{"id":1125432,"date":"2026-02-02T02:44:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T02:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=523836"},"modified":"2026-02-02T02:44:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T02:44:41","slug":"the-7-best-harrison-ford-cash-grabs-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-7-best-harrison-ford-cash-grabs-ranked\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 best Harrison Ford cash grabs, ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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, that\u2019s exactly his approach. Over the last two decades, he\u2019s frequently made no bones<\/a> of the fact that he was doing a movie just to get paid<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To be clear, this is something that shouldn\u2019t 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 \u2014 unlike many other great actors<\/a> who don\u2019t mind so much where their paycheck comes from (not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that). This isn\u2019t to say that he doesn\u2019t have fun in these movies, or perform his best \u2014 part of what makes Ford so special is he often delivers even when in a movie that seems like a pure \u201cpay my bills\u201d opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cCash grabs,\u201d here, are defined pretty loosely as something that Harrison Ford doesn\u2019t seem particularly interested in the subject matter of, or is outside the bounds of his work in the late period of his career, which we\u2019re designating for the purposes of this piece as post-2008. This caveat leaves most thrillers off the list because he\u2019s spent most of his career starring in those. There is plenty of other work from his filmography that won\u2019t show up here, like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny<\/em>, 1923<\/em>, and The Call of the Wild<\/em>, because, frankly, it seems like he<\/a> actually really<\/a> enjoyed those projects<\/a>. <\/p>\n

So, with all that in mind, here are seven of Ford\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

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Captain America: Brave New World <\/h2>\n

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Where to watch:<\/strong> Theaters
Is it worth watching?: <\/strong>This is more like an added Harrison Ford bonus if you happen to be making your way through MCU movies<\/p>\n

This is Ford\u2019s cash grab apex. He\u2019s always been outspoken on his feelings about the shortcomings of projects he\u2019s 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<\/a>, \u201cLet\u2019s shoot this piece of shit.\u201d More recently, on the movie\u2019s press tour, he\u2019s taken to giving answers<\/a> about the ridiculousness of the role of Red Hulk with the very earnest, \u201cThat\u2019s what the money\u2019s for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowboys & Aliens <\/h2>\n

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Where to watch:<\/strong> Rentable on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video
Is it worth watching?:<\/strong> No, watch 1923 <\/em>on Paramount Plus instead for all your Harrison Ford on a horse needs<\/p>\n

This 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<\/a>, and there\u2019s a lot of horse riding in Cowboys & Aliens<\/em>. Now that doesn\u2019t 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, it\u2019s bad, but hopefully at least Ford had a good time shooting it.<\/p>\n

Ender\u2019s Game <\/h2>\n

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Where to watch:<\/strong> Hulu
Is it worth watching?:<\/strong> If you\u2019re a real sucker for sci-fi<\/p>\n

This 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. Ford\u2019s 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, it\u2019s an \u201conly OK\u201d adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel.<\/p>\n

Star Wars: The Force Awakens<\/h2>\n

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Where to watch:<\/strong> Disney Plus
Is it worth watching?:<\/strong> You probably already know if you want to rewatch this movie or not.<\/p>\n

Ford is on the record as wishing his character had died in Return of the Jedi<\/em><\/a>, 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 Ford\u2019s ranch in Wyoming. Typically, though, Ford hasn\u2019t lost a step in playing his iconic rogue with a heart of gold, and he\u2019s probably the best part of this mediocre and misbegotten legacy sequel. <\/p>\n

(We\u2019re not even going to mention The Rise of Skywalker<\/em> on this list: He\u2019s in that movie for two seconds and the less we can talk about that film, the better.)<\/p>\n

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues<\/h2>\n
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