well enough, anyway.