Ford delivers yet again in
'Firewall'
Katie Hazlett / Reviewer
Moviegoers who think Harrison Ford needs to hang it up
should think again. He has proven why he is one of
America's best actors in "Firewall."
An intensely captivating film, it opens in a catchy sequence
of black-and-white surveillance photos of Ford's
character, Jack Stanfield, and his family vacationing on
their sailing boat.
Stanfield is a high-level computer security officer at
Landrock Pacific Bank in Seattle. He has a loving wife,
who's an artist and an architect, a son who loves
remote-controlled race cars and a teenage daughter who would
rather listen to her iPod than her family.
When Stanfield agrees to meet with fellow businessman Bill
Cox (played by Paul Bettany, "A Beautiful Mind"),
in what he thinks is just a mundane business dinner, it turns
into anything but mundane. In a dramatic turn of events, Cox
informs Stanfield that his family is being held hostage by
Cox's men at their home. Cox makes it clear that he wants
Stanfield to rob the Landrock Pacific Bank for him, since he
knows all the ins and outs of the bank's network. The
ultimatum comes when Cox tells Stanfield that if he
doesn't cooperate, his family will die.
Stanfield is forced to resume his work the next day and act
as if nothing is out of the ordinary, but his enemies have
attached a miniature camera in the guise of a pen to his
shirt pocket, so they can monitor his every move. A few
rules: he is not to let anyone know what is going on and
there can be no e-mails or police involvement.
In a key supporting role, Stanfield's secretary, Janet
(Mary Rajskub), helps him get his family back. In typical
Harrison Ford fashion, he is able to turn the tide against
his assailants, and with the help of his secretary, manages
to foil the captors.
It was refreshing to see Bettany in a villain role for once,
and he played it very convincingly. He also could pass for an
American, as his flawless American accent was superb. His
sexy native British accent becomes sinister when Stanfield
attempts to foil the plan at every turn.
One particularly evil scene is when Cox gives
Stanfield's son, Andrew (Jimmy Bennett), a product that
contains peanuts even though he is allergic. Having to stand
by and watch his son go into shock and nearly die had Jack
begging Cox to let his wife give him an adrenaline shot.
In keeping with the title of the film, the iPod has a major
role in the plot and escape.
A weakness of the film was the lack of any background behind
the kidnappers– whether they were working for someone,
how they set the whole operation up and why they chose Jack
over someone else.
Overall, "Firewall" is an action-packed film that
is entertaining for the whole family. It is rated PG-13 due
to intense sequences of violence and strong language. Written
by Joe Forte and directed by Richard Loncraine,
"Firewall," in its simplest form, is really about
the world's worst case of identity theft.
Contact Katie Hazlett at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
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Photo Courtesy of KRT Campus