By the mid-’80s, Harrison Ford was one of many greatest motion stars on the planet. He was an enormous a part of two of the most well-liked franchises of all time, in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and it hadn’t develop into a franchise but, however he was additionally in Blade Runner, after all. In 1985, he took a giant leap into extra severe roles with Witness. I just lately rewatched this Peter Weir-directed basic with my Paramount+ subscription, and I’ve to say, it’s shocking that extra folks don’t point out it amongst his finest films nowadays.
Ford Confirmed Actual Depth In Witness
Not to remove from his different roles, like Han Solo, however Witness confirmed much more depth to Ford’s appearing. It was a love story wrapped in a fish-out-of-water story, wrapped in a thriller. His chemistry with co-star Kelly McGillis is nice, as they wrestle to determine how the 2 of them, from such completely different backgrounds — he a Philadelphia murder detective and he or she an Amish widow from Lancaster, PA — might discover love collectively. It is sensible that he was as soon as named Individuals’s Sexiest Man Alive.
The place he actually shines, although, is in his interactions with the Amish neighborhood he’s hiding inside. He exhibits each the boldness a detective would have, and the vulnerability of being manner outdoors his ingredient. He’s by no means dismissive of their lifestyle, however he additionally struggles to grasp it, and Ford performs that completely. His relationship with Kelly McGillis’ character’s son, Samuel (Lukas Haas), can also be fantastic. Ford’s character is a bachelor with no kids, however Ford performs their interactions with a softness that actually hadn’t been seen on the large display screen earlier than from the Raiders of the Misplaced Ark star.
He Was Nominated For An Oscar
Perhaps most extremely, Witness is the one film for which Harrison Ford has been nominated for an Academy Award. The film was nominated for eight Oscars in whole, however solely took dwelling wins for Finest Screenplay and Finest Enhancing. Ford himself misplaced to the late William Damage for Kiss of the Spider Lady. By the way, the nice Peter Weir was nominated for Finest Director, however misplaced to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa. Weir, like Ford, has additionally by no means received an Oscar, regardless of his personal stellar profession.
It’s among the finest performances of Ford’s profession, with out query. Certain, everyone knows him finest for his motion roles, and his participation within the greatest franchises in Hollywood, together with the Jack Ryan films he starred in, however he has way more vary than he’s typically given credit score for, which he exhibits in films like Frantic and The Mosquito Coast, from the identical period as Witness.
It’s an appearing vary that has solely grown with time, proper up till this yr, with Season 3 of Shrinking on the way in which. After all, he’s nonetheless starring in blockbuster franchises, having joined the most important of all time in 2025 along with his appearances in Captain America: Courageous New World, and the upcoming Thunderbolts*, taking on the function of Thaddeus Ross/Purple Hulk from — apparently, the person who beat him on the 1985 Oscars — William Damage.