unusual fun, an intelligent and satisfying thriller; visually fine

Rating: 8/10 (15 July 2008)

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" to me seemed to be everything "The Raiders of the Lost Ark" had not been; I found it to be fun, a convincing action film, absorbing, well-acted and nicely photographed. John Wilims' majestic music was a great asset, while the screenplay by Jeffrey Boam and the storyline by George Lucas and Mennno Meyjes based on Lucas's and Philp Kaufmann's original characters was well-constructed and psychologically interesting. Steven Spielberg directed with a good eye for style and lighting as well as action sequences. Douglas Slocombe deserves credit for lucid cinematography, as do Fred Hole and Stphen Scott for their art direction, Peter Howitt for his set decorations and all the designers involved for bringing a lost era to vivid life. Among the actors, Julian Glover as the villain, John Rhys Davies and Denholm Elliott as the hero's friends, and Sean Connery stood out from a good cast of minor villains and lesser characters. As the troubled heroine, Alison Doody was adequate and occasionally more. Harrison Ford's intelligent lead as Indiana Jones carried the film much of the time; he has a lot to do inn the busy film and did it very well both physically and vocally, in my opinion. In a less coherent presentation, the dangers, pursuers and contrived special-effects sequences could easily have become tedious; here they never were, I assert. And the ending is very satisfying, the last shot extremely memorable. Not to be missed, I suggest, both for the fun and the visuals.