Over 200 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Underrated Harrison Ford Performances That Prove He’s Not Just A Geek Icon
Voting Rules
Vote up the best Harrison Ford performances in movies with no lightsabers, lost treasures, or replicants.
Harrison Ford is a talented, accomplished actor who has worked steadily for decades. One of the interesting quirks of his career is that he's also become a “geek icon.” That's due to playing characters in not one, not two, but three beloved sci-fi/fantasy franchises: Han Solo in the Star Wars saga; the titular hero in the Indiana Jones series; and Rick Deckard in Blade Runner and its sequel, Blade Runner 2049. Most actors are lucky to get a single defining role like that.
Take away Solo, Jones, and Deckard, and pretty much any Harrison Ford movie can be considered underrated. The actor has, however, done fine work in many genres, including drama, romance, comedy, and even horror. If you want to see what else he can do, check out any of the following films you may have missed. You'll be glad you did.
Ford received his only Oscar nomination to date for the 1985 drama Witness. He's John Book, a Philadelphia detective assigned to protect a young Amish boy who witnessed the murder of an undercover officer. Going undercover in the community, Book finds himself forced to live by Amish rules. He promptly breaks one of those rules when he starts an affair with the boy's mother, Rachel (Kelly McGillis).
Amish country is an original setting for a thriller, and Witness has several first-rate action sequences, including a harrowing finale set inside a corn silo. Ford handles those typically well. He also strikes up real chemistry with McGillis. Watching the character fall in love with someone who is, essentially, forbidden to him gives the movie a human element. Aside from the star's nomination, Witness was up for best picture. It didn't win, but this is definitely one of the best thrillers of the 1980s, as well as a love story that's impossible to forget.
When Regarding Henry was released in 1991, audiences were used to seeing Ford as a tough, strong man in control. It was therefore a shock to see him play a character who's the complete opposite. In the film, which was written by J.J. Abrams, he plays Henry Turner, a shark of a lawyer who gets shot in the head during a robbery. Upon awakening from a coma, he has to relearn how to do virtually everything in life.
The movie is a classic “second chance” story where the self-absorbed hero gets the opportunity to fix the mistakes of his past. Playing someone with brain damage allowed Ford to show a more vulnerable side than he was known for. The actor is up to the task, expertly conveying how Henry's clean slate allows him to reconsider who he wants to be as a person.
Harrison Ford took over the role of Jack Ryan from Alec Baldwin with 1992's Patriot Games. It was a big hit. Two years later, he reprised the role in Clear and Present Danger. It was an even bigger hit. Despite that, people seem to remember Patriot Games a little more clearly. If it's been a while since you've checked out those Jack Ryan adventures, give CAPD a revisit and refresh your memory on how fun it is.
Even though Ford had already achieved success as heroes Han Solo and Indiana Jones, his take on Ryan is different. This is a more down-to-earth character, and the actor plays him that way. The story involves the efforts to take down a Colombian cartel. Action and suspense abound in Clear and Present Danger, yet it works primarily because Ford makes Jack Ryan a smart, morally righteous man. The principled nature he invests the character with renders Ryan's triumph over the bad guys legitimately satisfying.
What Lies Beneath is an anomaly in Harrison Ford's career: It's a flat-out horror movie. He and Michelle Pfeiffer star as Norman and Claire Spencer, a married couple who have just sent their daughter away to college. Claire becomes convinced that the beautiful Vermont home they share is being haunted by the spirit of a deceased young woman who previously attended the university where Norman teaches.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the movie is a good old-fashioned ghost story. But there's a deeper level, too. Norman was unfaithful to Claire, and you have exactly one guess who his mistress was. After a long career playing mostly good guys, seeing Ford cast as someone with a dark secret - and an evil willingness to keep that secret hidden - is a kick. Finding out that Norman isn't a good dude could have just been a cheap plot twist, but Ford potently suggests the rage and narcissism inside. He, not the ghost, gives What Lies Beneath its chills.
Ford often has moments of humor in his performances, yet he rarely makes flat-out comedies. That makes Working Girl an especially notable entry on his resume. This 1988 Mike Nichols film, which was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards, stars Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill, an ambitious receptionist who is betrayed by her stockbroker boss Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver). After Katherine is temporarily decommissioned due to a leg injury, Tess takes the opportunity to get revenge.
That entails overstepping her bounds and starting a business deal with investment broker Jack Trainer, played by Ford. Jack and Tess not only do a business dealing, but start some romantic dealings, as well. He's also involved with Katherine, which adds a layer of intrigue. Portraying a hunky businessman gives the actor a chance to show a humorous side, but also to take on the kind of dashing role that someone like Cary Grant would have played decades prior. Working Girl is a smart, funny movie about moving up the corporate ladder. Ford's supporting performance adds immeasurably to its impact.
Based on Scott Turow's bestselling legal thriller, Presumed Innocent casts Ford as Rusty Sabitch, an attorney assigned to investigate the slaying of a female colleague. What Rusty's boss doesn't know is that he was having a passionate affair with the deceased. Eventually, the evidence that's uncovered begins to point in his direction, putting both his career and his marriage in jeopardy. He's got to prove his innocence - if, indeed, he actually is innocent.
The twists and turns in Presumed Innocent are guaranteed to keep you hooked. It's admittedly a little easy to pinpoint the culprit, but that doesn't lessen the fun. Ford perfectly captures the pickle Rusty finds himself in. The only way to clear his name is to potentially sully his reputation. It's a Catch-22 that the actor brings to life with such intensity, you'll squirm right along with the character. He makes us understand how potentially calamitous the whole scenario is.
