Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt match wits in director Alan J. Pakula's cool 1997 thriller "The Devil's Own."
SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES – Reading that Harrison Ford is carrying the whip again in “Indy 5” and noting that Brad Pitt is still basking in the glow of his recent Supporting Oscar win for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” I decided to revisit director Alan J. Pakula’s final film, “The Devil’s Own” (1997).?I like the film very much because Ford and Pitt are terrific, but I didn’t know this was such a troubled production. Pitt portrays Irish Republican Army terrorist Frankie McGuire, who arrives in New Jersey to purchase stinger missiles from bar owner/arms dealer Billy Burke (Treat Williams), while becoming the welcomed houseguest of police officer Tom O’Meara (Ford) and his wife, Sheila (Margaret Colin of “Independence Day”), who literally have no idea who they’re?harboring. Frankie and Tom have a growing bromance, especially when Frankie helps Tom battle two burglars who break into the O’Meara residence. What he doesn’t know is they’re looking for Frankie’s money cache for the arms deal. Apparently, Pitt hated the script changes so much that he wanted to walk off the movie – management said it would cost him $63 million to walk. End of that story. There was objection to his Irish accent – which didn’t bother me one iota. It was just so much fun to see him so early in his career, matching wits with Ford who was very believable as a veteran cop ready to hang up his badge, but determined to always do the right thing. This was not only Pakula’s last film (he was killed in a traffic accident shortly thereafter), but Gordon Willis’ last movie job as cinematographer. Definitely worth a revisit. Kudos also to Ruben Blades as Ford’s partner; and the always interesting Natasha McElhone as Pitt’s Irish girlfriend.