The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
A western rather than a cop movie; John Book as Ford’s richest role
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:10Read transcript
- The film is argued to be a western and love story with cops, rather than fundamentally a cop movie.
- The other response agrees that the police plot is mostly machinery, without the usual station scenes.
- John Book is proposed as Ford’s richest and hardest role, above Indiana Jones and Han Solo.
- Redford is considered less sexually convincing, while Pitt or mid-to-late-2000s DiCaprio might manage the role.
- The difficulty of combining action, romance and rapport with a child is agreed, though not necessarily the number-one ranking.
- Crowe is another possible performer, with Proof of Life cited and his magnetism debated.
- Book, Han Solo and Indiana Jones are proposed as parallel peaks rather than a single best role, with Kimble added as a possibility.