“Firewall,” the latest action thriller from Harrison Ford and director Richard Loncraine, won’t win any awards, but it is significantly better than the majority of his recent work.
The film tells the story of security specialist Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford), who works for a prestigious global bank. His job is to design effective anti-theft computer programs that protect the bank’s customers and their investments from internet hackers. However, for the past few months, Bill Cox (Paul Bettany) and his team of accomplices have been intensely studying Jack, his wife Beth (Virginia Madsen) and their two children (Carly Schroeder and Jimmy Bennett) by monitoring their online activity, listening to their calls and watching them via hidden cameras. In a single afternoon, Cox takes control of the Stanfield house, making Beth and the kids hostages in their own home. He plans to use the Stanfield family as a bargaining chip, forcing Jack to steal $100 million from the very bank he works to protect.
The film’s cast is stellar, featuring Paul Bettany in a truly villainous role, something that will surprise fans of “Wimbledon,” 2004’s tennis film also starring Bettany and directed by Loncraine. Bettany perfectly captures the heartless desperation of the part but maintains a charismatic coolness throughout the film.
Alternatively, Virginia Madsen isn’t quite up to par with her more recent work but still delivers as Jack’s intelligent and devoted wife. Carly Schroeder and Jimmy Bennett are the real surprises of the film, avoiding the annoying cliches of most imperiled child roles.
“Firewall” lives up to the promise of its genre: It is in every way a thriller, filled to the brim with action and suspense. The plot is both gripping and ripe with emotional content. It strives to reach the audience on a number of levels. “The themes of online banking, identity theft and technology are issues that are current,” Ford said. “I thought they would make a good movie.””Firewall” is just that: a good movie. In fact, the only cringe-inducing parts of the film were the scenes where unnecessary comic relief was injected. The role of Jack’s secretary was extraneous and irritating, providing a few chuckles that only served to pull the audience out of the drama. Also, aspects of both the exposition and conclusion of the film were handled clumsily, featuring brief scenes or pieces of dialogue that seem clipped and slightly silly.
Ford said that while the movie made him “not at all comfortable with online banking,” it was also “the kind of film that audiences seem to like.”
He also believes movies are about reality.
“They’re about how to deal with the world we live in,” he said.
“Firewall” opens nationwide in theatres today.
