Harrison Ford isn't on fire...

Harrison Ford's latest, "Firewall," returns him to his trusty role of a likable, trusting family-man who gets into some really nasty trouble at the hands of some really nasty people. It's no different a character from those he has played in "The Devil's Own," "The Fugitive," "Clear and Present Danger," etc. In fact, when it comes right down to it, the plot oddly resembles his last big hit, 1997's "Air Force One." Here, instead of PotUS, Ford plays a healthy bank's CIO, whose family is ransomed by cyber-saavy bankrobbers (instead of terrorists) for access to the bank's biggest customers' accounts. Well, as you can imagine, there are lots and lots of coincidences that work in the bad guys' favor, as well as a few that work against them (how convenient that Harrison Ford's character gets a new trackable GPS-ish leash for their dog on the same day as the kidnapping...do you think that will come up later in the movie?) The result is a predictible rehash of things we've seen Ford do in a dozen other movies.

Having said that, Harrison Ford is comfort food, and when we've seen him try to do other things ("What Lies Beneath"), it usually tastes like that dish you shouldn't have ordered instead of your traditional favorite--you always wish he'd stick with what works. (If only this one worked a little better...). The movie is harmless, has a few laughs, a few thrills, and lots of gratuitous shots of that new Chrysler. Won't be included on Harrison Ford's lifetime achievement award reel, but it might be worth a DVD rental, if only to remember the type of character we love him to play. (**1/2 out of four)