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Firewall

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Firewall (2006)

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Reviews Counted:151

Fresh:29

Rotten:122

Average Rating:4.6/10

Consensus: Harrison Ford's rote performance brings little to this uninspired techno-heist film whose formulaic plot is befuddled with tedious and improbable twists.

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: 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... 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, 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. [More]

Starring: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, Alan Arkin

Starring: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, Alan Arkin, Beverley Breuer, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Ken Tremblett, Robert Forster, Robert Patrick, Joe Forte

Director: Richard Loncraine

Director: Richard Loncraine
Screenwriter: Joe Forte
Producer: Armyan Bernstein, Graham Burke, Jeffrey Clifford, Jonathan Shestack
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Firewall

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
01/20/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

Its formulaic moves seem particuarly tired.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/01/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A formulaic, it’ll-do action-thriller, Firewall does what you’d expect it to well enough but fails to fully exploit the skills of its talented cast -- particularly the leading man.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Something of a throwback to the Harrison Ford thrillers of the 90s, this is an average thriller with the occasional fun moment.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
03/30/06
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Not that [Harrison Ford] deserves our sympathy. The increasingly wrinkly veteran seems determined to age gracelessly, taking roles he's clearly too old for in a desperate attempt to maintain his leading man status.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/21/06
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

The movie is so disposable that you won't remember you've seen it.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/20/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
01/15/08
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
N/R

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Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
11/01/07
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

Another edge-of-your-seat, roller coaster ride from a matinee idol everybody loves to root for.

Full Review Source: Upstage Magazine | comment Comment
05/30/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Upstage Magazine

A solid ensemble almost saves Firewall, but, in the end, it goes up in campy flames.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO

Director Richard Loncraine shows no affinity for the nuts and bolts of constructing thrillers, playing out the script's empty threats and chases at a lethargic pace.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

Harrison Ford is outshone by his costars in this crisp, conventional thriller.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
10/07/06
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com

There is an air of desperation about Firewall, a sense that Ford needed to make this movie just to keep his face in the public eye, lest we think he had fallen off the planet altogether.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/22/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today

...it's always good to see Ford back in action mode. He lifts a routine film out of total mediocrity by his very presence.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
05/31/06
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

The movie gets a lift from Mary Lynn Rajskub in a glamorized version of her nerd’s wet dream Chloe on 24, which is also better this year with the Chloe quotient pumped up.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
05/12/06
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine

The characters spend a lot of time hunched over keyboards tap-tap-tapping away, which isn’t all that suspenseful to watch.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

It runs along a time-worn path at a leisurely pace and holds few surprises.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
05/03/06
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Latest News for Firewall

February 08, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Comedy vs. Cannibals at the Multiplexes
Moviegoers get to choose between a master comic taking on three roles or a diabolical screen villain in his early years when they walk into their local multiplex this weekend. More...

June 05, 2006: Virginia Madsen Isn't Mrs. Indy ... But She'd Love to Be Asked
The lovely and talented Virginia Madsen has been dogged by the rumor since she co-starred with Harrison Ford in "Firewall" ... WILL she be starring as Mrs. Indiana... More...

May 11, 2006: Bettany Not Too Likely to Play The Joker
To those of you who've chosen Paul Bettany (aka Mr. Jennifer Connelly) as the front-runner to play The Joker in "Batman Begins 2," well, you may be out of luck --... More...

February 13, 2006: Clouseau Defeats Death to Claim the Weekend Box Office
Four brand-new flicks took most of the money home over this past weekend. First and second place were remarkably close, but early estimates indicate that Steve Martin and his... More...

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