Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is first-rate matinee entertainment. Cartoonish, contrived and corny, it's also lots of fun delivered at breakneck speed. From its kickass hero to the great action scenes, it's a well-crafted, effortlessly enjoyable and unpretentious piece of work.

1936. American archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is recruited by US Army intelligence to track down the Staff of Ra, an Egyptian relic which shows the way to the Ark of the Covenant. Seems Adolf Hitler has a team of archaeologists (and soldiers) combing the Egyptian desert for the relic, hoping to put the Ark to nefarious use. Indy treks across the globe, enlisting the reluctant help of old flame Marian Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and Egyptian excavator Sala (John Rhys-Davies) to foil the Nazis, who are led by Jones's arch-rival Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman).

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a goofy throwback to '30s adventure serials and imperial epics like The Four Feathers and North West Frontier. Everything here is in lighthearted, cartoonish fun, from the broadly-drawn characters to the daffy story and deus ex machina ending, all without a pretense towards seriousness or realism. Indy's cartoon resiliency puts John Wayne and Errol Flynn to shame, taking punches, bullets, falls and riding a submerged U-boat (!) with scarcely a grimace (except where snakes are involved). Political correctness and plot logic are out the window: with a film like this, it's best not to spend too much time thinking over details, lest you go insane.

Like most of Spielberg's entertainment films (Jaws, Jurassic Park), the movie has a "thrill-ride" structure that careens wildly from one set-piece to the next. Lawrence Kasdan's script takes us all over the world, from the jungles of South America and the mountains of Nepal to the Egyptian desert and the Aegean Sea. The movie is so fast-paced it never loses steam: character development is fairly rote, but Kasdan's sharp dialogue gives it a witty kick, John Williams's rousing score sets the tone of high adventure and a perfect cast makes the right impressions.

Spielberg's direction is assured, providing nice African location work, unforgettable special effects courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic, and delivering a set of gob-smacking action scenes. The action is too varied to become boring, each set piece building on the last: Indy's escape from the snake pit leads to a slugfest with a hulking German goon, which in turn spills over into a lengthy truck chase across the desert. The film's best scene, however, is Indy's face-off with a showboating swordsman, a hilarious bit exemplifying Eli Wallach's dictum from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: "When you've gotta shoot, shoot, don't talk!"

Harrison Ford gives an impressive star turn. He'd already made a name for himself as the wisecracking Han Solo in Lucas's Star Wars films but Indiana Jones ensured his status as a cinematic legend. Not an especially good actor, Ford's rugged charisma served him perfectly in action films like this, and his Indy is definitely one of cinema's iconic heroes, improbably tough and indestructible yet charmingly snide and down-to-earth.

Karen Allen makes a wonderful love interest, feisty yet feminine, and every bit Indy's match. Paul Freeman (The Dogs of War) gets the choice role as Belloq, Indy's slimy yet charming arch-nemesis. Ronald Lacey's (Zulu Dawn) toad-like Gestapo man makes a strong impression despite little screen time; just seeing this creep is enough to scare the bejesus out of you. Wolf Kahler (Barry Lyndon) is good, if less colorful, as a conventionally Teutonic villain. John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings) avoids the pitfalls of stereotype with a fun performance, though Denholm Elliot (A Bridge Too Far) is wasted in a throwaway cameo.

Raiders of the Lost Ark comes highly recommended. It's certainly disposable, and not Spielberg's best work, but hey, sometimes brainless fun is all you need.