Review of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) by Peter W — 04 Nov 2012

Tonally and structurally, Last Crusade is very similar to Raiders. The setup deals with an apparently innocuous trifle, seemingly used only as a focal point for more exposition: the introduction of Henry Jones, Sr. (Sean Connery). But Indy's father isn't just the X-factor of the film, he's the reason Last Crusade is ultimately the best Indiana Jones film. In Raiders, Indiana Jones isn't really presented with any parallel characters. Marion is like-minded in her interests, but younger and dimmer, while Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) is useful largely as comic relief and muscle. In Last Crusade however, Indiana Jones suddenly has a counter, a mind as sharp as his, and an authority he has no choice but to respect. This is incredibly important to the story, and the casting of Sean Connery as Henry Sr. was a stroke of genius. Connery has spent most of his career playing strong, dominant male characters, yet Henry Jones is an academic. Apart from giving Sean Connery one of the better roles of his career, the calm, distant father serves as an excellent foil to the moodier son, and watching these characters come together in the film gives it a heart the others in the series can't claim.

Additionally, Last Crusade offers the most intriguing point of convergence. The Holy Grail is a famous mystery, and the film's treatment of the quest is robust. Indy's journey to the cup is less reliant on commotion, allowing our hero to spend more time playing the detective role, and that's where he's at his most impressive. Refining this balance between action and wit shows Spielberg and Lucas at their best with the character, and the addition of Henry Jones, Sr. as the film's emotional center is the last best decision they ever made for the franchise.