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Firewall

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Firewall (2006)

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Reviews Counted:36

Fresh:6

Rotten:30

Average Rating:4.8/10

Consensus: Harrison Ford's rote performance brings little to this uninspired techno-heist film whose formulaic plot is befuddled with tedious and improbable twists.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some intense sequences of violence

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:2005

Box Office: $48,699,400

Synopsis: Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is an average family man in Seattle who heads up the hi-tech security team at his local bank. But following a seemingly trivial case of identity theft, Jack's life is... Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is an average family man in Seattle who heads up the hi-tech security team at his local bank. But following a seemingly trivial case of identity theft, Jack's life is turned upside-down when he discovers that his wife (Virginia Madsen) and two kids have been kidnapped. The ransom? A mere $100 million, which the kidnappers, led by Bill Cox (Paul Bettany), want Jack to obtain for them via his expert computer skills. Initially compliant, Jack is soon irked by Cox and his cronies to the point where he decides to get his family back and bring the bad guys to justice. British Director Richard Loncraine (WIMBLEDON) uses this basic premise to orchestrate a number of frantic set-pieces, while Ford concocts a character similar to his take on Dr. Richard Kimble in THE FUGITIVE. With a mouthful of computer jargon and nimble fingers that tumble frantically over a keyboard whenever he's in front of a computer, Ford's character is an unlikely action hero. Meanwhile, Bettany's bad guy gives subtly sinister instructions in his clipped British accent, Robert Forster (JACKIE BROWN) provides a likeable if underused ally for Ford, and Madsen slots neatly into her wife-in-peril role. As the film builds to an explosive climax Loncraine dumps the gadgets and carves out a delirious romp through action-movie conventions, ultimately infusing an old-fashioned story with a twist of 21st-century techno-fear. [More]

Starring: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, Alan Arkin

Starring: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, Alan Arkin, Beverley Breuer, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Ken Tremblett, Robert Forster, Robert Patrick, Joe Forte

Director: Richard Loncraine

Director: Richard Loncraine
Screenwriter: Joe Forte
Producer: Armyan Bernstein, Graham Burke, Jeffrey Clifford, Jonathan Shestack
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Release:

Sep 5, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Firewall
  • Firewall stars Harrison Ford as bank security expert Jack Stanfield, whose specialty is designing infallible theft-proof financial computer systems. But there's a hidden vulnerability in the system he didn't account for - himself. When a ruthless criminal mastermind (Paul Bettany) kidnaps his family, Jack is forced to find a flaw in his system and steal $100 million. With the lives of his wife and children at stake and under constant surveillance, he has only hours to find a loophole in the thief's own impenetrable system of subterfuge and false identities to beat him at his own game.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
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    Reviews for Firewall

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    Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
    11/01/07
    David Ansen
    David Ansen
    Newsweek
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Harrison Ford is outshone by his costars in this crisp, conventional thriller.

    Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
    10/07/06
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Salon.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The movie gets a lift from Mary Lynn Rajskub in a glamorized version of her nerd’s wet dream Chloe on 24, which is also better this year with the Chloe quotient pumped up.

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    05/12/06
    David Edelstein
    David Edelstein
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    You've seen this movie a dozen times.

    Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
    02/16/06
    Richard Schickel
    Richard Schickel
    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This is one of the dopiest plans in the history of evil genius plans.

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    02/16/06
    Richard Roeper
    Richard Roeper
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Firewall is barely worth seeing, despite its above-average cast.

    Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
    02/15/06
    Andrew Sarris
    Andrew Sarris
    New York Observer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    As we watch Ford reprise his trademark mannerisms, we no longer enjoy the ring of familiarity. We just hear the tolling of a bell -- Ford's.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Firewall is the flaming arrow of truth that Harrison Ford is fully in the throes of what worried scientists are calling the De Niro Syndrome.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Peter Howell
    Peter Howell
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's a tricky thing, but an ideal thriller enables an audience to enjoy watching characters suffer. Here, that's difficult.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Mick LaSalle
    Mick LaSalle
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's not long before the timely issue of identity theft takes a backseat to old-fashioned Hollywood villainy, unnecessary (and nonsensical) red herrings, and stuff that doesn't make sense.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Steven Rea
    Steven Rea
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Those who don't spend enough time watching computer screens at work, however, can see more of them in Firewall, starring grumpy Harrison Ford as the head of digital security for a mid-sized Seattle bank.

    Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Stephen Whitty
    Stephen Whitty
    Newark Star-Ledger
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Expect the predictable series of attempted double crosses, frame-ups and escape attempts that will be wearyingly familiar to anyone whose seen last year's Hostage.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Lou Lumenick
    Lou Lumenick
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    For every movie based on a clever screenplay that takes years to get made, there are a dozen like the formula hostage thriller Firewall.

    Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Jack Mathews
    Jack Mathews
    New York Daily News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If you're in the mood for a thriller, Firewall will suffice -- barely.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Louis B. Parks
    Louis B. Parks
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This film is so formulaic, so thoroughly what you'd expect that by the time you're done watching it you feel like you've just seen it for the second time.

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Tom Long
    Tom Long
    Detroit News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The plot of Firewall is about as complex as a game of Pong.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Terry Lawson
    Terry Lawson
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A generally uninspired script strains when it's time to wrap things up.

    Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Robert Denerstein
    Robert Denerstein
    Denver Rocky Mountain News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Firewall gives us little reason to bestow deeper meaning on what is essentially a pre-owned Ford vehicle.

    Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Lisa Kennedy
    Lisa Kennedy
    Denver Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There are other plot holes (four days indoors and the dog doesn't have to go?) but, dispiritingly, Firewall is one of those movies where every detail in the first act is designed to pay off by the third.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    02/10/06
    Ty Burr
    Ty Burr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    What we essentially have here is an old-fashioned, not always convincing B picture with A-list stars.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    02/09/06
    Kenneth Turan
    Kenneth Turan
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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    Latest News for Firewall

    February 08, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Comedy vs. Cannibals at the Multiplexes
    Moviegoers get to choose between a master comic taking on three roles or a diabolical screen villain in his early years when they walk into their local multiplex this weekend. More...

    June 05, 2006: Virginia Madsen Isn't Mrs. Indy ... But She'd Love to Be Asked
    The lovely and talented Virginia Madsen has been dogged by the rumor since she co-starred with Harrison Ford in "Firewall" ... WILL she be starring as Mrs. Indiana... More...

    May 11, 2006: Bettany Not Too Likely to Play The Joker
    To those of you who've chosen Paul Bettany (aka Mr. Jennifer Connelly) as the front-runner to play The Joker in "Batman Begins 2," well, you may be out of luck --... More...

    February 13, 2006: Clouseau Defeats Death to Claim the Weekend Box Office
    Four brand-new flicks took most of the money home over this past weekend. First and second place were remarkably close, but early estimates indicate that Steve Martin and his... More...

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