When I was in the hospital waiting for my son to be born, some random cable network we got on our room TV had a Harrison Ford marathon going on, and it really helped pass the time.
The guy is both a hero and a scoundrel on screen, and one of the most fun actors out there. I feel like he’s made some great choices as an actor, so if he’s in a movie, it’s a vote of confidence for me.
Today, I wanted to go over my ten favorite Harrison Ford movies and talk about what he brought to each of them.
Let’s dive in.
10. American Graffiti (1973)
Director: George LucasWriters: George Lucas, Gloria Katz, and Willard HuyckCast: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams
Looking back on this film, you can tell Ford had something no one else had. There’s this presence that is undeniable. Long before he was a household name, Ford stole every scene in this movie as the cocky, cowboy-hat-wearing drag racer Bob Falfa. To me, this is the best George Lucas movie. It’s a charming coming-of-age story about being young, dumb, and having a fast car.
9. Working Girl (1988)
Director: Mike NicholsWriter: Kevin WadeCast: Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack
With all the action movies and adventure movies, you can also forget that Harrison Ford can straight-up act as well. He showed off his impeccable romantic comedy chops in this ’80s classic. Ford plays the charming (and unsuspecting) business partner, Jack Trainer; he has fantastic chemistry with Melanie Griffith. You want them to get together, and you can sense the attraction between them. This movie demonstrated a more vulnerable side of his career that is underrated.
8. Air Force One (1997)
Director: Wolfgang PetersenWriter: Andrew W. MarloweCast: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, William H. Macy
I remember this movie coming out and begging to be able to rent it at Blockbuster. When I finally saw it, I couldn’t believe how it lived up to all my expectations. This is the ultimate ’90s high-concept action thriller. Harrison Ford plays the President of the United States. When his plane is hijacked by terrorists, he doesn’t abandon ship, but stays to save his wife, kid, and the crew. The only reason this thing works is because of Ford’s believable gravitas and intensity. His delivery of the iconic line, “Get off my plane!” remains an all-time great action-hero moment.
7. Patriot Games (1992)
Director: Phillip NoyceWriters: W. Peter Iliff and Donald E. StewartCast: Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, Patrick Bergin, Sean Bean, James Earl Jones
I actually think this might be my favorite action movie of the 1990s. It’s such a taut thriller that is a new riff on the spy genre. We get this epic world Tom Clancy built. It feels real and like it could happen to anyone.
In his first turn as Tom Clancy’s hero Jack Ryan, Ford (taking over from Alec Baldwin) makes the role his own and makes him way more likable. When Ryan thwarts a terrorist attack in London, he and his family are targeted for revenge. It’s a personal thriller that perfectly showcases Ford as a protective family man forced back into a world of violence thanks to his CIA connections.
6. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Director: Steven SpielbergWriter: Jeffrey Boam (Story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes)Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott, John Rhys-Davies
While Raiders is the perfect adventure and will be very high on this list, Last Crusade is the perfect “father-son” movie. It just deepens the character of Indy in human ways and has some epic set pieces that are so much fun to watch.
The addition of Sean Connery as Indy’s father was a stroke of genius. He plays the perfect stoic guy that might actually intimidate Ford’s Indy. Their heartfelt chemistry is pure movie magic.
5. Witness (1985)
Director: Peter WeirWriters: Earl W. Wallace and William KelleyCast: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Danny Glover, Viggo Mortensen
Man, I feel like this is one of the most underrated movies in general, so it was fun putting it on this list to remind you all to watch it. This is the film that proved Ford was more than just Han Solo or Indiana Jones, and that you could believe him in our world, carrying a movie about humanity and understanding, and the Amish.
He played detective John Book, who hides in an Amish community to protect a young boy who witnessed a murder. Ford delivers his most nuanced and powerful performance. It’s a quiet, slow-burn that earned him his first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
4. The Fugitive (1993)
Director: Andrew DavisWriters: Jeb Stuart and David TwohyCast: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano
Harrison Ford owned the 1990s and put out so many undeniable hits. This is arguably the most perfect action thriller with the best idea fueling it.
He plays Dr. Richard Kimble, a man wrongly accused of murdering his wife, who has to go on the run to find the real killer. Ford is a force of nature. He’s not a superhero; he’s just a smart, capable man pushed to the limit with nothing left to lose. The cat-and-mouse game with Tommy Lee Jones is legendary, and featured both actors bringing out the best in one another.
3. Blade Runner (1982)
Director: Ridley ScottWriters: Hampton Fancher and David PeoplesCast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah
Perhaps one of the greatest science fiction movies ever, this was such an interesting starring role for Ford at the time. It proved he liked a challenge and that he could anchor a series on his own, too.
Ford plays “Blade Runner” Rick Deckard, and anchors Ridley Scott’s dystopian sci-fi masterpiece in our reality. We buy him as a cop searching for the truth and getting back cynical answers. It’s a morally complex and layered performance that is the complete opposite of his heroic roles. The film’s profound questions about humanity are grounded in Ford’s performance, and he nails it.
2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Director: Irvin KershnerWriters: Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan (Story by George Lucas)Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz
While A New Hope introduced us to the galaxy’s most lovable scoundrel, Empire is where Han Solo became a legend, and Harrison Ford did, too.
This movie rocks, and hinges on Solo’s romantic chemistry and storyline with Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia. The duo is the heart of the film, and it allows us to have something else to root for that feels personal in the epic battle. It all culminates in one of cinema’s most iconic ad-libs: “I love you.” “I know.”
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Director: Steven SpielbergWriter: Lawrence Kasdan (Story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman)Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies
This isn’t just Harrison Ford’s best movie; it is one of the single greatest films ever made. It’s so much fun and feels so timeless.
Ford created the definitive action-adventure hero in Indiana Jones, and people have been trying to steal and replicate him since the movie came out. He is charming, brilliant, tough, and—most importantly—vulnerable. He gets hurt, he makes mistakes, and he’s scared of snakes. He bleeds and loves and somehow finds a way to come out on top, even when the world falls apart.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a flawless movie, and it remains his most defining and perfect role.
Summing It All UpÂ
Just going through this list is a reminder of what a versatile and awesome actor Ford is, and I didn’t even include a few titles I thought were great.
So I know I might have skipped out on some of your favorites.
Did I get the best movies, or are there ones you would replace on this list?
Let me know what you think in the comments.