Review 85: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
In 1938, Indiana Jones' father Sir Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery) has disappeared along with all his research notes of his lifelong obsession with the Holy Grail. Indiana Jones and Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) are subsequently assigned by businessman Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) to find Sir Henry and the Holy Grail. Along the way, they team up with Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody) and follow on from where Henry left off. It soon becomes apparent that Donovan and Schneider are in league with the Nazi's who have in fact kidnapped Sir Henry Jones Sr. are want the Holy Grail for their own uses. It then becomes are race against time for Indy and Marcus, to rescue the Sir Henry and find the Holy Grail.
The plot is one non-stop thrill ride from start to finish. Not only has the film got a great emotional centre, than it's two predecessors, it's also much more lighthearted than the Temple of Doom - which was nice. In fact, this probably the most lighthearted chapter in the original Indiana Jones trilogy, it has one funny moment after another, most of them courtesy of Sir Henry Jones Sr. due to his eccentricity.
Whereas Raider's of the Lost Ark was a high octane action adventure. Last Crusade is more of a human journey coupled with a father/son relationship and spiritual overtones. Initially Indy is not interested in finding the Holy Grail (even though it's probably the most important archeological find ever), he just wants to find his dad and when he finds his dad they try to attempt to stop the Nazis from getting hold of it but in the end they find something that has much more meaning than a simple artefact.
Meanwhile Henry Jones Sr. has been searching for the Grail and researching it his whole life and has never really been there for Indy and has become estranged from him and as well as assisting Indy in his search for the Grail hopes to reconnect with his son. It's a really touching story and relationship.
The film can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of obsession: Indy is more concerned about finding his dad than he is finding the Grail.
His dad who was always obsessed with the cup and has been throughout most of his life, has to learn to stop obsessing about it and spend time with his son.
Their adventure going forward ends up being less about actually looking for the Grail because it’s an ancient artefact waiting to be recovered and more something thats thrust upon them due to the Nazi's searching for it.
The films exploration of the father/son relationship coupled with its use of religious imagery can be interpreted as reflective of "New Age concerns" where the worship of God was equated to searching for fathers.
The Nazis, on the other hand, are singleminded and only care about the powers the Grail holds as opposed to what it represents and as a result they are unprepared for the ultimate price they face when they have it in their grasp.
This is also possibly the most action packed instalment in the original Indiana Jones trilogy, this film has one great action scene after another, a boat chase, a plane/car chase and even a tank chase you name it. It's just non stop excitement.
Returning director Steven Spielberg's direction is precise and energetic, the cinematography is beautiful and captures the beauty of the locations and the 1930's aesthetics, the locations are stunning, the action scenes are just spectacular, the humour is just infectious, the score by John Williams is beautifully rousing, the production design is superb, the costumes are terrific, the make up is rich, the scenery is breathtaking, the effects are superb, the suspense is killing and the ending has a wonderful sense of finality and poignancy about it.
The acting is spot on here, Harrison Ford continues to shine here, he's all the usual Indy things, charming, inquisitive, tough, resourceful all the typical things, but the storyline with his dad and the grail actually give him more to work with and challenge him more than in the previous films.
Initially he just wants to find his father. But it's also difficult for him because he's had a strained relationship with his dad because he was never there for him and this creates tension between the two characters and over the course of the adventure they come closer together and make attempts to reconcile.
Sean Connery is the stand out performer as Sir Henry Jones Sr. He's been obsessed with the Holy Grail his whole life and spent so much of his life researching it he's forgotten to be their for Indy and now that he's been thrust into a hunt for the Grail with Indy, he begins to get to know him better.
On top of that, he's eccentric and provides a lot of comic relief most of which comes down to his eccentricities and lack of experience in Indy's field.
After having a bit part in Raider's of the Lost Ark, Denholm Elliot returns as Marcus Brody, he's kind of the father that Indy never had and has been the voice of reason and moral support for the majority of Indy's life and career
It’s also a joy to see John Rhys-Davies return as Sallah.
You really can't go wrong with Julian Glover as a villain and he most certainly delivers a sublime, charismatic performance playing treacherous American businessman Walter Donovan.
What would you do, if you had the chance of having eternal life? Where would you draw the line?
These are the questions Steven Spielberg and his writers through the use of Donovan. He craves immortality and he joined the Nazi party in order to investigate the grail and its properties.
Alison Doody makes for a wonderfully and appropriately, appealingly alluring addition to the trilogy and a Indy’s lineup of leading ladies playing Elsa Schneider, her sultry, seductive demeanour makes for a superb addition to the trilogy. Whats interesting about Elsa (aside from being a femme fatal) is that she's one of those fluctuating villains who seems to be on her own side. Whilst she outwardly answers to Donovan and the Nazis, at the end of the day, she's only interested in finding it for knowledge.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade rides out on a high note, 5/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
The film can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of obsession: Indy is more concerned about finding his dad than he is finding the Grail.
His dad who was always obsessed with the cup and has been throughout most of his life, has to learn to stop obsessing about it and spend time with his son.
Their adventure going forward ends up being less about actually looking for the Grail because it’s an ancient artefact waiting to be recovered and more something thats thrust upon them due to the Nazi's searching for it.
The films exploration of the father/son relationship coupled with its use of religious imagery can be interpreted as reflective of "New Age concerns" where the worship of God was equated to searching for fathers.
The Nazis, on the other hand, are singleminded and only care about the powers the Grail holds as opposed to what it represents and as a result they are unprepared for the ultimate price they face when they have it in their grasp.
This is also possibly the most action packed instalment in the original Indiana Jones trilogy, this film has one great action scene after another, a boat chase, a plane/car chase and even a tank chase you name it. It's just non stop excitement.
Returning director Steven Spielberg's direction is precise and energetic, the cinematography is beautiful and captures the beauty of the locations and the 1930's aesthetics, the locations are stunning, the action scenes are just spectacular, the humour is just infectious, the score by John Williams is beautifully rousing, the production design is superb, the costumes are terrific, the make up is rich, the scenery is breathtaking, the effects are superb, the suspense is killing and the ending has a wonderful sense of finality and poignancy about it.
The acting is spot on here, Harrison Ford continues to shine here, he's all the usual Indy things, charming, inquisitive, tough, resourceful all the typical things, but the storyline with his dad and the grail actually give him more to work with and challenge him more than in the previous films.
Initially he just wants to find his father. But it's also difficult for him because he's had a strained relationship with his dad because he was never there for him and this creates tension between the two characters and over the course of the adventure they come closer together and make attempts to reconcile.
Sean Connery is the stand out performer as Sir Henry Jones Sr. He's been obsessed with the Holy Grail his whole life and spent so much of his life researching it he's forgotten to be their for Indy and now that he's been thrust into a hunt for the Grail with Indy, he begins to get to know him better.
On top of that, he's eccentric and provides a lot of comic relief most of which comes down to his eccentricities and lack of experience in Indy's field.
After having a bit part in Raider's of the Lost Ark, Denholm Elliot returns as Marcus Brody, he's kind of the father that Indy never had and has been the voice of reason and moral support for the majority of Indy's life and career
It’s also a joy to see John Rhys-Davies return as Sallah.
You really can't go wrong with Julian Glover as a villain and he most certainly delivers a sublime, charismatic performance playing treacherous American businessman Walter Donovan.
What would you do, if you had the chance of having eternal life? Where would you draw the line?
These are the questions Steven Spielberg and his writers through the use of Donovan. He craves immortality and he joined the Nazi party in order to investigate the grail and its properties.
Alison Doody makes for a wonderfully and appropriately, appealingly alluring addition to the trilogy and a Indy’s lineup of leading ladies playing Elsa Schneider, her sultry, seductive demeanour makes for a superb addition to the trilogy. Whats interesting about Elsa (aside from being a femme fatal) is that she's one of those fluctuating villains who seems to be on her own side. Whilst she outwardly answers to Donovan and the Nazis, at the end of the day, she's only interested in finding it for knowledge.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade rides out on a high note, 5/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
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