Movie Reviews
Firewall
Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence.
reviewed by Steven Harrell
What happens when a normal guy gets put into an extraordinary situation in which his family’s life is at stake? If the normal guy is Harrison Ford, he outsmarts the criminal mastermind, outfights the armed henchman, and shouts “Get off my plane!” in the end. Or, in the case of “Firewall,” “Get off my sofa!”
The Story
Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is the head of security for a chain of banks that is about to be sold to a global franchise. He has a nice house on the coast, a loving family, and his software is impossible to hack. In short, Stanfield’s life is going perfectly . . . until now. After a meeting with Bill Cox (Paul Bettany), a businessman who wants to hire Stanfield to write his company’s security software, Jack gets in his sleek new Corvette only to find out that his family is being held hostage in their home. And Cox isn’t as friendly as he seemed to be.
Cox tells Stanfield that in order for his family to survive, he has to hack into the bank’s security system and transfer 100 million dollars to an offshore account. After a lot of shouting and escape attempts, Cox’s real plan becomes clear. With nowhere to turn, Stanfield realizes he must fight to save his family from the kidnappers.
The Verdict (What we thought of the movie on its own)
Harrison Ford has become one of those actors who seem perfectly content playing the same character again and again. The positive side is that he will never disappoint you with his performance (unless you saw him in “Hollywood Homicide”). Unfortunately, he will never surprise you either. “Firewall” delivers exactly what it promises and nothing more. It’s got a lot of action, tension, an ever-thickening plot, and enough technical mumbo-jumbo to make it all sound cutting-edge. What it lacks is any sort of believability. Thus, it fails to connect with the audience.
It’s not all bad. Paul Bettany delivers a convincing performance as a modern criminal. The one spark of originality in the film is his young, almost hipster take on a character that would usually be portrayed by a no-name actor in his 50s with a dark mustache and an Eastern European accent. He utilizes his soft presence perfectly, surprising both the kidnapped family and the audience with his sudden outbursts of violent criminal behavior. Virginia Madsen also shines as Ford’s wife. She carries herself with force, intent on doing whatever it takes to ensure the survival of her children.
The problem with the film lies mostly with Harrison Ford’s mild-mannered bank employee, Jack Stanfield. The script doesn’t allow Ford to give Stanfield’s character the vulnerability required for his audience to sympathize with (or even care about) his plight. As the situation becomes more and more critical, Ford’s character’s confidence level only increases. By the end I felt worse for the kidnappers for choosing such a bad target than I did for the stone-faced Stanfield.
In spite of the lackluster performance by Ford and a few glaring plot holes, “Firewall” is entertaining enough that you won’t get bored while eating your popcorn. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll remember the movie any longer than it takes to refill the tub on your way out the door.
The film seems to be pushing the boundaries of its PG-13 rating with the intensity of its violence and the amount of bad language.
Worldview (How the film’s take on life compares with a biblical perspective)
The great thing about movies is that ordinary guys always seem to be able to outwit professional criminals, beat up multiple people at a time, and run through gunfire unharmed. The idea behind movies like “Firewall” is that when faced with intense situations, the only thing to do is fight back. And if you can do it all on your own, even better.
Fortunately, in our day-to-day routine we’re rarely faced with such dire situations. However, our culture sometimes tells us that when we do face problems (which often can feel just as intense as if bullets were flying), we must ultimately face them by ourselves. Especially for guys, it’s seen as a sign of weakness to express uncertainty in any given situation, and asking for help can get you labeled you as helpless or inadequate.
But the Bible tells us that we shouldn’t be afraid to look to other people to help us out. The book of Acts describes a community of early Christians that were not afraid to accept each other’s help. Nobody went without and no needs were left unmet. In community, we don’t have to face trials alone.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 also gives a perfect description of the advantages of living life together with good friends, ending with the picture of a triple braided cord that is “not quickly broken.” When we are not afraid to admit that we can’t do everything on our own and live as part of a group of people that care about us, weighty problems get a lot less heavy.
If you see the movie, questions you can discuss with friends, parents, or just think about yourself:
• Which best describes your usual reaction to difficult situations: fight or flight? Why do you think that is?
• How many movies can you think of that have a similar plot to “Firewall”?
• Who are some people in your life you consider to be part of your community? Does your local church operate in that way for you? How do you contribute to that family?
• What are some things that hold you back from asking other people for help?
• What’s your favorite Harrison Ford movie? Do you like young Ford (“Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones”) or old Ford (“Air Force One,” “What Lies Beneath”)?
Copyright © 2005
