Review of The Indian Runner (1991) by Kai82 — 25 Nov 2020

The best of the Indianan Jones movies. The addition of Sean Connery and River Phoenix alone is remarkable as both were great actors. The dynamic between Indianan Jones and his father (Sean Connery’s role) is some of the best (estranged) father / son relationships in movies.

Then there is River Phoenix who is only used in the introduction scenes but it is one of the best introduction scenes in movie history and tells you everything that you need to know about Indiana Jones.

Also praiseworthy Paul Maxwell role here as man with the panama hat (Don't know if he is even named in the movie). Short appearance but so memorable that everyone remembers him. But lets go back to the movie.

After the legendary good introduction scene Indiana Jones is informed that his father is gone missing on his search for the Holy Grail. The Grail is his fathers lifelong obsession and Indiana Jones only goes on a journey to save his father as they have a rocky relationship and are a bit estranged.

This is the beginning of a legendary adventure. The story is excellent and I do not see any flaws here. It has the right pacing and a good mix of action, humor, good twists and character development. I know I sound like a fan boy here but its one of the best performances from director Steven Spielberg, writer George Lucas and the whole team.

Lets go to the actors. Harrison Ford is always great in his signature role (Even in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and this is his best performance as Indiana Jones. I already praised Sean Connery and this is also one of his most remembered roles outside of James Bond.

River Phoenix died far to young and would be possibly one of the most acclaimed actors in Hollywood today. Paul Maxwell shines in such a small role. John Rhys Davies and Denholm Elliot return to their roles and this improves this movie too.

Both are fan favorites and well remembered characters too. They have again not the longest screentime but make a great performance. Then there are the antagonists I wont spoil here. All are excellent and enjoyable villains.

This is such a great cast and an awesome performance. The script, actors and directing accomplish each other. This movie has so many memorable scenes be it the humorous (Non spoilery example: No tickets, the special “autograph” or the stamp joke), action scenes (No spoilers here) or character developments (Again no spoilers here).

Again the sets and special effects are top notch and everything looks amazing and believable. Also again we got the famous and legendary John Williams for the score. He should have deserved more credits as he improved every movie where he made the score.

Overall while there is no perfect movie this comes close. It became the gold standard for Indiana Jones movies and action adventures while also becoming a cult classic. I rewatch it once in a while because it is a movie you can enjoy again and again.