... Somehow I ended up watching Firewall.
The first ten minutes of the film introduce you to Harrison Ford, a successful Head of Network Security for a Seattle bank, his wife Beth (Virginia Masden) and his two kids Sarah (Carly Schroeder) and Andy (Jimmy Bennett). The film starts mundanely ... Read review
Harrison Ford, bluntly, has seen better days. While once again he gives a tough, gruff ... more
performance in the leading role of a Hollywood thriller, the material around him in the case ofFirewallis a far cry from what we used to expect of one of Hollywood's...
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Harrison Ford, bluntly, has seen better days. While once again he gives a tough, gruff ... more
performance in the leading role of a Hollywood thriller, the material around him in the case ofFirewallis a far cry from what we used to expect of one of Hollywood's...
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It's an ordinary day at Landrock Pacific Bank - ordinary for everyone but I.T. expert Jack ... more
Stanfield. His wife and children are held hostage at home. Their kidnappers have one demand: Jack must heist $100 million from the ultra-secure system he designe...
Action/Adventure - Director: The Wachowski Brothers - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Jada Pinkett
Production Year: 1996 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Daragh O'Malley, Oliver Cotton, Jason Durr, Sean Bean, Allie Byrne
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 1995 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Allie Byrne, Oliver Cotton, Emily Mortimer, Michael Cochrane
Advantages: Ford scrubs up nicely in a suit. Disadvantages: Predictable bank robbery thriller.
After a busy day on my feet, traipsing around a shopping centre all I wanted was a nice film to watch in the evening with my glass of Baileys. Somehow I ended up watching Firewall.
The first ten minutes of the film introduce you to Harrison Ford, a successful Head of Network Security for a Seattle bank, his wife Beth (Virginia Masden) and his two kids Sarah (Carly Schroeder) and Andy (Jimmy Bennett). The film starts mundanely with ... ...seems the film is going to be as dull as dishwater, a very slow start and I'm already yawning extensively.
Ford scrubs up very well in a suit and looks every bit the part of an Executive member of the Board, Jack Stanfield. He plays the character as a serious man with the responsibilities of his position weighing heavily on his shoulders. This is even before the film kick starts into action which is a shame really as you rarely get ... more
After a busy day on my feet, traipsing around a shopping centre all I wanted was a nice film to watch in the evening with my glass of Baileys. Somehow I ended up watching Firewall.
The first ten minutes of the film introduce you to Harrison Ford, a successful Head of Network Security for a Seattle bank, his wife Beth (Virginia Masden) and his two kids Sarah (Carly Schroeder) and Andy (Jimmy Bennett). The film starts mundanely with bickering kids and dad going off to work and it seems the film is going to be as dull as dishwater, a very slow start and I'm already yawning extensively.
Ford scrubs up very well in a suit and looks every bit the part of an Executive member of the Board, Jack Stanfield. He plays the character as a serious man with the responsibilities of his position weighing heavily on his shoulders. This is even before the film kick starts into action which is a shame really as you rarely get to see Ford smile.
Essentially this film is a bank robbery by electronic means. Jack Stanfield and his family are taken hostage in their own home by a group of intellectual criminals who use Jack's position at the bank to access and transfer millions of dollars from thousands of accounts. As the hostage action happens, the film launches into a stressful movie to watch. Jack is forced to go back into work at the bank fully equipped with microphone and gadget video pen in pocket. He is instructed to behave normally or his family will be killed. There is plenty of tension and action as Stanfield bends the rules a bit and acts as the superhero dad. You do get the impression that these acts of heroism are added to give the film a bit of interest and that no one in their right mind would try such antics with the lives of their family at stake. The hostage takers are shown as a not to be messed with gang after a few cold blooded incidents which made me utter actual gasps. For a certificate 12 I found a few of these quite shocking.
This is a thriller rather than an action movie, although there are a few Indiana Jones style scenes towards the end. Surely Ford is getting a bit old for such rough and tumble. Perhaps he's getting some practise in for Indie 4 due out in 2008.
Ford acts well thoughout and he really does come across as a stressed out, anxious man. There is little in the way of laughs but you might just get a bit of a giggle from some of the scenes with his secretary Janet (Mary Lynn Rajskub from '24'). Janet has a role to play in aiding Jack in his hour of need. She adds a little warmth to the film. Beth Stanfield is the perfect pretty wife and Marsden plays her well enough although she really has nothing of a role to get into. There are also other well known actors who only get a limited air time (Robert Forster, Alan Arkin and Robert Patrick).
One thing you cant help but notice that it is always raining in Seattle and I mean not just raining but absolutely torrential downpours. I'm not sure if this is true to life or simply added to give the film that extra wet factor or perhaps it was just a wet patch in the career of film Director Richard Loncraine.
One thing that I felt did not work well in this film was the casting of the hostage takers. The leader of the gang Bill Cox is played by Paul Bettany. His bright blue eyes, immaculate hair and crisp cotton shirt made him look anything like the bad guy although he did portray a cold blooded intellectual very well. Perhaps Director Richard Loncraine was intentionally trying to portray a non typical baddie. For me it didn't work. Someone who can kill in cold blood should have evil eyes at least. The criminal team were a strange bunch who didn't seem to gel and the only convincing bad guy was the one who booted the pet dog (complete with petnav collar) out of the car for barking too much.
Cast ~*~ Jack Stanfield - Harrison Ford Bill Cox - Paul Bettany Beth Stanfield - Virginia Masden Janet Stone - Mary Lynn Rajskub Sarah Stanfield - Carly Schroeder Andy Stanfield - Jimmy Bennett Gary Mitchell - Robert Patrick Harry Romano - Robert Forster Arlin Forester - Alan Arkin
Directed by Richard Loncraine Running Time: (1 hour 45 mins) Certificate 12 (UK): - Some violent scenes.
In summary this film is worth a watch on rental if you like a thriller but I wouldn't want to purchase it. It's a relatively stressful hour and a half of film and the plot is a little predictable. However it doesn't engage your brain too much and it's a reasonable film with plenty of credible actors. Harrison Ford fans will probably enjoy the film because although Ford plays mostly a role similar to that of his characters in Patriot Games and The Fugitive, there's also a bit of the old Indiana Jones creeping into the final showdown. If you want an intellectual bank robbery with added humour, I would recommend Inside Man in preference. I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. It's OK but not great.
Advantages: Paul Bettany and Mary Lynn Rajskub Disadvantages: The plotline, Ford's acting, almost everything else.
When I was deciding on a film to watch last night, I fancied something with some action and an exciting plot line, and when I saw this, I thought it would be the best one out of my selection. How wrong could I be?! I really expected this film to be great, but I felt really disappointed by it, and here's why. The basic outline of the movie is that Harrison Ford plays Jack Stanfield, a Head of Network Security at a bank, meaning he is a security expert. ... ...who want him to steal $100 million from the bank, but things don't go quite to plan. Queue a lot of screaming, attempts at escape, ridiculous solutions about how to rob the bank, and some violent scenes between Ford and Bettany. Paul Bettany plays the brains behind the operation, Bill Cox, an Englishman who is determined to make Jack steal the money.
The film had a great cast list, and the fact that both Harrison Ford and Paul Bettany were in it ...
mummy2harry 02.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Firewall (DVD)
Advantages: Passes the time I suppose Disadvantages: Predictable, Cliched and Nothing New
...wrong on both accounts but Firewall is a bland movie and plays out like the routine thriller Harrison Ford seems to do every couple of years. In this movie Ford plays bank security expert Jack Stanfield. His job requires him to maintain the security of the banks financials and it's something he does very well. This is demonstrated in a brief scene where Jack spouts some dull computer babble and throws something into the works to stop a hacker. Needless ... ...seen a mile off.
Firewall is just one of those movies that brings nothing new to the table but you can't say it's bad but you can't say it's good. It's just satisfactory and nothing more, it's the kind of film you'd only see at the cinema if your first choice was sold out. Other than that you'd happily just flick it on in a couple of years time when it comes on TV.
Harrison Ford now appears to be in a comfort zone, playing the same kind of character ...
utero 24.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Firewall (DVD)
Advantages: It's disposable entertainment Disadvantages: Harrison Ford's too long in the tooth to play an action hero
Computer security specialist Jack Stansfield has an ideal life; a good job at a bank, a loving wife and happy kids. But his perfect world is blown apart when his identity is stolen. Then his family is taken hostage and he is forced to find a way to rob his employers, otherwise his wife and children will be killed.
I thought Richard Loncraine was an odd choice to helm this thriller, considering his last film was fluffy romantic comedy "Wimbledon". ... ...matter. It amounts to no more than an action thriller by numbers. The Stansfields live a picture perfect upper middle class life that is rudely interrupted when their home is invaded. It is unclear why so many upwardly mobile families decide to live in utter isolation with so little decent security. You'd think they'd never seen a film before. Loncraine clearly believes that grainy digital footage of the family being watched makes the danger they ...
afy9mab 07.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Firewall (DVD)
Advantages: Good intense performances from the leads Disadvantages: Robert Patrick completely underused
IT expert Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) finds himself in a spot of trouble when his wife and two kids are held hostage in their high security home, with the demand being that he helps a sophisticated group of organised criminals break into the mega-secure system that he helped design to protect the bank. Going through the motions, Jack at first is resourceful in his attempts to free his family and not land himself in trouble with the company he ... ...outwitted by the brilliantly refined leader of the kidnappers Bill (played perfectly by a cool Paul Bettany) at every turn. Accepting that the only way he can save his family is to relent and assist the group, but as every movie protagonist knows, there is just no way a clever criminal is going to allow you to see his face and live. Framing Stanfield for murder, and explaining the mysterious disappearance of his family is all in a days work, and ...
bilbob20 01.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Firewall (DVD)
Advantages: Familiar storylines, some okay suspense and acting (Paul Bettany) Disadvantages: Firewall (2006) - disappointing
This heist film comes courtesy of director Richard Loncraine, who directed Paul Bettany in Wimbledon and brings him in as the villain in this 2006 film Firewall.
The Plot
I.T. expert Jack Stanfield is the brains behind many security systems. A family man, he leads a pretty normal existence until his family are kidnapped and held to ransom. Jack must bypass his own security systems and rob a bank he is protecting in order to preserve the safety ... ...the desperate actions of a man for whom family is of the utmost importance.
The Cast and Performances
Harrison Ford is very good at playing distressed characters, with Han Solo and Indiana Jones being prime examples. This time round, although the Jack Stanfield character is distressed, Ford doesn't really pull it off. There is an unconvincing air about his character, and I am not sure whether this is down to the script or the acting. Paul Bettany ...
pmcds 20.03.2008
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Advantages: Paul Bettany plays the suave bad guy really well Disadvantages: It went on too long and was hard to get into
I was lent Firewall by my boyfriend who had just recently bought it, it was his first HD DVD he bought and although the quality is miles better than standard I don't see why he paid what he did for it. I had heard of it before, when it came out and I was interested to know what Paul Bettany was like as a bad guy.
It seems life couldn't get better for Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford), a beautiful and clever wife, two bright kids and a wonderful home. He goes to work and everything is normal, until he meets Cox (Paul Bettany). His wife and kids are taken hostage by several armed men and Cox takes Stanfield hostage on his way home for pizza night.
They are after $100 million from Landrock Pacific Bank, where Stanfield works as an I.T expert, and he designed the vault from which they want to steal. Stanfield must come up with a plan ...
Advantages: solid performances by Hord and Bettany Disadvantages: insulting convienent twist
Harrison Ford is a movie legend, it goes without saying that Indianna Jones and Jack Ryan will forever be remembered as good characters in good movies. His performance is always of high quality and perfectly believable. And this is no different.
Paul Bettany has enjoyed much success over the last few years with the Da Vinci Code and Wimbledon and has shown an ability to be well suited in any role. And as for Ford, this is no different.
Firewall, is an action/thriller movie very much in keeping with everything Ford has been in over the last decade or so, I guess 'formulalaic' (forgive the spelling) is the word.
Ford plays a family man who is head of security for a bank that is in the middle of a merger. The takeover appears to be far from ameniable for everyone, which leaves a long-term colleague to seek out other ...
danpatmore 07.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Firewall (DVD)
Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is an average family man in Seattle who heads up the hi-tech security team at his local bank. But following a seemingly trivial case of identity theft, Jack's life is turned upside-down when he discovers that his wife (Virginia Madsen) and two kids have been kidnapped. The ransom? A mere 100 million dollars, which the kidnappers, led by Bill Cox (Paul Bettany), want Jack to obtain for them via his expert computer skills. Initially compliant, Jack is soon irked by Cox and his cronies to the point where he decides to get his family back and bring the bad guys to justice. British Director Richard Loncraine (WIMBLEDON) uses this basic premise to orchestrate a number of frantic set-pieces, while Ford concocts a character similar to his take on Dr. Richard Kimble in THE FUGITIVE. With a mouthful of computer jargon and nimble fingers that tumble frantically over a keyboard whenever he's in front of a computer, Ford's character is an unlikely action hero. Meanwhile, Bettany's bad guy gives subtly sinister instructions in his clipped British accent, Robert Forster (JACKIE BROWN) provides a likeable if underused ally for Ford, and Madsen slots neatly into her wife-in-peril role. As the film builds to an explosive climax Loncraine dumps the gadgets and carves out a delirious romp through action-movie conventions, ultimately infusing an old-fashioned story with a twist of 21st-century techno-fear.
Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is an average family man in Seattle who heads up the hi-tech security team at his local bank. But following a seemingly trivial case of identity theft, Jack's life is turned upside-down when he discovers that his wife (Virginia Madsen) and two kids have been kidnapped. The ransom? A mere 100 million dollars, which the kidnappers, led by Bill Cox (Paul Bettany), want Jack to obtain for them via his expert computer skills. Initially compliant, Jack is soon irked by Cox and his cronies to the point where he decides to get his family back and bring the bad guys to justice. British Director Richard Loncraine (WIMBLEDON) uses this basic premise to orchestrate a number of frantic set-pieces, while Ford concocts a character similar to his take on Dr. Richard Kimble in THE FUGITIVE. With a mouthful of computer jargon and nimble fingers that tumble frantically over a keyboard whenever he's in front of a computer, Ford's character is an unlikely action hero. Meanwhile, Bettany's bad guy gives subtly sinister instructions in his clipped British accent, Robert Forster (JACKIE BROWN) provides a likeable if underused ally for Ford, and Madsen slots neatly into her wife-in-peril role. As the film builds to an explosive climax Loncraine dumps the gadgets and carves out a delirious romp through action-movie conventions, ultimately infusing an old-fashioned story with a twist of 21st-century techno-fear.
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