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Few actors in history have ever had a period as truly, proudly, wonderfully crotchety as the run Harrison Ford has been on over the last 20 or so years. One of the most famous people in the world and one of the most gifted and incredible movie stars ever, Ford is still, above all else, a working actor, and being a working actor means getting paid. And from time to time, thats exactly his approach. Over the last two decades, hes frequently made no bones of the fact that he was doing a movie just to get paid.To be clear, this is something that shouldnt be met with derision. All jobs are just jobs, acting included, and usually what matters most is the clarity of vision to understand which things we do from passion and which things we do for a paycheck. Ford has always been careful in choosing his projects, and even the biggest cash grabs have pretty clear reasons unlike many other great actors who dont mind so much where their paycheck comes from (not that theres anything wrong with that). This isnt to say that he doesnt have fun in these movies, or perform his best part of what makes Ford so special is he often delivers even when in a movie that seems like a pure pay my bills opportunity.Cash grabs, here, are defined pretty loosely as something that Harrison Ford doesnt seem particularly interested in the subject matter of, or is outside the bounds of his work in the late period of his career, which were designating for the purposes of this piece as post-2008. This caveat leaves most thrillers off the list because hes spent most of his career starring in those. There is plenty of other work from his filmography that wont show up here, like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, 1923, and The Call of the Wild, because, frankly, it seems like he actually really enjoyed those projects.So, with all that in mind, here are seven of Fords most significant cash grabs, ranked from worst to best. Our criteria is based on a combination of how good he is in them and how good the movies themselves are.Captain America: Brave New World Where to watch: TheatersIs it worth watching?: This is more like an added Harrison Ford bonus if you happen to be making your way through MCU moviesThis is Fords cash grab apex. Hes always been outspoken on his feelings about the shortcomings of projects hes in, but never has he done so with this much gusto. The anecdotes on set included at least one instance of Ford preparing for a take by saying, Lets shoot this piece of shit. More recently, on the movies press tour, hes taken to giving answers about the ridiculousness of the role of Red Hulk with the very earnest, Thats what the moneys for.Cowboys & Aliens Where to watch: Rentable on Apple TV and Amazon Prime VideoIs it worth watching?: No, watch 1923 on Paramount Plus instead for all your Harrison Ford on a horse needsThis may seem like the obvious, prototypical cash grab film: an entirely forgotten late 2000s blockbuster with a huge budget, star-studded cast, and virtually no cultural footprint. However, you have to remember one thing about Harrison Ford: He fucking loves riding horses, and theres a lot of horse riding in Cowboys & Aliens. Now that doesnt necessarily stop this movie from being a decent paycheck, but it does mean that he had at least two reasons to say yes to the project. As for the movie itself, its bad, but hopefully at least Ford had a good time shooting it.Enders Game Where to watch: HuluIs it worth watching?: If youre a real sucker for sci-fiThis movie is not good. But it does gain a tiny bit of ground on this list simply by virtue of how it uses Harrison Ford. Fords in the craggy mentor role here, and he brings so much presence and gravitas to the part that for just a second you can forget how lifeless nearly everything else about the movie feels. Otherwise, its an only OK adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel.Star Wars: The Force AwakensWhere to watch: Disney Plus Is it worth watching?: You probably already know if you want to rewatch this movie or not.Ford is on the record as wishing his character had died in Return of the Jedi, so the prospect of getting to revive Han Solo to finally give him the on-screen fate he deserved was probably appealing. Probably equally appealing was the dump truck full of money that Disney surely backed up to Fords ranch in Wyoming. Typically, though, Ford hasnt lost a step in playing his iconic rogue with a heart of gold, and hes probably the best part of this mediocre and misbegotten legacy sequel.(Were not even going to mention The Rise of Skywalker on this list: Hes in that movie for two seconds and the less we can talk about that film, the better.)Anchorman 2: The Legend ContinuesWhere to watch: Rentable on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video Is it worth watching?: Eh, you can just watch his scene on YouTubeThis movie is technically a cash grab for everyone involved, and Fords role is really just a cameo, but he definitely has fun with it, which makes it one of the more enjoyable entries on this list.The Secret Life of Pets 2Where to watch: Rentable on Apple TV and Amazon Prime VideoIs it worth watching?: It depends a little bit on your tolerance for animated shenanigans, but its a good movie so you might as wellGiven that Ford has one of the best voices in all of Hollywood, and has for over 60 years now, its kind of shocking that he hasnt been in more animated movies. Perhaps even more importantly, hes pretty good in this one, and the movies not bad either. Its a touching and sweet, if surprisingly tragic, movie that is made better by Fords presence as a somewhat misguided mentor and it doesnt hurt that the dog he voices scowls almost as well as Ford himself.Blade Runner 2049Where to watch: Rentable on Apple TV and Amazon Prime VideoIs it worth watching?: AbsolutelyBlade Runner 2049 is the only truly excellent movie on this list. Much like the original, it probably wasnt appreciated as much on its release as it should have been, but has consistently grown in estimation and deserves to one day be seen as a classic alongside the original. The art, beauty, and thought behind this movie makes it enormously tempting to allow it to skirt the cash grab category for Ford. After all, hes grown to love the original, and its clear he thought highly of the sequel, too. But in a 2017 interview with GQ about the film, he explained what appealed to him about it:The experience of making a film that was a bit different to what Ive lately been doing. And the intellectual puzzle of it. And I got paid. Always happy to be paid.This is what makes Blade Runner 2049 the ultimate cash grab for Ford, both in terms of quality and essence: its a paycheck he could believe in. Ford is genuinely excellent in his return as Deckard, bringing his own age into the character to give him weight, years, and the weary presence that only age and experience can provide. And director Denis Villeneuve and co-star Ryan Gosling helped prove Ford right in the end. Its an excellent movie, a testament to one of Fords best films, and a perfect later-in-life return to a character that feels so deeply and uniquely Harrison Ford. And he got paid!
