Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is an executive responsible for the security of the computer system of a small bank. He is very connected to his family, composed of the architect Beth (Virginia Madsen), a teenager daughter and a young son. When the gang leaded by the criminal Bill Cox (Paul Bettany) invades his house, they force Jack to transfer a hundred million dollars to a bank account in Cayman Islands as ransom for his family. When Bill does not release his family, Jack tries to save them by his own.
"Firewall" is an average thriller, with a screenplay full of inconsistencies mostly due to commercial reasons. The first one, of course, is the name of Harrison Ford, too old for the lead role of Jack Stanfield. He could be the grandfather of Andy, and unfortunately he is awful in the action and dramatic scenes. Paul Bettany is excellent, as usual, but his mean and cold character is restrained and could be more evil, for example breaking the legs of the boy, as promised to Jack, or killing Jack's family in the end. But this is a Hollywood movie, it must be a pleasant and profitable entertainment, therefore the conclusion is always predictable, with the good guy killing the bad guy and saving his family. When Jack leaves the bank after hitting Gary Mitchell, he goes home and the police never arrives there. When Jack transfers the funds from the Bill's account, the bank clerk calls the police, but nothing happens later. There are so many "holes" in this forgettable story that it is impossible to like it. Harrison Ford must retire from action movies, or at least select better screenplays more suitable for his age. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "Firewall"
"Firewall" is an average thriller, with a screenplay full of inconsistencies mostly due to commercial reasons. The first one, of course, is the name of Harrison Ford, too old for the lead role of Jack Stanfield. He could be the grandfather of Andy, and unfortunately he is awful in the action and dramatic scenes. Paul Bettany is excellent, as usual, but his mean and cold character is restrained and could be more evil, for example breaking the legs of the boy, as promised to Jack, or killing Jack's family in the end. But this is a Hollywood movie, it must be a pleasant and profitable entertainment, therefore the conclusion is always predictable, with the good guy killing the bad guy and saving his family. When Jack leaves the bank after hitting Gary Mitchell, he goes home and the police never arrives there. When Jack transfers the funds from the Bill's account, the bank clerk calls the police, but nothing happens later. There are so many "holes" in this forgettable story that it is impossible to like it. Harrison Ford must retire from action movies, or at least select better screenplays more suitable for his age. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "Firewall"