Plot: Bank security expert Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) builds a career on his expertise in designing theft-proof computer systems for financial institutions. However, a criminal mastermind (Paul Bettany) kidnaps his family, and he must work feverishly to find a way to break into his own system and steal $100 million, for the lives of his loved ones hang in the balance.
I can’t watch Firewall without smiling as it always reminds me of Family Guy; this is the movie where Harrison Ford says, “Where’s my family?” which was referenced in the below clip.
Aside from that this is still a solid cyber thriller with enough tension to keep things entertaining and an action-packed finale.
This is the kind of role Harrison Ford can play in his sleep, so this is just him essentially playing himself. He’s always been good at being the likeable everyman and in Firewall he is bank security expert, Jack Stanfield (not Ryan) who is beloved by everyone at his bank. He has a loving wife (Virginia Madsen) and 2 annoying kids, so everything in his life is pretty much perfect. That is until Cox (Paul Bettany) kidnaps Jack’s family and holds them hostage so Jack will help them steal from the bank.
It is quite dated in terms of the technology, and I always found it odd how they were able to use laptops pretty much anywhere without Wi-Fi. It’s best not to overthink it and just enjoy the ride.
Bettany makes for a truly hateful antagonist and the final fight between he and Ford is satisfying to watch. Before Game of Thrones, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau got to play evil henchman, Liam who Ford gets to throw down with briefly too.
The rest of the supporting cast is impressive too, including Robert Patrick, Robert Forster and Alan Arkin. You’re wondering if Patrick will end up being a villain, but he is (spoiler alert) actually a good guy. I’m sure after the events of this movie he and Ford’s character probably won’t be good pals though…
I was watching the special features on the DVD and there is a great interview with Ford and director Richard Loncraine who are both very honest about the project. The studio weren’t happy with the script and neither were Ford or Loncraine, so they all worked together to do the best they could and revamp it. I think they did a decent enough job however, I still consider this one of Harrison Ford’s more middling movies. It’s entertaining for what it is and is quite tense with a scene stealing turn from Bettany, but this is only the second time I’ve ever watched it and will likely be another 20 years before I watch it again.
Overall, after 20 years Firewall isn’t one of Harrison Ford’s best movies, but it has several nice moments of tension and some decent action in the finale. It’s not one I return to often but it’s still a fun time.