Monday, July 27, 2009

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

**
This is the finale of the original Indiana Jones trilogy.  

Indiana Jones finds out that his father has been taken by Nazis.  The Nazis are searching for the holy grail and Henry Jones Sr. has been spending his entire life in this search as well.  Indiana sets out on an adventure to save his father and together they will find the true holy grail.

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is a great film.  I believe it is the most compelling and personal out of all the Indy films.  Indiana's relationship with his father is really nice to watch.  It relates to real life in the fact that Indy was the child that always tried to live up to his father's expectations.  Even though he did his best to please his father, Indy always felt inadequate in his father's eyes.  The adventure follows Indy and his father on the quest for the holy grail, but the holy grail that really needs to be found is their lost relationship.  

The acting is again excellent in this film.  Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr. is perfectly cast.  There is no one better for that part.  Connery adds  a dignified presence to the film along with nice humor.  The funniest scenes come from Connery's reactions to the actions that Ford takes.

"Last Crusade" begins in a very fun way.  Indy is shown at a young age and he is on the run to make sure that the Cross of Coronado gets into the right hands.  During this chase sequence, we come to see why Indy is afraid of snakes, how he got the scar on his chin, and where he got the idea for his famous hat and leather jacket combination.  River Phoenix plays a young Indy and he did a great job.  Again, it was perfect casting.

Another interesting scene is when Indy travels to Berlin to get his father's journal back from the Nazis.  While disguised as a Nazi, Indy runs into Hitler himself.  It was Indiana Jones vs. Adolf Hitler!  Imagine that!  And if you haven't seen the film, I will not spoil how their encounter ends.

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was the perfect way to end the series.  It ends with Indy, Henry Jones Sr., Sallah, and Marcus Brody riding off in the sunset as that famous John Williams theme plays.  It was beautiful.  Then nearly 20 years later, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" came out.  It was a big mistake...

A-  I recommend it.

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