Another Hollywood movie that presents a 'typical' American family as ultra-privileged and glamorous.
Firewall (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:151
Fresh:29
Rotten:122
Average Rating:4.6/10
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
Reviews for Firewall
once the fistfights, car chases and stray explosions begin to mount, the movie veers into exponentially dumb overkill.
It would as foolish to ask for logic here as it would be to ask it of a roller coaster ride.
"Firewall" is the kind of ho-hum winter doldrums film that begs for you get something classic from NetFlix
Joe Forte's screenplay doesn't stop at merely stretching credibility -- it keeps pushing until 'Firewall' becomes absolutely absurd. ... That's a shame, since Ford turns in an otherwise convincingly tense performance.
Ford is back in action, albeit a little more slowly and cautiously than before, and in the service of a plot that is ludicrous and predictable (if still blandly diverting).
The film is precise, square and in many regards beat-perfect - in other words, the perfect movie to skip in theaters and enjoy somewhere down the road as a rainy-weekend rental or background-noise friend while paying some bills.
The kind of movie that wears its cliches like bright flowers on a Hawaiian shirt.
For those who enjoy big dumb fun every now and again to clear out the senses, Firewall offers some terrific entertainment in the moments before it begins to confuse itself.
If you're expecting an intricate techno-thriller, that's not what this is. This is one of those high concept thrillers where they milk a limited situation to a ridiculous degree. As such, it's great fun.
Bettany is a perfect 21st Century bad guy as he mixes nastiness with a detached coolness that makes you shudder at its cruelty.
Play[s] it safe...to sit through this home-invasion scenario yet again, I think we're owed a dead kid. Or at least a contusion. Maybe lightly stun the dog? Toss us a bone here!
gives us a main character whose relationship to his family is so generic as to be negligible, a threat so mild that the bad guy is crueler to his henchmen than to his victims, and a crime so petty-yet-lucrative that we wish we'd thought of it ourselves
When did Indiana Jones turn into the cranky old guy at the end of the street who would yell at you for playing in his yard?
Firewall is below average winter escapism, but those who have truly missed the Harrison Ford brand of justice may find the film enticing and fulfilling.
What we essentially have here is an old-fashioned, not always convincing B picture with A-list stars.
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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