Moviegoers were first swept into the world of Indiana Jones in 1981 when Raiders of the Lost Ark debuted on the big screen. The film combined the pulpy tone of 1930s serials with the scope and technical trappings of a modern-day adventure epic. The result was dynamite. With their jaw-dropping action sequences and elaborate set pieces, director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas had set a new standard in the genre.
Audiences were thrilled again when Temple of Doom, a slightly scarier prequel to the original, hit theaters three years later. And there was even more excitement in store when Harrison Ford and Company returned for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, what seemed like a fitting end to the blockbuster series in 1989. But it wasn't the end. And now, after nearly two decades on ice, Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. is cracking the whip again in another globe-trotting adventure that's sure to have your pulse racing all over again.
As Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gets set for its May 22 debut, IGN takes a look back at the rip-roaring action sequences that defined the series.
10. Bar Fight at The Raven: Raiders of the Lost Ark
The setting is The Raven, a bar in Nepal where Indy has just been reunited with his former love Marion Ravenwood. She greets our hero with a right hook, but that's just the start of the action. After a brief tiff between the two, Indy leaves but the creepy Nazi Major Arnold Toht and some henchman arrive, looking for the same rare medallion as Indy. Just as Toht is about to burn Marion with a red-hot poker, Indy suddenly returns with his inimitable whip skills on display, snapping the poker out of the German's hands. Gunfire immediately erupts, with Professor Jones proving that he's not afraid to pump some lead into no-good Nazi henchman — and damn if these aren't ugly henchman, too.
As a fire begins to rage out of control in the bar, from the misplaced poker and some stray logs that were purposely shot out of the fireplace by Indy, Marion does her part by smashing a henchman in the head with a smoldering log (but only after taking a gulp of liquor from a shot-up barrel). Indy, of course, winds up taking some heavy blows — in that way that only Harrison Ford can — as he's dragged across the burning bar by another baddie. But when Toht gives the order to "shoot them... shoot them both," Indy and his foe both aim the gun they've been grappling over at their would-be executioner.
In short order Toht spies the medallion on the floor of the bar and grabs it (not realizing that it's piping hot from the fire), Indy has a final fistfight with his foe-turned ally-turned-foe (whose arm is on fire as he throws punches), and Marion puts a bullet in one final henchman, saving Indy in the nick of time. As Toht cools his burned hand out in the snow, Marion reveals the medallion to Indy in front of her burning bar, screaming, "I'm your g--damned partner!"
9. Motorcycle Chase: The Last Crusade
This Last Crusade scene in which Indy dispenses with multiple Nazis on motorbikes may not be as balls-to-the-wall as some of the chase sequences in the earlier films, but who doesn't love seeing Sean Connery riding in a sidecar?!?
The Joneses are pursued by four soldiers, one of whom takes the high road and proceeds to play a deadly game of chicken with them. Too bad for him Indy's got jousting skills. Our hero snags a flag pole from a guard shack and obliterates the guy. The Nazi soldier is knocked from his bike and the now-driverless cycle crashes into the rest of the pursuing group, leaving just one man still rolling. This guy quickly proves he's no joke, however, as he pops a wheelie and slams the back of Indy and Henry's bike. But he's still no match for the Joneses. Just as the man's about to make Swiss cheese out of them with his firearm, Indy jams what's left of the flag pole into his foe's spokes, sending him flying end over end into the air before hitting the ground with a massive thud.
The best part? Henry Jones, Sr. doesn't even crack a smile.
8. Rope Bridge Showdown: Temple of Doom
Temple of Doom may have it's detractors, but the act of cutting the rope bridge is the single most badass thing we've ever seen Indy do! This climatic sequence to ToD would've ranked higher on our list, but it's actually more about suspense than full-on action. It's a real treat to watch, however, as our hero dispenses with Thuggee cult leader Mola Ram in true Indiana Jones style.
Indy's freed the children from the tunnels and taken the Sankara stones, from which the cult gets its power. Mola Ram and his followers track Jones, Shorty and Willie to a gorge bridged by a precarious rope and wood span. Did we mention there's a river hundreds of feet below that's filled with hungry — not to mention unusually acrobatic — crocodiles? And who could forget Indy's "oh, s**t" moment in the middle of the bridge when he realizes he's surrounded. As the Thuggee close in, Indy has no choice but to cut the ropes. But it wouldn't be Temple of Doom without goofy little touches like the hilarious exchange between Indy and his friends.
Short Round: "Hang on, lady. We going for a ride!"
Indy raises his sword as the realization hits her.
Willie: "Oh... my... God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! ... Is he nuts?"
Short Round: "He no nuts. He's crazy!"
Shorty and Willie clamor to safety, but it's Indy vs. Mola Ram in a hand-to-hand battle hanging from what's left of the bridge. Mola Ram tries his heart-grabbing trick and even a nipple twist before Indy calls out the power of the stones and his bag bursts into flame. As Mola Ram reaches for the third stone, he loses his grip on the bridge, falling into the river below where Crocodiles eat him up like a ham sammich.
7. Dogfight with Dad: The Last Crusade
"I didn't know you could fly a plane," Henry Jones exclaims to his son as they climb into the cockpit of a small biplane attached to a massive German zeppelin.
"Fly, yes. Land, no," Indy retorts as he takes the pilot position.
The pair quickly realizes they'll have more than a hard landing to deal with as two Messerschmitt fighter bombers come screaming into view.
"Eleven o'clock," Indy screams to his dad who is in the gunner seat.
But Henry Jones just checks his watch and asks, "What happens at eleven o'clock?"
After figuring out that his son is telling him to fire on the approaching fighter, Henry pulls back on the trigger and only manages to gloriously blow away their own rear stabilizer.
"Son, I'm sorry. They got us" he sighs.
Indy struggles to guide the plan in for a dangerous crash landing. The duo survives the crash, but the Messerschmitt continue hunting them from the air. Indy and his dad steal a car and flee on the ground. The father and son manage to dispense with the first plane by fleeing into a tunnel — it crashes into the mountainside. The second won't be so easy, however, as Indy's fresh out of bullets and out of ideas. Just as the plane bears down on them, Henry spots a flock of seagulls on the beach and charges them with his umbrella. The gulls flee and it's feathered carnage as the fighter's propeller is tangled with bird parts, clogging its engine.
Jones, Sr. looks at his stunned son and quips, "I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne: 'Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky.'" Classic.
6. Indy Shoots Swordsman: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Clocking in at just over 20 seconds, it's the shortest scene of the bunch, but we're obligated by the laws of coolness to include it. Indy comes face-to-face with a flamboyant swordsman. As the scimitar-wielding marauder shows off his moves, preparing to slice and dice our hero, Indy simply flashes a smug look and pulls his gun from his holster, downing his opponent with a single shot.
It's a brilliant, defining scene that almost wasn't. Longtime Indiana Jones fans will already know that an elaborate fight sequences was originally scripted, but Harrison Ford came down with dysentery, and wasn't up for it.
"Why don't we just shoot the sucker," he asked Spielberg, who instantly agreed.
5. Flying Wing Fight: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indy and Marion approach the prop-drive Flying Wing aircraft that will soon carry the Ark of the Covenant to Hitler himself. Indy makes quick work of a wrench-toting mechanic prepping the craft for flight. But this challenge isn't going to be so easy. As soon as the first guy is knocked out, a second, massive, bald, shirtless opponent appears. Indy stalls his burly challenger for a moment before engaging him in a hardcore fist fight like no other in the series. He wails away on the big guy, landing punch, after punch, after punch. But the Nazi strongman is unfazed.
Meanwhile, the plane's pilot (played by producer Frank Marshall, incidentally) tries to get a clear shot at Indy, but Marion comes to his rescue. She knocks the pilot out and he slumps onto the throttle, causing the plane to rotate as one set of tires is blocked.
The action gets even more intense when Marion shoots a gas tank, and fuel pours onto the runway. A fire sparks and quickly spreads. Indy and the muscle-bound fighter keep on duking it out as the plane's deadly propellers whirl nearby. The big German doesn't see them coming, however, and soon it's a blood-spattered mess as the blades slice right through him off-screen. Moments later, just as Indy and Marion are safely out of the way, the plane erupts in flames.
4. Mine Chase: Temple of Doom
Lots of movies claim to be a rollicking roller coaster ride, but Indiana and Jones and the Temple of Doom can legitimately make that statement, as the film's action centerpiece is a heart-pounding, high-speed mine car chase that makes Space Mountain look like that tea cup ride.
The action in this sequence is unrelenting. From the moment Indy takes the wrong set of tracks that lead down into the lava-filled heart of the mines, to the thrilling conclusion of the scene as Indy, Willie, and Short Round cling for dear life to the cliff face, it just doesn't let up.
Mola Ram's guards nearly drag Shorty to his death, but ultimately they don't stand a chance against our heroes. Sure, it's got a few annoying moments, but Indiana once again proves he's the man. After Shorty rips the break off their cart, Indy climbs out and uses the soles of his shoes to bring them to a halt just in time.
"Water! Water!" Indy screams as his shoes catch fire. And that's just what he gets as a massive wall of water comes crashing into the mines.
3. Tank Fight: The Last Crusade
So what if it's blind luck that saves him in the end? It's Indy's determination, heroism and fighting skills that get him through in Last Crusade's ultimate action moment, the tank fight. In it, Indiana is dragged through the desert as he struggles to fight the bad guys on the outside of a German tank in which his father is being held captive. It's an intense scene with almost more going on than the viewer can take in.
And it's the scene's climax that's the real quickie, as the tank plummets off of a cliff. Indy, instead of jumping at the last minute, appears to have clung to the side and gone over the edge with it. We watch as his entourage rushes to the cliff in horror. But as they're saying their goodbyes, we cut to a gritty hand near the cliff's edge, beyond their view. Indy gets up, brushes himself off, and joins his sober friends at the precipice. Sean Connery's double-take is right on the money. As the scene ends, Indy collapses and his trademark fedora tumbles into his lap.
2. The Giant Boulder: Raiders of the Lost Ark
The opening of Raiders ranks right up there with the best opening moments in film history. We watch as Indy steals the golden idol after evading a series of dangerous traps, only to be betrayed by Doc Ock himself — Sapito, played by Alfred Molina. Indy barely makes it out of the idol chamber in time, managing to reach back under the quickly closing door to retrieve his bullwhip. Just then, an enormous giant boulder comes crashing into the tunnel. It's the action sequence that defines the entire series to this day.
1. Truck Chase: Raiders of the Lost Ark
After Indy and Marion destroy the flying wing aircraft that was to transport the Ark to Hitler (see moment number five above), Belloq and Dietrich decide to put it on a truck to Cairo where they'll ship it to Berlin. Stealing a horse, Jones pursues the convoy escorting the truck and in an extended chase sequence that rivals the best action movie moments of all time, seizes control of the vehicle after subduing several German soldiers.
Indy runs down the Nazi's on horseback, jumping on the truck carrying the Ark and quickly dispensing of the two men in the cab. Indy does away with one Nazi pursuer after another, spectacularly running one of them off the side of a high cliff. The men in the back of the truck guarding the Ark are dispatched to try and stop him. They scale the side of the speeding truck, climbing towards the front of the vehicle where they can get a clear shot at Indy. He spots them first, however, and swerves the vehicle violently, knocking several of the men off into the trees on the side of the road. One man makes it through and fires a shot that pierces Indy in the arm. Indy ultimately manages to shake him free, but there's one more Nazi soldier in the back of the truck. He climbs over the top of the vehicle and swings into the cab, kicking Indy in the face and knocking him out of the driver's seat.
He nearly gets the best of our hero, tossing him through the windshield and out onto the hood. But Indy grabs the truck's grill and, in the scene's signature moment, actually slides underneath the truck, allowing himself to be dragged while pulling his way to the back. Indy climbs back up to the cab, getting his revenge on the driver by throwing him out in the same way. The Nazi tries to pull Indy's same maneuver, but he's got no skills and is crushed by the truck. The scene culminates with Indy running Belloq's truck off the road and evading him by pulling into a storage bay which townspeople instantly transform into an impromptu market. Nice.
ign.com,14/5/2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Top 10 Indiana Jones Action Moments
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