BASED
ON CHARACTERS CREATED BY PHILLIP KAUFFMAN & GEORGE LUCAS
STORY
BY GEOGRE LUCAS & MENNO MEYJES
SCREENPLAY
BY JEFFREY BOAM
PRODUCED
BY ROBERT WATTS
DIRECTED
BY STEVEN SPIELBERG
GENRE:ACTION/ADVENTURE
RATED:AUSTRALIA:PG/UK:PG/USA:PG-13
RUNNING
TIME:127 MIN
Making
atonement for the much darker direction of Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom, director Steven Spielberg
- together with series creator George Lucas and star Harrison Ford
- bring back crusading archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones in a new adventure
that returns to the high spirited tone of Raiders
of the Lost Ark.
The plot begins with the disappearance of Indiana Jones' father, Dr.
Henry Jones (Sean Connery) -an authority on the mystery of the Holy
Grail- who was hired by millionaire collector Walter Donovan (Julian
Glover) to locate the Grail. Kidnapped by the Nazi's who want the
Grail for themselves, Dr. Henry Jones sends a message that he is in
trouble to his son Indiana in the form of his cherished diary, that
features every crucial piece of information about the Grail he has
accumulated over the decades. Locating his fathers whereabouts, Indiana
-along with bumbling museum curator Dr. Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot)
and the beautiful Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody) - come to the
rescue only to find themselves in the middle of a trap as both Donovan
and Dr. Schneider reveal that they are in cahoots with the Nazi's.
Escaping from their evil clutches, Indiana and Henry Jones must reclaim
Henry's diary and locate the Grail before the Nazi's do while also
mending their estranged relationship.
An extremely fun watch, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
features much more comedy than the previous two instalments, but also
has plenty of well choreographed action sequences. The films opening
scene is a real hoot, as the viewer is introduced to a young Indiana
Jones (played by River Phoenix) in his first big adventure revealing
the origins behind his fear of snakes, the love of the fedora hat
and the use of the bullwhip. A fight scene on a German tank between
the present Indiana Jones and a group of Nazi's is another highlight.
While it contains many of the elements found in Raiders
of the Lost Ark- most notably a
mysterious relic of biblical proportions, the use of Nazi's as villains,
and the return of Denholm Elliot and John Rhys-Davies - ...Last
Crusade is by no means a carbon copy. What separates it from the
other Indiana Jones movies is the strength of its supporting cast.
In what only can be described as a fitting choice in having the essential
James Bond play Indiana Jones' domineering father, Sean Connery gives
an excellent and often funny performance. The father son dynamic between
Harrison Ford and Connery is very strong. It was a riot watching the
two squabble back and forth, as it was watching River Phoenix play
the young adventurer. Not since Robert De Niro's performance in The
Godfather Part II has an actor been able to duplicate another
actor's distinguishable attributes without resulting in a full blown
improvisation. It is an extremely impressive performance that left
a lasting impression.
Also, the depiction of the Nazi's is much more realistic this time
around where a snippet of the groups' extreme politics is shown in
a scene where literature is burned during a mass rally.
Spielberg and company have successfully created another fine instalment
in the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford gives another great
performance as the iconic title character, the supporting cast are
excellent and Steven Spielberg once again provides exceptional direction.
