Movies - TV
10 Coolest Moments From The Indiana Jones Franchise (So Far)
By SIMON BLAND
Boulder Chase
The boulder scene is one of the most iconic — and most dangerous — sequences: At 12 feet tall and approximately 300 pounds, the rock would squash anything in its path. Years later, Spielberg branded himself an “idiot” in American Cinematographer for letting leading man Harrison Ford do the boulder-defying stunt himself.
Gun vs. Sword
Producer Frank Marshall said of Indiana Jones shooting the sword-wielding assailant instead of sword fighting, “We had been shooting in Tunisia in 130 degrees for six weeks and we had three days left. [...] Somebody said, 'I've got this gun, why don't I just use it?' [...] We did three shots, and we were two days ahead of schedule, and it's the biggest moment in the movie.”
Face Melt
Once the Ark of the Covenant is open, ghouls fly out of it, swirling their way in and around the film's villains, ultimately melting the head of the Gestapo agent, Toht. “Steven [Spielberg] was just yelling at us: 'Look this way! Look up! look down! [...] We were just reacting like that instantly, with no idea what we were looking at,” actor Paul Freeman recalled.
Doom Intro
“Temple of Doom” packs as much action and adventure as possible into its opening sequence. Indy is poisoned, chases down an antidote, gets shot at, narrowly escapes the crazed crime lord Lao Che, gets conned into boarding a corrupt plane, and makes an emergency landing in Northern India — all before plunging off a huge waterfall.
Mine Car Chase
This sequence is unexpected, non-stop, and nail biting, but never forgets to add a dash of humor. Watching Indy try to stop the mine car with his flimsy workman shoes, only for them to catch fire, sending him hot-footing around in search of water, is the perfect cherry on top of this moment.