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Printer-Friendly ModeFirewall, Ford almost comical
February 13, 2006 —
Firewall, the latest thriller starring Harrison Ford, is a pretty good way to spend an evening. There isn't much of anything new here, and it's no masterstroke, but this is a generally effective movie that is full of action and never lets up long enough to allow much in the way of boredom.
The movie is another in a line of recent films involving home invasion and hostage situations, along with films like Panic Room and Hostage. Certainly these trends are inevitable, as there are invariably filmmakers who rely on a plug and play approach, taking formulas that have worked before and attempting to expand on them or plug in new elements in an attempt to perfect the genre. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but it is a bit of a risk, since if it does go wrong, there isn't much in the way of originality to fall back on as an excuse. If someone already did it the right way, where is that filmmaker left when he or she does the same thing and neither improves on the idea or even equals it, but does it worse?
Firewall falls into the category of equaling the idea; there isn't much brought to the table that hasn't already been served before, but it's a pretty good meal. Harrison Ford plays another character named Jack who is another family man forced to deal with criminals in order to protect what is dear to him. This is a role Ford fits into well, even though it is a bit of a dangerous, if unavoidable, one.
In a genre of film that is in danger of becoming boring simply because others like it have been seen so many times, Ford is in danger of becoming a parody of himself. He has played roles like this so many times that several times throughout the film, he was inadvertently (or is he aware of this after all?) appearing as some kind of pop culture joke. This is not the fault of his ability, as Ford is a fine actor. Regardless, after seeing these roles so many times, it is to the point where seeing Ford's character come crashing into the lives of mere mortals onscreen with his sternness and grating voice, explaining his woes, is actually hilarious.
The question is, is that a good or a bad thing for the movie? It certainly makes it more entertaining, but should a film be judged because it is trying to do one thing, but ends up doing another? Or perhaps the filmmakers and Ford were perfectly aware of what was happening all along, and constructed these scenes out of their knowledge of how the audience would perceive it. If that is the case, then there certainly is some genius behind Firewall.
All of the elements of Firewall will be familiar to viewers, but it does try some small new things. There are a couple of decent twists, although for a couple short periods the plot becomes convoluted and unnecessarily difficult to follow. Also of note was the experimentation with the characterization of the kidnappers in the movie. Certain stereotypes, such as the overly eloquent and calm professional criminal and the empathetic youngster who has second thoughts about his illegal profession are experimented with here, but they aren't all entirely predictable. The movie pulls us one way for a scene, then another in the next, and this could be due to poor writing and editing, or it could be signs of some originality in the formula.
Either way, Firewall is a fun movie and difficult to take overly seriously despite its serious subject matter. This is good entertainment, involving nothing too challenging, but nothing to offend the tastes either.
Now we just have to wait for Harrison Ford to voluntarily parody himself, because there may be even more potential there than Robert DeNiro's in Analyze This and Meet the Parents.