Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - PG-13

Thrilling third Indy actioner hunts for the grail.

Rating: PG-13 for violence Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Directed By: Steven Spielberg Cast: Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, John Rhys-Davies Running Time: 128 minutes Release Date: 05/24/1989 Genre: Action/adventure

Common Sense Note

Parents should know that kids will see hand-to-hand combat, action-filled chases and gun fights. Jones Sr. is shot point blank and almost bleeds to death. This movie is best suited for teens, although some intense scenes might disturb more sensitive among them.

Families who see this film might discuss the effects of the frequent use of cartoonishly evil Nazis as "bad guys" in action movies. Does it trivialize or obscure their real atrocities, especially the Holocaust?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Randy White

With a plot reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the third Indiana Jones installment sees the return of a winning formula.

It's 1912 and young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix) risks his life to save Coronado's Cross. But his father (Sean Connery) is not impressed. We jump to 1938 and Indie (Harrison Ford) discovers that his father has gone missing while searching for the Holy Grail, a cup endowed with miraculous powers due to Jesus having drunk from it before his crucifixion. Off to Venice, where Indie is followed by a secret brotherhood, dedicated to maintaining the secret of the Grail. Indie finds his father, but Nazis kidnap them both. They escape to Berlin to find a missing diary and (literally) run into Hitler. After fleeing an airship and engaging in a dogfight, father and son head to the desert to beat the Nazis to the Grail. After a remarkable chase with a tank, Indie's dad is shot and Indie must get to the Grail in order to save his father's life.

The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is fun to watch. Both actors have impeccable timing and are obviously enjoying themselves. And unlike Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, in which Indie's sidekicks were simply annoying, Connery's character is a worthy companion and foil. Since father and son have a past, you care about their relationship.

This installment also includes the return Indiana Jones' milder mannered side -- a hero who can be tremendously awkward when not battling bad guys or untangling ancient mysteries.

Much of the movie's success is due to a tongue-in-cheek attitude, signaled right from the start when young Indie -- played by an intense River Phoenix -- can't find the rest of his Scout troop and loudly declares that "everyone is lost but me."

Ahh, that's the Indiana Jones we know and love.

Although nothing can beat the first 10 minutes of Raiders, here we get answers to some burning questions: Why is Indiana terrified of snakes? Why the fedora? And how did he get that scar on his chin? Finally, we even learn Indiana's real name!

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content It's insinuated that Indiana and his father had relations with the same woman.
Violence Hand-to-hand combat, action-filled chases and gun fights. Jones Sr. is shot at point blank range and almost bleeds to death.
Language Light swearing.
Message
	Social Behavior Jones is the typical American anti-hero, a self-interested scoundrel who isn't always a great role model, but whose heart proves to be in the right place.
	Commercialism Part of a series that spun-off many products and a ride at Disneyland.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco