6/11 #2
Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981.
Fending off snakes, scimitar-wielding Arabs, and bald Nazis with top hats, intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones embarks on a wild quest to stop the Germans from harnessing the power of an ancient relic for their own nefarious purposes. A nonstop, over-the-top, eye-popping, swashbuckling, edge-of-your-seat adventure ride of a film that manages to be more serial than the old adventure serials of the 1930s. Ford plays Indiana Jones, an archaeologist with a penchant for trouble, knowledge of legendary artifacts, and nerves of (almost) steel--sort of a James Bond for the pre-World War II era. A plea by government agents sends Jones on a race against the forces of the budding Third Reich to find the mythical Ark of the Covenant. Hair-raising
thrill after hair-raising
thrill follows him from the jungles of South America, to the heights of Nepal, and the desert of Egypt. Not for the faint of heart; the film leaves even the most ardent action-junkie breathless by the end. Followed by "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (a prequel) and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."