Firewall
Release Date: February 10, 2006
7.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 97 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
57
Mixed:
26
Negative:
14
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
StuartGMar 1, 2008
Ford will die in this role but he's what keeps the often hard- to- swallow story plodding forward-- at times it is suspenseful. Technology is the other familiar character (no nomination here however).
1 of 1 users found this helpful
3
Ven-WedeJan 22, 2012
This movie is so bland and uninteresting that it is more akin to 'Drywall'. Bad puns aside -- Firewall is a film written so badly that when it isn't being ham-fisted, contrived nonsense, it is being unintentionally hilarious. Many scenesThis movie is so bland and uninteresting that it is more akin to 'Drywall'. Bad puns aside -- Firewall is a film written so badly that when it isn't being ham-fisted, contrived nonsense, it is being unintentionally hilarious. Many scenes (particularly in the first act) exist purely as convenient set-up, forcing the plot into jarring, unnatural places. The movie is also filled with many ludicrous implausibilities and plot holes, resulting in such a broken mess of a screenplay that the only way the writers could see fit to conclude the film was with a deus ex machina. Which, I might add, is so bafflingly stupid that it is almost an insult to the audience. If there's nothing else to do for an hour and a half, Firewall may suffice; just don't expect anything more than standard Hollywood drivel.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
Mike212Jan 16, 2014
Firewall was an entertaining movie but at time it just seemed to drag on for no reason other than to pad out the run time. Harrison Ford's performance along with his co-star Paul Bettany were the saving grace for this movie. Paul BettanyFirewall was an entertaining movie but at time it just seemed to drag on for no reason other than to pad out the run time. Harrison Ford's performance along with his co-star Paul Bettany were the saving grace for this movie. Paul Bettany played Bill Cox a bank robber forcing Ford's character Jack Stanfield to rob the bank that he runs security for. The plot is interesting to watch but the novelty of all the computer skills runs dry leaving the movie to run on the performances of the actors which stay strong through out the entire film. We get to see the multiple sides there are to Bill Cox which just made his character even more intense with the knowledge that he could snap at any moment and do anything to anyone including his own men. Firewall is definitely worth watching even if it is just to see Harrison Ford.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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1
VladP.Feb 10, 2006
Welcome to the world of self parody, Harrison Ford. Nothing like watching an old man pretending he's still an action hero.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
JeffL.Mar 17, 2006
[***SPOILERS***] Security expert Harrison Ford is targeted by criminals (led by a cooly effective Paul Bettany) who threaten to kill his family (including wife Virginia Madsen) unless he helps them rob the very bank he has spent the last [***SPOILERS***] Security expert Harrison Ford is targeted by criminals (led by a cooly effective Paul Bettany) who threaten to kill his family (including wife Virginia Madsen) unless he helps them rob the very bank he has spent the last twenty years of his career protecting. Ho-hum thriller nearly gets by on the strength of its admittedly intriguing premise. Problem is, for all the film's fixation on technology (cell phones, iPods, and even a pet-tracking device all play important roles), the plotting is all too rote and familiar. It's also pretty hard to get too excited over scenes of Ford hunched over a computer, crunching numbers and hacking codes, no matter how much the generic suspense music swells on the soundtrack. Director Richard Loncraine, who directed Ian McKellen's brilliant Richard III in better days, stages the action competently but without much surprise. Ford, craggy of face and more desperately in need of Indy IV than ever, does little to correct the career slide that started nearly a decade ago. If there's a genuine silver lining here, she goes by the name of Mary Lynn Rajskub. This cute, offbeat character actress (she was in Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde 2, and plays Chloe O' Brian on TV's 24) is terrific as Ford's faithful and beleagured secretary, and Loncraine is wise to give her a fairly generous amount of screen time. That's more than can be said of veterans Robert Forster and Alan Arkin, two terrific actors given little of interest to do here.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
KenG.Mar 3, 2006
A tense and intense thriller. I'm not sure why it has been so poorly received. Sure, it's formula stuff, but it's very well done formula.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
ChrisB.Jun 28, 2006
Incredibly funny!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
TonyB.Aug 1, 2006
Just because you won't believe a minute of this cliche-ridden piece of fluff doesn't mean you'll be bored. Sad to say, though, this is probably the worst Harrison Ford film to come down the pike in quite a while. What a waste Just because you won't believe a minute of this cliche-ridden piece of fluff doesn't mean you'll be bored. Sad to say, though, this is probably the worst Harrison Ford film to come down the pike in quite a while. What a waste of Virginia Madsen, but at least Mary Lynn Rajskub got some good screen time.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MikeJonesFeb 11, 2006
Calm down freaks. When you make a movie, or have a career like ford then you can talk. I though it was an all right film.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
BenK.Feb 11, 2006
They should find the computer program that wrote this movie and infect it with a virus. Cynical filmmaking, predictable plotting without much of a payoff. Ford should try something out of left field, maybe a gritty Indie pick, before all his They should find the computer program that wrote this movie and infect it with a virus. Cynical filmmaking, predictable plotting without much of a payoff. Ford should try something out of left field, maybe a gritty Indie pick, before all his movies go straight to cable.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
SeamusS.Feb 13, 2006
By no rights a "good movie", but entertaining for the short time that it's there Go see it if you have nothing better to do and dont expect to be moved the score was incredibly cheesey.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
PerryFeb 15, 2006
Although it is a rehash, it's well done and exciting. Good escapism and a roller coaster trip. Also holes in the plot are not real evident while you are watching.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
DanaM.Feb 19, 2006
Enjoyable thriller. Don't let the Movie-reviewer wanna-be's dissuade you from a good movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
B.S.Feb 25, 2006
It could only be concidered fair. There were a lot of bizzarre (seemingly unintentional) red herrings introduced that simply should not have been. The family is set up as being rowdy and seemingly dissobediant. And yet this doesn't It could only be concidered fair. There were a lot of bizzarre (seemingly unintentional) red herrings introduced that simply should not have been. The family is set up as being rowdy and seemingly dissobediant. And yet this doesn't remotely play into the plot. The scene structure is so by the numbers it's almost funny. Everything in the first act of the movie is introduced so as to be used later in the problems solution. It'd almost like to watch it again to see just how many things show up exactly twice. Once for establsihment and the other to aid in the solution.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MarilynZ.Mar 2, 2006
It kept me on the edge of my seat. Loved every minute.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
AndrewM.Mar 5, 2006
I have composed a Haiku to demonstrate how I feel about Firewall: Firewall's best part: Man killed with random blender. Really, a blender! This movie is so bad and cliche that by the end I was actually doubled over in laughter. I I have composed a Haiku to demonstrate how I feel about Firewall: Firewall's best part: Man killed with random blender. Really, a blender! This movie is so bad and cliche that by the end I was actually doubled over in laughter. I wasn't alone in doing this, either; I could hear several other people laughing as well. Don't see this movie.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
HarryR.Apr 23, 2006
The suspense part was good. Until, what most people will know as the "Blender Incident" it became SUper-Dad saves the family.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
EdwardV.Jun 11, 2006
The worst movie Harrison Ford has ever starred in. A total , boring, contrived waste of time. Never been so disappointed. It started out as a mundane thriller, and just turned stupid about halfway through. All emotion was way overplayed, as The worst movie Harrison Ford has ever starred in. A total , boring, contrived waste of time. Never been so disappointed. It started out as a mundane thriller, and just turned stupid about halfway through. All emotion was way overplayed, as if something interesting or exciting was happening. Ford's presence alone couldn't save this useless flop of a movie.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
MelisaD.Jun 12, 2006
I would say this movie was fair, but it was nothing more than your typical here comes dad to save the day.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
BarryL.Feb 11, 2006
What I liked least about "Firewall" was not the movie (which I liked a lot), but some of the major critical reaction to it. I was told that I was supposed to hate the "terrible" ending, with one reviewer said that the third-act revelation What I liked least about "Firewall" was not the movie (which I liked a lot), but some of the major critical reaction to it. I was told that I was supposed to hate the "terrible" ending, with one reviewer said that the third-act revelation came out of nowhere. Not true. TWO hints were dropped early on (for those of us who were paying attention) that something was up with the [omitted]. Dishonest or misleading reviewing also rankles me. With regard to his age, one critic siad Ford looked ludciorus as he "scaled a building." Hmm. I was expecting some moment akin to Spider-man; instead, Ford, for the scene in question, used a conventional [omitted]! Witless critical nonsense aside, I thought this was a decent and well-plotted thriller. Maybe not one of Ford's best thrillers, but hardly something that "squanders" his career (something that one other critic wrote). I look forward to seeing this film again when it turns up on cable.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
DavidA.Feb 11, 2006
It was an alright film, it was worth the money and the time. Go see it. Recomendable
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
MattE.Feb 12, 2006
I was laughing out loud by the end. The ending was so perfectly awkward; a lot of matters were left unresolved. Don't waste your time. Watch Indiana Jones.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
SusanM.Feb 14, 2006
I dont care what people say, Harrison Ford still has it, and this was a good movie, lots of action and excitement. Paul Bettany is a great actor also. I went in thinking it was going to be crap based on what I had heard, but it turned out to I dont care what people say, Harrison Ford still has it, and this was a good movie, lots of action and excitement. Paul Bettany is a great actor also. I went in thinking it was going to be crap based on what I had heard, but it turned out to be very enjoyable.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
ChadS.Feb 18, 2006
Never mind the family. Is the dog going to survive? Virginia Madsen, coming off her immaculate waitress role from "Sideways", and Carly Schroeder, cashing-in on her appearance in the wondrous indie "Mean Creek", are so bland, it hardly Never mind the family. Is the dog going to survive? Virginia Madsen, coming off her immaculate waitress role from "Sideways", and Carly Schroeder, cashing-in on her appearance in the wondrous indie "Mean Creek", are so bland, it hardly matters if they live or die. You get the sense that Harrison Ford has an edict that his co-stars don't upstage him. Mary-Lynne Rajskub(as Jack Stanfield's secretary Janet) comes close. Even though Rajskub doesn't have any memorable lines, as a sidekick on the run with Ford, her confused reaction shots and refusal to smile plays like an anti-Sandra Bullock during her "Speed" heyday. She's easily the best thing in this dreary and predictable action flick. Love the car.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
M.LuczkiJun 15, 2006
Interesting story of how technology can cut both ways with standard Harrison Ford action that we've come to love and expect.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
MarkB.Jun 27, 2006
Proving once again Ecclesiastes' claim that there's nothing new under the sun, this passable but forgettable actioner plays like a techno-geek update of one of Humphrey Bogart's last films, the 1955 thriller The Desperate Proving once again Ecclesiastes' claim that there's nothing new under the sun, this passable but forgettable actioner plays like a techno-geek update of one of Humphrey Bogart's last films, the 1955 thriller The Desperate Hours, in which Bogey and his gang of criminals hold an all-American family hostage in their home. This time out, Harrison Ford plays Fredric March's old role of the desperate but intrepid father, but the stakes have definitely been raised: ruthless Paul Bettany wants Ford to use his computer skills to drain money from the bank Ford's an executive at so Bettany can donate millions and millions to the Salvation Army. (Just kidding.) One of Desperate Hours' most pungent throwaway moments came when the understandably stressed March, who was forced to continue going to his office as though nothing were going on at home, is asked by an observant co-employee if he's all right and if there's anything he can do, and March snaps, "You can mind your own business!" Such behavior, while understandable under the circumsatances, is nevertheless unpleasant to watch, and one of the main problems with Firewall is that Ford is forced to behave this way ALL MOVIE LONG. Despite this and an acutely been-there-done-that final confrontation that belies the intriguing technological hooks that precede it, this manages to be surprisingly watchable in light of all the Adventures In Unwatchability that Ford has bludgeoned us innocent moviegoers with over the past few years: What Lies Beneath, K:19 The Widowmaker, Sabrina, Hollywood Homicide and the spew-inducing Random Hearts. (Hell, in comparison to the last three, Firewall is Raiders of the Lost Ark and Witness combined!) The energetic music score by Alexandre Desplat, which often makes the movie seem more exciting than it is, helps a bit; a really appealing supporting performance by MaryLynn Rajskub (who constantly makes her arrogant character on TV's 24 surprisingly sympathetic and fun to watch) helps even more. Given how she's frequently treated in this film, both the character and the actress deserve a promotion and raise--and quick!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
JeremyW.Feb 17, 2007
Involving, interesting thriller that sucks you in and takes you for a ride. A lot of fun.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
Guy!Jun 13, 2007
Smart, violent, and completely thrilling from start to finish. Sadly though, I think this was Harrison Fords' last stand in the cinema. He never ceased to amaze us, did he? Nonetheless, his skill and performance was too good to describe.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
JaredB.Dec 17, 2007
"Firewall" gives new meaning to the term "action film." This movie did what so many others in this genre have failed to do. It kept my interest the whole two hours it ran. Richard Loncraine, who had never directed a thriller before, does an "Firewall" gives new meaning to the term "action film." This movie did what so many others in this genre have failed to do. It kept my interest the whole two hours it ran. Richard Loncraine, who had never directed a thriller before, does an absolutely wonderful job. Harrison Ford is incredible. Paul Bettany is one of the creepiest bad guys I've seen in the movies for a long time. My only problem is that the other robbers were, for the most part, too silly to be taken seriously. If you are in the mood for an edge-of-your-seat movie, rent "Firewall" and get ready for a wild ride.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
MovieGuysAug 24, 2016
Firewall has a good plot and acting, but the story is very cliched and nonsensical at times to achieve what the movie intended. The writing also could've been improved.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
OriginalDangerMar 20, 2021
Firewall is a 2006 thriller starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen, Paul Bettany and Robert Patrick..... I watched this and I've no idea what the plot was but looks like your average hostage plot and we want money gig... Nothing new hereFirewall is a 2006 thriller starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen, Paul Bettany and Robert Patrick..... I watched this and I've no idea what the plot was but looks like your average hostage plot and we want money gig... Nothing new here really but Harrison Ford acted well so did Paul Bettany and it's always an honour and a privilege to see the great Robert Patrick on acting duty and Robert Patrick did good in his role. The badguys were okay even if a bit incompetent and the action scenes okay. The only negative about this movie is when the lead baguy "Bettany" died at the end and obviously we knew from the beginning Harrison Ford will again save the day especially after his family are in jeopardy but the ending killed this film for me as it was a bit too easy and not the climax you'd expect as you'd expect something better but besides that this film is flawless and perfect.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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