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With: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, River Phoenix, Michael Byrne
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Written by: Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas, Menno Meyjes
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Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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MPAA Rating: PG-13
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Language: English
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Running Time: 127
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Date: 05/23/1989
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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Indy and the Holy Grail
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
The third movie in the series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) remains, for the most part, on an even keel with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. What it makes up for in smarts, it loses in daring. We first meet Indy as a teen (played by River Phoenix), stealing his first medallion, claiming that "it belongs in a museum," and flaunting his new nobility. The plot here is far more interesting than in the last installment: the grown-up Indy must find the Holy Grail, which also holds the secret to eternal life, before the Nazis do. ("Nazis... I hate these guys.")
Playing Indy's father Sean Connery is a perfect foil. The chemistry between the two men is magical; they make a great comedy team. (Though, in real life, Connery is only 12 years older than Ford.) The overall tone of this one is even more uneven, though, bouncing awkwardly between nobility and humor, and testing logic even further than before. It does contain a great "library scene," though.
[See also: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981),
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984),
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).]
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