1. John Book - Witness (1985)
Peter Weir's Witness is a fantastic and subtle film that transcends its thriller roots and becomes something far more interesting and intense. Ford is fascinating as cop John Book, who retreats to the Amish community to protect a young boy (Lukas Haas) and his mother, played by Kelly McGillis. Right from the start, there's something about Book that's different from other Ford protagonists; he's disillusioned and broken by the job, but there's a passion and intensity that's upfront and on display from the very first scene. Moreso than in any other film I can think of, he collaborates so well with his co-stars that he draws from them performances that they might not have achieved otherwise. This is especially true of Haas, and Ford has an easy and touching relationship with the young actor. The love story between McGillis and Ford's Book is the soul of the film, even though it never encroaches upon the normal beats of a Hollywood romance. In fact, it's the doomed nature of their loveit's not simply approaching danger that threatens it, but incompatible world-viewsthat spurs the drama forward. In these sequences Ford disappears into the conflicted Book, whose very perspective is changing with his time among the Amish, although never enough to ensure he can assimilate as one of them. The scene where McGillis offers herself to him, and he declines is awkward and charged, but purposefully so; a result of both actors knowing exactly what the moment required, and never overplaying it. It may not be the flashiest or most memorable Ford role, but it is the one where his talent for acting and transforming a character into a living breathing person are best showcased.
5 That Sucked...
5. Quinn Harris - Six Days And Seven Nights (1998)
It's never fun to watch one of your movie heroes hit a false note, and that's why Six Days and Seven Nights is such a sour one. As a movie it's merely feeble; a limp rehash of Romancing the Stone, but not particularly terrible in other respects. It is however, that moment where Ford's career took a turn and we, the audience, started looking at him a different light. For me, it's the first time that there's a significant lack of energy in his performance. Air Force One is not Fords' greatest movie, but look at him commanding the screen there and then consider this came only a year later. The problems are easy enough to spot. Quinn Harris isn't much of a character; he's just a composite of several of Ford's own roles, rehashed with no interest in personalizing it. Honestly, Quinn is too laid back and grumpy as a protagonist, and feels for all the world like Indy on Prozac. Director Reitman phones in the action scenes and doesn't seem to care at all about the love story. Even that isn't what gets the film on the list. It's the fact that there is honestly no chemistry whatsoever between Ford and co-star Anne Heche, and you spend almost every moment watching Ford try to light a spark where there is none. Finally, he's just dragging her through the jungle like the cover art depicts, and I think it's also one of those times where Ford's irritation at the limitations of the material starts to bleed through into the performance. The last third is like watching an unhappy actor trudge across sets, waiting for this experience to be over.