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The best Harrison Ford movies, ranked

From engaging in archaeology to outer space, Harrison Ford can do it all

best harrison ford movies in tux
Gage Skidmore

After over four decades of prominence in Hollywood, not many can lay claim to having the career that Harrison Ford has had. Whether you’re debating the respective merits of characters Indiana Jones and Han Solo, or you prefer one of his other classic movies like Blade Runner, Ford is cooler, more sophisticated, suave, and sexier than almost any of his peers. At over 80 years old, the legend is still starring in recent films like last summer’s biggest picture, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. He’ll appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World in 2025.

Any time an actor has a hotly anticipated new film, it makes us nostalgic about what they’ve already offered up in years past. We’re here to count down the best Harrison Ford movies of all time, an endeavor that will surely be a challenge considering how famous and successful he’s been. Hopefully your favorite Harrison Ford movie will make the list.

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13. Random Hearts (1999)

13. Random Hearts
133m
Genre
Drama, Romance, Thriller
Stars
Harrison Ford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Charles S. Dutton
Directed by
Sydney Pollack
Watch on Hulu

Random Hearts flies under the radar considering it stars Ford and is directed by the legendary Sydney Pollack. Perhaps the plot is a little contrived (two victims of infidelity end up dating each other after overcoming the betrayal in their own ways), but the movie has all the makings of a fun popcorn flick during the summer. Kristin Scott Thomas plays opposite Ford as a politician who juggles her life in the public eye with the death of her cheating husband. Said spouse was sleeping with Ford’s character’s wife behind their backs. 

12. Air Force One (1997)

12. Air Force One
124m
Genre
Action, Thriller
Stars
Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close
Directed by
Wolfgang Petersen
Watch on Amazon

Air Force One is so entertaining because its characters stand in such stark contrast from the reality of real-life American politicians. Harrison Ford plays the U.S. president who kicks ass and takes over action sequences as terrorists hijack his plane. Gary Oldman excels as the hijacker.

11. Apocalypse Now (1979)

11. Apocalypse Now
147m
Genre
Drama, War
Stars
Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall
Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola
Watch on Amazon

If this list wasn’t targeting Harrison Ford’s roles specifically, Apocalypse Now would rank much closer to number one. Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War drama captures the frightening realities of America’s most controversial wartime conflict with realistic portrayals of tragedy and eye-popping detail. Ford plays a bit character, a soldier named after Star Wars director George Lucas.

10. Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

10. Cowboys & Aliens
119m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction, Thriller, Western
Stars
Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde
Directed by
Jon Favreau
Watch on Apple TV+

If there were two genres of film that Harrison Ford has occupied more than any other in his career, science fiction and Western would be the two that would come to mind first. Cowboys & Aliens isn’t the best movie Ford has ever made, but it’s a fun mashup of genre tropes that the actor is very familiar with. Ford teams up with James Bond actor Daniel Craig to help save a small town from extraterrestrials before it’s too late. The special effects have aged well, and Ford and Craig have good chemistry that is easy on the eyes.

9. 42 (2013)

9. 42
128m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie
Directed by
Brian Helgeland
Watch on Amazon

Harrison Ford has been teased a little bit for continuing to play the same characters from his younger years even as he ages into his twilight ones. This biopic is a nice age-specific role for him though, as he portrays Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s. The Dodgers were the baseball team that signed Jackie Robinson, the first Black man to ever play in a Major League Baseball game. Robinson is acted with perfection by the late, great Chadwick Boseman, bringing to light smaller details of an important story that deserves to get told over and over again.

8. American Graffiti (1973)

8. American Graffiti
110m
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Stars
Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat
Directed by
George Lucas
Watch on Netflix

50 years after its release, this George Lucas-directed coming of age film is still the ideal embodiment of the 1960s youth counterculture and the misadventures of a time lost to nostalgia. No matter what year you graduated high school, American Graffiti will still instantly bring you back to the days of your commencement as the characters of the film drive around California trying to soak up all of the fun that will be lost in adulthood.   

7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
136m
Genre
Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher
Directed by
J.J. Abrams
Watch on Disney+

While I didn’t want to include two movies of the same franchise in this list, it’s impossible not to give credit to the vitality and gravity Harrison Ford embedded within the reboot of the Star Wars movies starting in 2015. The Force Awakens needed someone from the original trilogy to shine bright so that fans could see a connective thread between the past and the present, and Ford is incredible stepping back into the shoes of Han Solo decades after his last appearance in the role of the famous space cowboy.

6. Witness (1985)

6. Witness
112m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Stars
Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Josef Sommer
Directed by
Peter Weir
Watch on Amazon

The only role that Harrison Ford was ever nominated for an Oscar for, Witness is a powerful and engaging crime film that shows the lengths a police officer will go to when trying to protect vulnerable people like a mother and her young child. This movie was made at the height of Ford’s fame in the 1980s and it fits perfectly within his action/adventure umbrella. Seeing him step outside of the confines of franchise work was also a nice change of pace for Ford.

5. Clear and Present Danger (1994)

5. Clear and Present Danger
141m
Genre
Action, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Joaquim de Almeida
Directed by
Phillip Noyce
Watch on max

Harrison Ford’s last time in the skin of CIA agent Jack Ryan is an exciting story of the character fighting back against the Columbian cartel and all of the dangers and risks that come along with this type of adventure. James Earl Jones and Willem Dafoe also integrate high-level performances into this crime thriller.

4. The Fugitive (1993)

4. The Fugitive
131m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Drama
Stars
Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pantoliano
Directed by
Andrew Davis
Watch on Amazon

The plot of this intense thriller film is nothing extraordinarily original: a man who is wrongly convicted of killing his wife must escape the police and find the person who really committed the crime. The way the story is executed is what still brings us to the edge of our seats today, though. Ford had already built up almost two decades of goodwill with fans which led to a lot of anticipation for this remake of the popular 1960s TV show of the same name. Tommy Lee Jones is also excellent in the role of U.S. Deputy Marshal Gerard.

3. Blade Runner (1982)

3. Blade Runner
118m
Genre
Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Watch on Apple TV+

Harrison Ford continues his impeccable run of 1980s successes in the world of genre-heavy storytelling by playing Rick Deckard, a cop who is tasked with saving the citizens of a dystopian Los Angeles from the horrors of android intelligence from afar. Blade Runner brilliantly lays out all of the fascinating and introspective ideologies that form the cyberpunk category of science fiction movies that would come in the decades after its release. A sequel titled Blade Runner 2049 came out in 2017 with Ford reprising his role as Deckard.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
115m
Genre
Adventure, Action
Stars
Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
Watch on Disney+

The first film in what would go on to be a five movie series that culminates this summer, Raiders of the Lost Ark sees Harrison Ford don his archaeology outfit for the first of many adventures as Indiana Jones competes with the nazis for the Ark of the Covenant. Ford is the ultimate adventure hero, combining his handsome, gruff exterior with a tender resolve and perseverance to overcome the enemies laid before him. People may still argue whether Indiana Jones was even needed to stop the antagonists of the story, but we sure as heck are glad he was present to add his charm and archetypal badassery!

1. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

1. The Empire Strikes Back
124m
Genre
Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Directed by
Irvin Kershner
Watch on Disney+

Over 40 years later, The Empire Strikes Back stands tall as everything a sequel should be. Upping the stakes of the original Star Wars, darkening the tone, refining the special effects, and getting even better performances out of its star actors, this legendary film encapsulates the magic of science fiction romps and discussions on good versus evil. Harrison Ford famously didn’t believe this franchise could turn into anything worthwhile before this movie, and you can tell in his portrayal of Han Solo that he was completely dialed in. What a movie!

Movie images and data from:
Shawn Laib
Shawn Laib is a freelance writer with publications such as Den of Geek, Quote.com, Edge Media Network, diaTribe, SUPERJUMP…
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