The Critical Ed Harris Filmography - Part 3
The Critical Ed Harris Filmography - Part 3
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Gosh, looking at this...how long has it been since I updated this site? Geez! I hate it when you visit a website and the information is totally out of date. :( Anyway, here is the...current (?) phase of Ed's career - the 90s and the 00s. Click on the title to go to the Internet Movie Database entry for the film. For your further information/enjoyment/torture, I'm giving a general plot summary as well as my personal critique of the movie and/or Ed's performance.
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PARIS TROUT (1991)
THE PLOT... Ed plays Harry Seagraves, yet another one of those lawyers that gets involved with his client's wife. Here the client is Paris Trout (Dennis Hopper), a very bigoted, bossy Southerner who murdered a 12-year-old African American girl. The wife is played by Barbara Hershey, who played Chuck Yeager's wife in THE RIGHT STUFF. Ed has to balance getting Paris off (even though he knows he's guilty) with not getting him off (and thus having free access to Paris' wife)
THE QUALITY... This was a pretty bloody movie (lots of shooting), and involved a lot of sex as well. Whether it was really any good or not, I'm not sure. I guess I'm sort of inclined towards it because Ed was in a suit (when he was wearing clothers, that is), and I like seeing Ed in a suit. This movie is a lot like CHINA MOON and THE LAST INNOCENT MAN. However, not all three end quite the same way. "Which one of these is not like the other?"
THE PLOT... This movie was based on the play of the same name by David Mamet. It describes the trials and tribulations of a real estate company's employees. Nearly each of the men is troubled in some way or another, and they are all expected to be more productive even though it's nearly impossible for them to be. Finally a set of valuable "leads" is stolen; half the movie is spent discussing whether or not certain characters should take the leads, and the other half is spent trying to figure out who did it.
THE QUALITY... The best thing about this movie? The all-star cast. Where else could you find a cast including Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin (hmm, a lot of "A"s there), Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey? With the wages these people command, I don't think you could afford to stick them all in one movie today! Lemmon is especially pathetic, Pacino is especially greasy, Baldwin is especially annoying, Spacey is the scapegoat, and Arkin is...sort of a sounding board for everyone else. The worst thing about it? It's really confusing and kind of lacking in the plot area. There was way too much talking that wasn't even talking. It wasn't even like there was a lot of conversation...it was more like the characters were giving monologues at whoever they were with at the time. I also don't understand quite why Alec Baldwin got such high billing when he was only in the movie for like five minutes. I guess it's just because he's a Baldwin. Ed plays Dave Moss, a bummed-out salesman who might or might not have taken the Glengarry leads (???). He swears a lot in this movie, as does everyone else.
THE PLOT... Ed plays a candidate for office; Diane Keaton plays an old flame who is renewed. Unfortunately her less than stellar past may have bad implications for Ed's candidacy.
THE QUALITY... I have no idea. I can't find this movie anywhere. When I didn't want to see it, it was in every single store; now that I want to see it, it has completely disappeared!
THE PLOT... Read the book. Just kidding. A town in Maine (where else in a Stephen King novel?) becomes a slaughter zone when a supremely evil being (Max von Sydow) comes to town and sets up shop. The only person who can stop him? Good old Sheriff Alan Pangborn, played by...guess who?
THE QUALITY... Well, what do you expect from a Stephen King book/movie? Lots of blood, gore, cool stuff like people hacking at each other with cleavers and stuff. This movie is so long it's not even funny...and it's not even the entire book or anything. I think the ending to the movie is far better than that of the novel.
THE FIRM (1993)
THE PLOT... We move from Stephen King to John Grisham. A young lawyer gets sucked up into a big-city law firm that is definitely more than meets the eye. Every lawyer somehow gets suckered into a very bad situation arranged by "the firm," thus keeping them in it for life. And when someone screws up, they conveniently get eliminated. Tom Cruise plays the young lawyer who has to battle "the firm" with some help from the FBI.
THE QUALITY... Simply put, this movie is obviously the typical Grisham novel turned Tom Cruise vehicle. Needless to say Ed (Wayne Tarrance, the Mr. Clean-like FBI agent) is not very important. This movie's got a lot of interesting actors like Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Wilford Brimley (how could anyone believe that the Quaker Oats guy could be so mean?), and my personal favorite... You got it, HAL HOLBROOK!!! If you haven't seen this movie by now...what is WRONG with you? I mean, it's on ABC like three times a year!
CHINA MOON (1994)
THE PLOT... This time Ed plays a cop (Kyle Bodine) who gets involved with a creepy rich man's wife (Madeleine Stowe). She kills her husband in self defense, but she begs Ed to help her cover it up. Eventually Ed gets implicated in the murder, and things go downhill from there. "Killers always make mistakes," and even though Ed's not a killer, he still screws up!
THE QUALITY... I found Kyle a great character to sympathize with, moreso than Ed's characters in PARIS TROUT and THE LAST INNOCENT MAN. I'm not quite sure why, but it's probably because here he's really getting the shaft. Nothing that happens here is really caused by him - it's all set up by various other people. Madeleine Stowe is basically an evil wench - she doesn't deserve Ed.
MILK MONEY (1994)
THE PLOT... Ed plays Tom Wheeler, a science teacher (and widower) obsessed with saving the five acres of wetlands outside his home. Both of these traits severely detract from his ability to attract a normal woman. When his 12-year-old pre-pubescent sex-crazed son meets a friendly prostitute (Melanie Griffith), he tries to hook her up with his dad by pretending that she is his math tutor.
THE QUALITY... I thought Ed's character was a terrific guy, and it was kind of sad (okay, REALLY sad) that no normal woman would be attracted to a guy like him. Memorable quote: "Mammalian." Just catch the way he says it. =^) This movie is really pretty dumb, but it's also really cute too.
THE STAND (1994)
THE PLOT... Another Stephen King novel-turned-miniseries that is difficult to summarize. In a nutshell, a virus created by the military is accidentally unleashed onto the population, wiping out nearly 99.9% of the people in the United States. Only a select few are immune to the disease; these people separate into "good" and "evil" groups that finally face off in the desert.
THE QUALITY... To tell you the truth, I don't remember much about this miniseries, although I did rent an episode again to see where Ed appeared. Watching the first episode, it seemed as if the film was too "live." You know how it is; TV and film are supposed to look a certain way, and if it's too "live" it looks almost...soap opera-ish or home video-like or something. Anyway Ed played General Starkey, who died about halfway through the first episode. I would say...read the book instead.
JUST CAUSE (1995)
THE PLOT... Sean Connery plays a Harvard law school teacher who is drawn back into practice on behalf of a young black man convicted of the rape and murder of a white girl in Florida. Unfortunately not all of the people in the town where the murder was committed - particularly the sheriff (Lawrence Fishburne) - want the memories of the crime to return. With the help of a nutty serial rapist and killer, Blaine Sullivan (Ed), who maintains that he raped and killed the girl, Connery finds the murder weapon and plans an appeal. Unfortunately the trouble doesn't end once the wrongly-convicted man goes back to court.
THE QUALITY... I've seen a lot of negative reviews of this movie, saying that it's too predictable, too this, and too that. But really, I thought it was a pretty fun movie to watch. Sean Connery was cool, and Lawrence Fishburne was just antagonizing and irriatating enough. Blair Sullivan is one of Ed's most exciting roles. He's really captivating and amazing as this dude and is a lot scarier than Anthony Hopkins was in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - maybe because he's younger? Too bad you don't get to see Ed chew up anyone's face or wear anyone's face for that matter...you just get to see him prancing around his jail cell nude with like a thousand tattoos on his back and a really strange haircut. You kind of get to see him fry too. Why does Ed always have to die!?
THE PLOT... Another true-life story, this movie chronicles the drama of the Apollo 13 mission that was supposed to head to the moon but could not because of various mechanical failures.
THE QUALITY... This movie was certainly deserving of a Best Picture nod (carried off by the also-deserving BRAVEHEART). Ron Howard's direction is superb, the acting by everyone (even though I really dislike Bill Paxton) is great, and even though you pretty much know what's going to happen, there's still a lot of drama involved. Ed played Gene Kranz, the head of Mission Control. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards for his performance in this role. Looking back on it, it seemed like he really wasn't in the movie all that much, except when he was making faces or ordering people around...but I guess that's what supporting actors are for.
THE PLOT... This is a fairly sympathetic portrayal of President Richard Nixon, mostly focusing on the Watergate scandal, but also including moments from throughout his pre-Presidential life.
THE QUALITY... Although this movie is quite long and tedious at times, it really is quite good and makes you think a little more than you might of Nixon. Anthony Hopkins turns in a brilliant portrayal as the President, Joan Allen was up for Best Supporting Actress, and James Woods is annoying as all heck. Ed plays E. Howard Hunt, one of the masterminds of the Watergate burglary. Sadly enough, Ed was only in the movie for about 5 minutes.
THE PLOT... Sally Field plays a mother with a vengeance. Her daughter is brutally raped and killed by Kiefer Sutherland, but he miraculously gets off on a technicality. Thinking that regular justice is inadequate, she decides to take matters into her own hands, tearing her family and herself apart in the process.
THE QUALITY... Pretty good/not bad. What do you expect? Ed plays
Mack McCann, the caring stepfather who's just a little more calm (and detached) from the situation than his wife. At least he gets to clobber Kiefer Sutherland. Whether or not Sally Field is convincing as a vindictive mother...that's for you to decide.
RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE (1996)
THE PLOT... Based on the novel by Zane Grey, Lassiter (Ed) is an outlaw who comes to rescue a woman (Amy Madigan) from people who are trying to take over her ranch.
THE QUALITY... Ed had long hair in this movie, ick. But it was back in the good old West so I guess that's okay. The ending was rather odd, but since it was based on a book, I guess there isn't much they could do about that. There's some great scenery and cinematography in this movie; not much dialogue, but it's a Western. We'll give it some slack. This TNT original was produced by both Ed and Amy.
THE PLOT... A bang-bang action picture with lots of explosions and deaths. Ed plays Francis X. Hummel, an embittered general seeking reparations for several military deaths never acknowledged by the government. He steals 15 nerve gas weapons, sets up a base on Alcatraz, and demands $100 million in ransom. Nicolas Cage plays Stan Goodspeed, an FBI chemical weapons expert who teams up with John Mason (Sean Connery), the only man who has ever escaped Alcatraz, to disarm the missiles and end the threat.
THE QUALITY... Come on, this movie just plain rules. You just can't get any cooler as far as action movies go...except for FACE/OFF. It's a "thrill-packed roller coaster ride" or something like that. The soundtrack, composed by Hans Zimmer and others, is outstanding.
THE PLOT... Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood), an extremely capable burglar, unwittingly witnesses a murder perpetrated by the President (Gene Hackman in one of his greasier roles) and the Secret Service (Scott Glenn and Dennis Haysbert). Whitney finds himself on the run from both the Secret Service and the cops, led by Detective Seth Frank (Ed). His relationship with his daughter (Laura Linney) is on the rocks as well. So somehow, in the space of two hours, Whitney has to overcome threats from the President, prove his innocence, and fix his relationship with his daughter - not an easy task.
THE QUALITY... I really liked this movie a lot. I thought the father-daughter relationship between Eastwood and Linney was played out exceptionally well. Ed was really funny as Seth Frank. And, contrary to popular belief, the movie was a lot better (and a lot different) than the book by David Baldacci. I read so many positive reviews of the book and then negative reviews of the movie saying how unbelievable the plot was. HELLO!? Why do you think it was unbelievable? And if you think the movie was unbelievable, have you read the book!?
THE PLOT... Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man whose life is broadcast as a 24-hour tv show. When things start to go wrong on set, Truman finally realizes that his life is a scam, and he tries to escape. Christof (Ed), the evil director, can't let go of Truman and does his utmost to prevent the escape. "How will it end?"
THE QUALITY... Would it be too cruel of me to say this movie was overrated? It might. Yes, I know, it's gotten the best reviews of any movie in years. But somehow I can't help feeling that it's not quite as good as the hype. That's not to say that it isn't a good movie - it really is. Jim Carrey is great and I'm sure that he has a bright future in drama. Ed doesn't do very much in the movie, but the peculiarities of his character certainly earned him that Golden Globe award! Too bad he didn't win the Oscar as well.
THE PLOT... Ed plays Luke, who's remarried to a younger woman (Julia Roberts) than his ex (Susan Sarandon). When Sarandon finds that she is terminally ill, she has to deal with losing her family and husband to Roberts as well as the eventual loss of her life.
THE QUALITY... Geez, this movie came out over a year and a half ago, and I never updated this thing!?!? ARGH! Anyway, I just loved this movie. It really tore at me. Ed is not very important, certainly not as much as the interplay between Julia and Susan's characters. But he is the reason that everyone is together, and when he does appear, he really shines. Julia Roberts was okay, and Susan Sarandon totally ruled. She is certainly one of the best actresses we have today.
THE PLOT... Ed plays Frank Moore, a Catholic priest struggling with his faith. He is assigned the task of determining whether a lady is deserving of sainthood, as she has been able (apparently) to make a statue of the Virgin Mary cry tears of blood. While Ed struggles with this case, his faith, and his attraction towards the daughter of the potential saint, he is reminded of and bothered by an earlier case where he did not recommend sainthood.
THE QUALITY... Excellent acting by all. I really didn't like Anne Heche's character - I thought she was pretty unnecessary - but she still did well in the role. I also thought this movie was, like, completely ignored (by the media, by awards, by audiences) for some reason. Too artsy? I don't know, I didn't think so.
Forthcoming Ed movies include WAKING THE DEAD, PRIME GIG, POLLOCK, ENEMY AT THE GATES and ABSOLUTE ZERO.
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© 2000 Sue Wang
This page was last updated June 17, 2000. 
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