More Complex Than Indy Jones, Sexier Than Han Solo
At an age when most actors are at least semi-retired, 65-year-old Harrison Ford is reprising one of his most famous roles this May, slipping on his fedora to play Indiana Jones for the fourth time. But while Indy and Han Solo are his most iconic roles, one of the the best-rounded, most nuanced characters the star's ever played is detective John Book in Witness. Book is a real (not super) man who's both flawed and fascinating. No wonder his
performance marks the only time Ford earned an Oscar nod.
The Amish-hat wearing Book is arguably also his sexiest role ever. As a hard-bitten cop who ends up falling for an Amish babe (the heart-melting Kelly McGillis), Ford is the embodiment of the perfect man. He's manly (the scene in which he beats the crap out of a group of town bullies is a total turn-on) but mushy (wooing McGillis by singing along to Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World"); he's fatherly (protecting McGillis' son, a crime witness) but firm (resisting McGillis' charms almost until the end, when she bares her breasts). Even in Amish garb raising a barn, Ford smolders.
Witness plays Monday, March 17 at 7PM | 6C on AMC. For a complete schedule of the movie, click here.
I have an on-going argument with a good friend about whether or not Rachel would ever succumb to an affair with John Book. She says yes and I say no. I think she would take the both of them to the brink, but in the end, her religious convictions would win out. She's definitely tempted, but the loss of her identity would be too great. My friend says she'd give it up in a New York minute and then have the memory for the rest of her life. I think she'd regret it too much to be able to enjoy the memory. Also, there's the "once is not enough" factor! You think she'll just be able to put the bonnet back on and go back to milking cows?
I've always been a bit perplexed with society's fascination with the Amish--specifically a fascination with wanting to see them "Break Bad," do use the parlence of the network ;)
Remember a few years ago when Fox tried to air that reality show about the Amish tradition of the teenage journey into the "real world" to decide if the Amish life is for them? What a bunch of exploitative malarkey! I'm not at all surprised the series had the shelf life of a day.
I say leave them be. So to answer your question, DRKellogg, I would like to think that not even a man as handsome or cool as Harrison Ford could pry someone from a moral choice of that magnitude.
YES! I knew there was a reason I liked you,
Clayton!!
I saw just a few little bits of that show about the Amish and found it disturbing. And tacky, too!
BTW, John Book isn't doing things in his usual way, either. Rachel is more than a conquest and the cost is too high for John, too, so he protects her by controlling himself in a way he's never had to before. I'll bet that doesn't happen on his normal Saturday night!