Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)

Starring - Harrison Ford; Sean Connery; Denholm Elliot; Alison Doody & John Rhys-Davies Director - Steven Spielberg MPAA - PG-13 How do you make an Indiana Jones film even better? Add Sean Connery to the cast. With the one two punch of Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, it is pretty darn difficult to come up with a bad final product. When you add Stephen Spielberg as the director and George Lucas as producer and one of the writers, all the elements are there for a spectacular film experience. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade does not disappoint on any level; other than the fact that this has long been reputed to be the last film in the series. One can not be just a little sad that this much talent may never collaborate again to make another one of these films that really represent why people love going to the movies. This time out, Indiana's (Ford) father, Henry Jones (Connery) is working for a wealthy collector who is financing his life long quest for the Holy Grail. The Nazis, who are also interested in the Grail, are in competition with Jones. (I guess they are still ticked off over that whole Lost Ark thing.) Anyway, Jones goes missing. So son Indiana travels to his fathers last known location, Venice, to try to find out what happened to his father and also see if he can't complete his father's search for the Grail. He travels with longtime friend, Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot), and the hook up with the elder Jones' assistant, Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody). Together the three search Venice for clues to the location of the Grail. Jones eventually finds his father who joins the group on the quest for the Grail. As usual, Indiana's adventures are never dull, and this time he has to deal with Nazis, rats and a high speed boat chase on the way to his goal of the Grail. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade is very well written and lives up to the first two films. No disappointments here. The film opens with a flashback sequence with Indiana as a boy and explains many of the reasons that Indiana is the man he is. Last Crusade is frequently funny; which is a tribute as much to the interaction of the leads as it is to the sharp writing. Harrison Ford and Sean Connery are perfectly cast as the father and son who don't always see eye to eye. Throw in the supporting cast of Denholm Elliot and John Rhys-Davies (Sallah), both returning to their roles from Raiders Of The Lost Ark and there are more than a few light moments intertwined with the seemingly nonstop action. Like the previous films, Stephen Spielberg gives us a film filled with elaborate stunts and the sort of settings that can only be found in an Indiana Jones movie. There is virtually nothing wrong with this movie from a technical standpoint. Last Crusade has stood up well in the 10 years since it first hit the big screen. It is easily one of the finest action/adventure films ever made. This film also compares very well to the first one, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, which in my opinion, is quite possibly the best film ever made. 9/10 Reviewed March 16, 1999 by Joe Chamberlain