If you were asked to name a sci-fi movie and an action-packed franchise that starred Harrison Ford, then your mind would understandably wander to Star Wars and Indiana Jones first and foremost. It’s not often that an actor gets the chance to play two of cinema’s most iconic characters, but his filmography is so stacked with classics that the roguish smuggler and intrepid archeologist barely scratch the surface of a back catalogue overflowing in excellence.
Not content with appearing in three of the greatest sci-fi epics ever made via Episodes IV, V and VI, Ford also headlined a fourth all-timer in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. It may have disappointed at the box office, but it didn’t take long for the futuristic thriller to find itself reappraised, even if the debate rages on over which cut can be definitively deemed superior.
The Final Cut has been added to Netflix today, so you’re out of luck if you prefer the original theatrical version, the internationally-released edit, the 114-minute broadcast edition or the Director’s Cut, but at least Blade Runner could be set to find a brand new audience now that it’s available on the world’s most popular platform.
Meanwhile, the Jack Ryan franchise is still going strong, with John Krasinski the fourth actor to play the CIA operative in Amazon’s popular series, but Ford remains arguably the definitive interpretation of the Tom Clancy creation. His second outing in Clear and Present Danger has also been added to Netflix, and the 1994 political thriller retains the franchise’s record box office haul, despite two reboots starring Ben Affleck and Chris Pine arriving in the interim.
