Harrison Ford’s top five performances –

With unparalleled charisma and a distinctive toughness, Harrison Ford has brought to life a long line of iconic characters during his long career in Hollywood. From the early days of his eventual breakthrough in American Graffiti to stardom in the 1980s and 1990s with Han Solo, Indiana Jones and two Jack Ryan films, he has always excelled in his ability to maintain a recognizable and natural demeanor. It is a career laced with immortal performances and characters that have cemented Ford in the history books as one of the industry’s most timeless stars, and below we now rank what we consider his top five acting achievements.

(5) What lies beneath (2000)

Clearly one of Ford’s most overlooked, but also most complex and terrifying characters. Because as Dr. Norman Spencer, he really shows his versatility and goes against the kind of heroic roles we’ve become so accustomed to seeing him in. Through clever and subtle acting, Ford switches seamlessly between charmingly endearing and menacingly dark. Razor-sharp and memorable with a strange intensity that gets under your skin.

(4) The Fugitive (1993)

In The Fugitive, Ford offers one of his most believable performances as the wrongly accused Richard Kimble, who conveys a strong sense of desperation and determination in his search for the real culprit. Raw and stripped down with an authenticity and presence that makes every scene in the film a delight, which, combined with Ford’s natural charisma, helps make his performance in The Fugitive one of his most intense and memorable.

(3) Star Wars: a new hope (1977)

It is of course impossible to list Harrison Ford’s best performances without including Han Solo, the most lovable anti-hero and probably the role with which most people associate the actor. With a signature combination of humor, courage and vulnerability, Ford brings exquisite complexity to the superficially cold bounty hunter, not least through his directness and charm. While perfectly balancing Solo’s cynical disposition with his more emotional side, he proves time and again that the character has a heart of gold.

(2) Blade Runner (1982)

Complex emotions and moral dilemmas are on the menu in Harrison Ford’s superb portrayal of Deckard, the weary and disillusioned hunter whose tough exterior hides a much more vulnerable, emotionally and existentially questioning side. It is a multifaceted character, probably by far Ford’s most complex during his long career, but one that he manages to convey with incredible balance and precision with incomparable perfection.

HARRISON FORDS BEST ACTING PERFORMANCE:

(1) Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

With a long, illustrious career behind him, there is still one role that stands out from the crowd and, in my opinion, plays to all of Ford’s greatest strengths. I am of course talking about Indiana Jones, the charismatic, adventurous charmer who, despite his incredible adventures, always manages to be both believable and relatable in Ford’s hands. Spirited, perfectly timed lines, straightforward shooting, rock-hard fists mixed with an unexpected vulnerability and inner moral compass make Jones one of the more dynamic yet complex heroes on the big screen. And in our opinion, the most timeless, best performance by our beloved Harrison Ford.