The Last Crusade evokes the spirit of Raiders.....

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2017)

In 1988 Steven Spielberg was deep into bringing Rain Man to fruition, all thoughts of Indiana Jones had gone by the wayside with the harshly judged part two, Temple Of Doom. In stepped George Lucas to politely remind Spielberg that they had an agreement to make another Indiana Jones picture, Spielberg no doubt obliged and humble, passed on his Rain Man work to Barry Levinson who promptly bagged himself an Oscar for the film. It can be guessed that Spielberg was probably grouchy around this period, but he needn't have worried, because The Last Crusade provided a much needed hit for not only himself (post Empire Of The Sun), but also Lucas (Willow) and Harrison Ford (Frantic).
Although Last Crusade follows the basic structure, borrowed from the James Bond series, of the other movies by starting the film with the end of a previous adventure before introducing the main story-line, the film tweaks the formula by showing us Indy's first big adventure.. in 1912 Utah, when the future archaeology professor is a Boy Scout (literally) living with his widowed father, Henry Jones. While on a Boy Scouting sojourn in the mountainous desert, young Indy (River Phoenix) wanders into a cave and sees a group of ruffians pilfering the long-lost Cross of Coronado. "That cross is an important artifact," Indy says to a fellow Boy Scout. "It belongs in a museum." Indy sends his friend for help, steals the Cross of Coronado from the ruffians, but ends up being chased as he attempts to escape on foot, horseback and even a circus train. In this interlude, Indy acquires most of the traits established in the earlier films, his fear of snakes, his affinity for the whip (and the origins of the scar on his chin) and, yes, his choice of the leather jacket and snap-brim fedora.
Last Crusade brings all the usual elements that are now expectant of the series. Fights, chases and dangerous animals. After seeing the great but horribly uncomfortable inclusion of the snake in Raiders it was almost equally spine tingling to view Indiana in the tunnel of rats, a squirming sequence that is rattled with action and suspense. As for chases the tank scenes stand out and although lasting a small time the boat sequence in Venice is memorable for some death defying thrills. Far more than an action adventure the inclusion of a mythical legend adds to the dazzle of the film's appeal and if you have seen the previous two then this is an essential watch!
Overall rating: 9 out of 10.