Very human finale to the Indiana Jones trilogy (spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (2 June 2004)

Despite the many rumours of a fourth movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" remains the conclusion to the Indiana Jones series. After complaints about the violence in the last film, as well as the abundance of racial stereotypes, both elements have been toned down for "Last Crusade". In fact there is a considerably more human and spiritual emphasis in "Last Crusade" than in its predecessors. This is a story of betrayal, religious faith and the mending of a broken relationship between father and son.
After an opening prologue which sees a young Indiana Jones (the late River Phoenix) steal an important artefact from the hands of looters, and acquire his fedora and skill with the whip in the process, the action moves forward to 1939, where Jones (Harrison Ford) is asked by antique collector Donovan (Julian Glover) to find his father Henry Jones(Sean Connery), who went missing helping Donovan find the Holy Grail.
On rescuing his father, Jones learns that Donovan is really a Nazi turncoat. Making a daring escape, Jones with the help of his father, museum curator Brody (Denholm Elliot) and his old friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) races to find the Grail before Donovan and the Nazis get their hands on it...
The story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes lifts its plot virtually straight from "Raiders of the Lost Ark", with Indy racing against faceless German soldiers to retrieve a precious artefact with mystical powers. In large part because of this, "Last Crusade" does not possess the freshness or ingenuity of "Raiders" and the story itself has one or two flaws of its own. The elaborate deception the Nazis use to lure Jones into the Grail hunt never really holds water and too often it is never explained how Jones, stuck in the middle of nowhere after a chase or fight, manages to get himself to wherever he's meant to be for the next scene.
However, there is a great deal more humanity than the two predecessors and it is from this element that the movie benefits. The hunt for the Grail is used as a test of both faith and intellectual ingenuity. This is especially true with in the film's finale, which sees Jones relying on both these traits to survive and win through. Very intentionally, there is a lack of sexual chemistry here which is substituted by the relationship between Indy and his father. The quest for the Grail, which so obsessed Henry Jones he cut himself off from his son thus splitting them apart, is what brings them together as the quest nears its end. As the film progresses, they repair their broken relationship in a convincing and touching manner.
This is helped by some splendid acting from Ford and Connery, who bring the relationship to life. Ford has settled in now as a more mature but still adventurous Indiana Jones, and Connery brings some feisty humour into the role of his bookish dad. They are well supported by Julian Glover and Michael Byrne (playing head Nazi Vogel) as the chief villains, along with Alison Doody as an attractive researcher who isn't all she appears to be. John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliot both return from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and their increased screen-time here is welcome.
There is plenty of action in Last Crusade, all of it accentuated by the themes and music of the brilliant John Williams. The best sequences include a fight aboard a boat in the middle of a stormy ocean, and a great horse/tank sequence in the desert.
Even if they do not make a fourth film, we still have this: an imperfect but still very fitting end to an enjoyable action/adventure series.