Back to basics and bringing in the big Scottish guns

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2003)

After dissing East Indian culture and going with gore galore in "Temple of Doom", Steven Spielberg and George Lucas went back to basics with "The Last Crusade" and even brought in a Hollywood icon to boot. Like "Raiders of the Lost Ark", Indy (Harrison Ford) must once again battle those pesky Nazis for a religious artifact, this time the Holy Grail, and thrown into the mix - along with Brody and Sallah - is Indy's adventure inexperienced dad, played by Sean Connery. Along the way, Indy even gets some character development, as we see how his dysfunctional relationship with his dad contributed to his personality.
Ford and Connery are a great pair, and Alison Doody stands out as the only Jones girl who stabbed Indy in the back (and slept with both him and his dad). The late River Phoenix, the Leonardo Dicaprio of his day, also does serviceable work in the opening as the young Indy (may he rest in peace). My only real complaint is that the action seems to be on a smaller scale here, lacking the OOMPH of "Raiders" and the crazed, frenzied, kinetic energy of "Temple of Doom". However, you have to love the scene with the tank.

Of them all, this may be the most friendly to children, excluding the fate of Walter Donovan. Enjoy!