ONE OF THE BEST FILMS EVER MADE; FORD'S CHOICE ICONIC ROLE

Rating: 10/10 (21 April 2003)

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) **** Harrison Ford, Karen
Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies. Steven Spielberg's
blockbuster extravaganza cum hommage to Saturday morning
serials of yesteryear come to fruition in non-stop action glory
thanks to co-producer George Lucas and making Ford an American icon as erstwhile, tough yet vulnerable archaeologist/adventurer Indiana Jones in this the first of a
bonanza trilogy. Indy is out to stop the Nazis from obtaining the
mythological Lost Ark of the Covenant (a treasure chest enshrining
the original ten commandments) for Hitler to assume unholy
powers and has his hands full with former flame Marion
Ravenwood (plucky broad Allen), sidekick Sallah (Rhys-Davies,
affable to a fault) and his nemesis, Bolloq (Frenchy Freeman) in
league with the Third Reich. Fast-paced, quickly moving and
heart-stopping stunts galore including one of the greatest filmed
sequences: Jones taking on a German truck and a gaggle of
soldiers trying to stop him. Fun, frenetic and break-neck with a
touch of rogue humor elevates this classic into the pantheon of
Great Films.