Top-notch adventure masterpiece, The Last Crusade raises the bar and remains one of the best films you'll ever see., 18 December 2009
Of all the franchises in the history of film-making, not a single one boasts a better third film than The Last Crusade. Of all the sequels in this Earth, very few can quite measure up to The Last Crusade. This film set and raised the bar for all adventures following it—a bar that not a single film has yet reached. Indiana Jones becomes a movie legend with the third installment. This movie has it all: action, comedy, adventure, mystery, horror, romance, and a perfect way to end a nearly-flawless trilogy. The Last Crusade is not only an amazing sequel, but ranks in my list as one of the greatest films of all-time. Without exaggeration, this movie fires on all cylinders, hits all the targets without question, and quite frankly certifies Steven Spielberg as easily one of the greatest directors in the last quarter century.
It has all the elements of an incredible motion picture: likable characters, quality acting, amazing action set pieces, superb stuntwork, amazing direction, clever and deep writing, a perfect musical score (John Williams), nice cinematography, and great pacing. This movie is underrated because it's never quite mentioned in the same breath as other Spielberg classics like E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Jaws, and Saving Private Ryan. Last Crusade did a beautiful job wrapping up the trilogy by dwelling into Indy's past, and tying him to his father that long-eluded him.
In The Last Crusade, we find Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) once again traveling overseas in search of the Holy Grail, a relic that for hundreds of years has eluded the most stubborn of archeologists. Along this journey, he also sets out to find and reconnect with his father. This adventure takes him through Italy, Austria, and Hatay. He also encounters Nazis, massive rats, under-the-radar religious cults, a man that is centuries old, and even runs into Hitler himself. Jeffery Boem writes the script of his life as he weaves a clever tale that contains many religious and family undertones underneath the massive adventure. This film was much lighter in tone than the second installment, and covers much more ground as well.
Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones, it honestly is hard to imagine anyone else fill the role. While River Phoenix does a swell job portraying his younger self, this is Ford's film for the running. Equally as impressive is Sean Connery has Indy's father. The two share a delightful mix of tension, awkwardness, and humor as they try to put up with each other's antics and methods of survival. All the other small roles were done exceptionally well, with special kudos to Denholm Elliot as the hilarious Marcus Brody. In James Bond fashion, we have a different leading lady for the third time in the franchise, and Alison Doody does a great job combining feminine toughness with a bit of vulnerability.
Steven Spielberg runs this show and runs it perfectly. All the action set pieces were crafted and executed beautifully, with the best ones being the opening train chase and the epic showdown on the desert involving the German military tank. On both scenes mentioned above we see some of the best stuntwork in the history of film, especially with Indy jumping to a moving tank on horseback. Name a stunt from recent years to top that one. And whenever action and adventure isn't happening, Spielberg keeps the tension and suspense high, even when the two Indys go at it in humorous fashion. The scene when Indy is in a Nazi rally is one of the more tense moments you'll ever see, with the stakes being absolutely high and the result potentially chaotic and disastrous.
What I miss most about movies is that there is way too much reliance on special effects and CGI. While it does create shots and images that you couldn't imitate without computers, it also cheapens the look of the film and prevents it from ever becoming even remotely realistic. With The Last Crusade, the only reliance on special effects came in the final sequence, with the first two acts focusing on stuntwork, massive sets, and clever camera tricks. This prevents Indy's third outing from ever being over-the-top, and resembles classic adventures you wound find in old-old school comic books. That's what Indiana Jones is, a down-to-earth comic book hero always on a quest for adventure, history, relics, and answers. To this day he remains one of the coolest creations for cinema in history. His name is now synonymous with adventure, peril, and quality film-making. It is such a shame the franchise didn't end on the now iconic final shot because of the extremely disappointing fourth installment. The fourth just didn't have the grit, humor, quality adventure, and delightful subtle religious weight of this film and the original.
Bottom Line: One of the greatest films of all-time and by far the best movie of 1989 (highlighted by big summer flicks like The Abyss, Ghostbusters II, Batman, and Lethal Weapon 2), The Last Crusade overpowers the second installment by leagues and is right underneath the original as some of the best adventure/action film-making you'll ever see. There honestly isn't a single major flaw in here, as everything from the directing to the exceptional musical score was done beautifully. While Spielberg and Lucas have taken a different approach to film-making in this decade and leading up to the next, there is no denying what a powerful force they were in terms of success and quality back in the 80s. If you enjoy movies, it is your duty to watch this one and enjoy its epic adventure and pulp mayhem. If you want to make a good adventure movie, this is the film you must go by. Cinematic perfection is something that few movies achieve, and fewer franchises can achieve more than once. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade fit both billings.
