3 Harrison Ford Movies That Prove He’s More Than Han Solo & Indiana Jones

Well before Kit Harrington’s turn as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, the champion of the brooding actor world was undoubtedly Harrison Ford. With an unmistakable skill of playing characters who always feel like they’d rather be anywhere else than appearing in a movie, Harrison Ford simply exudes the confidence of an actor that is comfortable in their own skin. The man knows exactly who he is and never pretends to have us think otherwise. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. Harrison Ford doesn’t have to try to act cool, he just is. Some actors spend their entire careers desperately trying to find their place in Hollywood. Others find their niche and they milk it for all it’s worth. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented in their craft. Harrison Ford may be best known for his performances as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, but his stoic yet fierce personality goes well beyond those two roles.

His effortless yet captivating demeanor lends itself to the possibility of playing countless compelling characters. From a highly killed bounty hunter to a man on the run from the law, Harrison Ford may always look cool under pressure, but his characters all know a thing or two about intense drama. But which of his roles is he truly at the top of his game? Keep reading to find out which films prove that Harrison Ford is more than just an actor typecast as the swashbuckling hero.

Blade Runner

Outside of his roles as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford is probably best known for his performance as Deckard in Blade Runner. The 1982 science-fiction classic tells the story of a Replicant hunter who is tasked with finding and eliminating four escaped Replicants who have returned to Earth. However, when he meets Rachel (Sean Young), a Replicant woman who believes that she is actually human, he begins to fall in love with her. Afterward, Deckard starts to question his directive and ponders what truly makes a person human.

Directed by Ridley Scott, Blade Runner has become the poster child for the steampunk genre. And Harrison Ford is a big reason why it all works so well. Steampunk is a mashup of retro and futuristic aesthetics, serving as the ideal setting for a character like Deckard. His calm exterior is the perfect contrast to the torment that stirs inside him. His icy personality works wonders at making the viewer question whether or not Deckard is a Replicant himself. Deckard feels like a person born at the wrong time in the wrong place, yet he constantly moves forward. Deckard never feels like the smartest or strongest person in the room, and that’s what makes him so compelling as a character. Perhaps we’ll get an equally captivating character in the upcoming Blade Runner spinoff series.

You can rent Blade Runner on Apple TV.

[RELATED: Benedict Cumberbatch’s 5 Best Roles That Prove He’s an Iconic Actor]

The Fugitive

Is there anything better than watching an unpredictable game of cat and mouse? There’s just something truly special about The Fugitive that makes it one of Harrison’s Ford most exciting performances. It also speaks volumes as to why ’90s thrillers are just better than thrillers today. When he is wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, Richard Kimble (Ford) escapes from the law in an attempt to find her killer and clear his name. Little does he know that a team of U.S. marshals led by Deputy Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), a straight-arrow detective, are hot on his heels and will stop at nothing until Richard is captured. However, as Gerard and his team close in, Kimble begins to uncover the truth behind a twisted conspiracy and the people truly responsible for his wife’s murder.

You can’t help but always root for a character that has been wronged so badly, but Harrison Ford’s performance as Kimble truly takes that sentiment to a whole other level. From the get-go, we know that Kimble is an innocent man. That part is abundantly clear. What isn’t clear is just how he will get out of the horrific mess he finds himself in. As a man with nothing to lose, Harrison Ford taps into a side of his personality that we don’t often get to see in his movies. While Kimble still looks as if he’s completely in control of his emotions, there is this frantic desperation that seeps through and makes him one heck of a sympathetic character.

You can rent The Fugitive on Amazon Prime.

Witness

Directed by Peter Weir, Witness is the film that earned Harrison Ford his first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The film follows Detective John Book, who has made it his mission to guard Amish mother Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis) and her son Samuel (Lukas Haas), who witnessed the murder of an undercover police officer in the bathroom of Philadelphia train station. After Book gets close to solving the murder, he is wounded in an ambush by the suspect. Fearing the worst, Book then escorts Rachel and Lukas back to their Amish community where they attempt to lay low and stay out of danger.

Harrison Ford’s performance in Witness was not only his most critically acclaimed work, but his most nuanced as well. There is a sense of vulnerability in his performance that exudes emotion without even uttering a word. The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis is as electric as it is heartbreaking. Book is such a likable lead and a character that plays against the typical performances we normally see from Harrison Ford. In Witness, there is no Han Solo or Indiana Jones to save the day. Just an honest cop that is trying to do the right thing.

You can rent Witness on Apple TV.