Best peformance Harrison Ford ever gave
Apparently Nick Nolte was originally going to be cast as John Book, and reading the 'novelisation' of the film you could see that the role was written as if for his persona in '48 HRS' - bull-in-a-china-shop comedy. That the film turned out to be so much more is down to Peter Weir and - perhaps mainly - Harrison Ford. From the very first moment you see the cop - neat in his grey suit, tense, tired, professional to his finger-tips - you know that this is going to be all about the human cost of being a law enforcer who is still trying to believe in morality. Not just another shoot-'em-up. All his scenes with Kelly McGillis, but perhaps especially the final scene where they are gazing hopelessly at each other, trying to find something to say to bridge the gulf that has opened between them with the proof that Ford is a killer, are stellar and unforgettable. Too bad Ford has never had the chance to act in such a good film again.
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