Harrison Ford may be getting old, but he can still rumble his way through an action movie with the best of them. If you believe that sentence for even a second--and yes, I was being serious--then "Firewall" might be your sort of movie....
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Harrison Ford may be getting old, but he can still rumble his way through an action movie with the best of them. If you believe that sentence for even a second--and yes, I was being serious--then "Firewall" might be your sort of movie. Then again, it might not. It's really an odd film.

Basically, the idea is that Harrison Ford (er, that is.. Jack Stanfield) has been working in the security department at a series of Washington banks for a long time. Long enough, in fact, that he designed the security system. Now, the bank he works for has become successful enough that a larger bank is wanting to buy it out. Jack (Stanfield, not Ryan) is resistant to that, and on the side he and a friend are meeting with a gentleman who is willing to offer them a different job where they'd punch their own time cards. It sounds interesting, and Jack walks away from the meeting thinking maybe he'll go for it. Then his life falls apart.

The main thrust of the movie is that Jack is suddenly forced to protect his family as a nasty group of bank robbers (but oh, so very polite) try to force him into robbing the bank for them. Jack tries to resist at first--with poor results--and things just go from tense to... more tense... as the movie winds its way through nearly two hours of twists.

Though he has an excellent taste in movies to which he will lend his talents, Harrison Ford isn't a particularly good actor. He can be either intense or he can look like he's about to fall asleep, with not much in between. Fortunately, there are plenty of scenes that call for the former and he's able to deliver with a lot more energy than you'd perhaps expect from an actor his age. Paul Bettany also does a commendable job as the psycho leader of the group of thieves. He seems calm and urbane, but that only masks his more violent nature underneath (cue eerie music).

Of course, this sort of dynamic has been done in a lot of movies before, and it's even a fairly common thing on CBS crime dramas, so what does "Firewall" offer that those programs don't? Well, there's more blood. A bit of profanity, too. And the story, from start to finish, feels more intense and fleshed out. The director also spends his time where it can be most effective, though sometimes he telegraphs plot twists something like a half-hour before they occur. There also were a few places where it felt like little bits could be cut, but never large chunks and overall the movie felt like exactly what it was: the work of skilled professionals going through the motions to deliver a standard story with more than the usual flair.

In the end, "Firewall" isn't the sort of movie I can imagine myself watching ever again, but it was almost two hours of nail-biting cinema. The ending also convinced me that Harrison Ford can still handle the fist fights and heroics required of his Indiana Jones character. That'll undoubtedly be the better film, but if reasonably enjoyable diversions like "Firewall" keep the guy in shape, I'm all for it!

A computer firewall keeps people out and so should this movie. For not one minute did you feel like you where in the film.

There was no connection with the characters and that is because of the bad acting. Even Ford was very below par...
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A computer firewall keeps people out and so should this movie. For not one minute did you feel like you where in the film.

There was no connection with the characters and that is because of the bad acting. Even Ford was very below par for him. The bad guys seemed weak. There was no real leader or on-screen presence from anyone. Breaking into the bank from the inside out. Or through the computer system via a kidnapped employee should be an interesting film. But I didn't really feel that interested. The hacker scenes seemed rather lame and not very entertaining. An Ipod with a fax scanner!! How inventive. What happened to the laptop idea? Using a laptop with wifi in the middle of nowhere! Another interesting element.

So there was no solid performance, no outstanding acting, the script could of been better and the ending was one to be ashamed of. You could of given Ford a heart attack he looked so old! Shamefully the one guy I was starting to like got shot dead at the end. Making for a very sad and ineffective film.

Ehhh! The cast was good and the storyline should have been good. I just never felt like I was invested or in suspense. I just felt like I couldn't wait for the movie to be over. I think I also felt that Harrison Ford was just a little too old or...
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Ehhh! The cast was good and the storyline should have been good. I just never felt like I was invested or in suspense. I just felt like I couldn't wait for the movie to be over. I think I also felt that Harrison Ford was just a little too old or out of shape to be playing in this role. Granted, it would seem that he doesn't have many action scenes but I just cringed everytime he took a punch. I suppose, though, this should add to the film. A caring older man reigning victorious over younger computer savvy men...

Anyway, I wait for Indiana Jones IV and hope for the best.

Firewall is an extremely suspenseful thriller starring Harrison Ford as Jack Stanfield. Its a tale about a man that had a nice life, a loveing family and a good job. That is until his family was abducted by a bad guy that knew Jack's life. Jack...
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Firewall is an extremely suspenseful thriller starring Harrison Ford as Jack Stanfield. Its a tale about a man that had a nice life, a loveing family and a good job. That is until his family was abducted by a bad guy that knew Jack's life. Jack would do anything to get his family back while the bad guy wanted the money. This was an extemely good movie, and recommend that people that like thrillers to see it.