Tom Clancy/Harrison Ford Movie: ***^ Patriot Games (1992)

Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) is back and quickly becomes a hero when he says a British Royal from attack.  In his heroics he kills a terrorist.  The brother of the terrorist, Sean Miller (Sean Bean) is now gunning for Ryan, and his family, wife Cathy (Anne Archer) and daughter Sally (Thora Birch).  Sean Miller is the muscle while the head of the group is Kevin O'Donnell (Patrick Bergin) and his girlfriend Annette (Polly Walker).  Turns out she is a liability as the head of the Irish Republican Army, Paddy O'Neil (Richard Harris) will not turn on a fellow Irishman but she is British.  So through her they are able to track them down in Libya.  They mount an operation, but it misses them.  Instead the attack the Ryan residence when the Royal is there.  Lord Holmes (James Fox) is visiting.  Holmes' secretary Watkins (Hugh Fraser) is a traitor and Miller and the team are coming.  

This movie is more intense than the other Jack Ryan movies.  There is more swearing and more violence, and it earned an R rating.  Samuel Jackson and James Earl Jones also have parts, Jackson as Ryan's boss and Jones as director of the CIA.

Tom Clancy in the Movies

 ****^ The Hunt for Red October 1990. Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and Sean Connery as Russian submarine commander

***^ Patriot Games 1992.  Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, saves British Royal, rated R for language and violence.

****^ Clear and Present Danger   1994. Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan

**** The Sum of all Fears 2002.  Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan

**** Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit 2014, Chris Pine as Jack Ryan

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan starring John Krasinski (2018-2023)

Jack Ryan Ghost War (2026) with John Krasinski 

Tom Clancy/ Harrison Ford Movie Review: ****^ Clear and Present Danger (1994)

The president's (Donald Moffat) friend is killed in the Caribbean.  And the president wants to seek revenge.  He indirectly orders forces to Columbia.  In this movie the head of the CIA (James Earl Jones) is diagnosed with cancer.  Consequently Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) is shoved more into the spotlight.  The president wrangles him to go to Columbia.  They have discovered accounts in the name of the president's deceased friend where he was laundering drug money.  The Columbian drug lord is Ernesto Escobedo (Miguel Sandoval) and his henchman is Felix Cortez (Joaquim de Almeida).  Clark (Willem Dafoe) is tasked with putting together a team to go to Columbia.  These men are good at their job and cause Escobedo some headaches.  James Cutter (Harris Yulin) as security advisor and Robert Ritter (Henry Czerny) as his underling put the program together.  The even direct a plane dropping a bomb on a meeting of cartel leaders.  

Eventually Ryan, as the deputy director of the CIA, figures out what is happening.  Part of this is that a secretary (Ann Magnuson) of the US. government has inadvertently been feeding information to Cortez.  Cortez kills her.  Ryan's wife (Anne Archer) notices that her death coincides with other happenings, and they realize it is tied with the Columbian issue.  Cortez is tracked and a conversation intercepted he has with Cutter.  The President, Cutter and Ritter kill the programs with no extraction.  Ryan decides to go down to Columbia and get the U.S. service men out if he can.  He and Clark are to the rescue.  

Harrison Ford Movie Review: ****Regarding Henry (1991)

 Harrison Ford stars as a vicious lawyer, Henry Turner.  He and his wife, Sarah (Annette Bening) and daughter, Rachel (Kamian Allen) have quite an affluent life.  However Henry is quite vicious in his relationship with his daughter.  He has a mistress.  And he is above ethics in court. 

He goes for cigarettes and is shot by the person robbing the store.  He loses oxygen to his brain, and with that his memory and is in a coma for a long time.  

He goes th4ough a lengthy rehabilitation.  He has to learn to walk; he has to learn to talk; he has to learn everything again.  Still he has difficulty remembering even his family.  His teacher is primarily the physical therapist Bradley (Bill Nunn).  They form a good attachment.  In a way Henry becomes overly attached.  When it comes time for him to go home, at first he refuses, but his daughter convinces him otherwise.  So he returns home and starts over.  After a few months he returns to work, without memory of what he use to do.  It doesn't take him long to realize he hid information to get a verdict in his favor.  He wants to set it right.  He doesn't want to go back to his old life.  

This is a very good character study, and going through a tragedy to get a new start.  This includes his family.  He quits his lawyer job and focuses on being a good father.  

Harrison Ford always looks the same, but I hardly recognized Annette Bening so much younger. 

Harrison Ford Movie Review: ***^ Air Force One (1997)

 The President (Harrison Ford) and his plane are under attack by a group of Russian Nationals who want a general restored.  Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) is a retty violent person.  In fact he and his team kill many people taking over the plane, and then Korshunov kills more to get people to do what he wants.  He threatens the first lady (Wendy Crewson and his daughter (Liesel Mathews).  He kills a jr staff member and the security advisor.  The vice president (Glen Close) is in Washington and expresses to Russia our need.  She would not authorize a 25th amendment take over and declare the president compromised.  Important staff who die defending the president include his Chief of Staff (Paul Guilfoyle) and Major Caldwell (William H Macy).  On the other hand Agent Gibbs (Xander Berkeley) betrayed the president and was a mole for the terrorists.  He allowed them to access the weapons on board the plane.  They seem to succeed.  The general is being released.  But the president escapes and they retake the plane.  The general does not turn back when he is ordered to stop, and he is killed.

This movie is rated R with lots of violence and swearing.  There are more mellow edited version available.   It is very intense for a time.  They are able to rescue many of the passengers with parachutes, but the refuel plane explodes.  At times the dialogue seems off in my opinion.  But I did like the line, get off my plane.  Also with so many bullets flying around the plane would have been compromised at some point, but nothing happens as a result.  

Harrison Ford Movie: **** Call of the Wild (2020)

 This movie is about the dog, Buck, and Bob Thornton (Harrison Ford) who inherits the dog when his master insists on overworking the dogs and making them travel a treacherous river that the ice is breaking up.  But I am ahead of myself.

Buck is a city dog; a big dog none the less and prone to getting into trouble.  He is Judge Miller's (Bradley Whitford) dog in Santa Clara County, California.  There is a need for dogs in the Yukon and people buying dogs; so Buck is stolen and sent upstream.  (Harrison Ford narrates).  Buck is tamed with a club, but he still manages to get away.  He is a very strong dog.  But the club tames him.  When he gets north he is purchased by Perrault (Omar Sy) and his wife Francoise (Cara Gee).  Buck has to learn what to do, but he eventually takes over as the lead dog; and he is able to help them get the mail to the Yukon on time.  However as they arrive, they are informed by telegram that the mail will no longer run to Yukon and they are to return south for reassignment.  They have to sell the dogs, and Hal, (Dan Stevens) buys them.  He is leading his sister, Mercedes (Karen Gillam) and her husband, Charles (Colin Woodell).  They over load the sled and let the runners freeze and stick to the road.  Thornton and Hal have several run ins, including about the treatment of the dogs, and the location of gold.  

Thornton is in the north trying to refind himself after his son passed away.  His son always wanted to travel in the north.  He is drinking.  He advises Hal not to take the dogs on the river that it is breaking up.  Hal insists.  Buck refuses to go.  In the book they do go and all drown when the river breaks up.  In the movie it is unclear, other than that Hal comes back alone and says the dogs ran off.  We assume Charles and Mercedes are lost.  

Buck and Thornton travel into the back country.  The find an abandoned cabin and make a life.  Buck meets a lady wolf and they have a courtship.  Thornton finds gold in the giver, and collects quite a bit, when Hal shows up seeking his revenge.  He shoots Thornton, and then Buck attacks him; even with a clube.  In the struggle a fire had been started in the cabin and Buck pushes Hal into the fire.  Thornton succombs to his wound, and Buck returns to the wild with his female wolf.  

Harrison Ford Movie Review: **^ Witness (1985)

 This movie is rated "R" and like most movies of this ilk left me with a bad feeling at the end.  Too much vioence and using the F word does that to me.  The actors do a good job, Harrison Ford as Book and Kelly McGillis as Rachel.  Rachel is a widow who travels through Philadelphia with her son.  Her son witnesses a murder at the train station.  At the police station he identifies a police officer from narcotics as the killer.  When Book reports this to his boss, that officer comes for Book.  Book flees with Rachel and the boy, Samuel (Lukas Haas) to Amish country, the home of her father (Jan Rubes) where he hides, and recovers from a bullet wound.  After recovering Bok gives himself away when he hits a local boy who was teasing the Amish.  Eventually the dirty police come for him, Schaeffer (Josef Sommer), McFee (Daniel Glover) and Fergie (Angus MacInnes).  

This movie is too violent, but it does show the contrast with the peaceful Amish community.  It is a. very good look inside the community which you don't see on a regular basis.  

Harrison Ford Movie: **** What Lies Beneath (2000)

 This is a very good Halloween/Ghost story.  After taking her daughter, Caitlin (Katharine Towne) to school, Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) starts seeing a ghost.  The new neighbors Mary and Warren Feur (Miranda Otto and James Remar) have a love hate relationship, and then the wife disappears so she assumes he has murdered his wife and the ghost if of her.  However when she confronts him, his wife is there.  Her husband, Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) is not very sympathetic.  She sees a psychiatrist (Joe Morton) who suggests she ask the ghost what it wants.  She and her friend, Jody (Diana Scarwid) try a seance but with limited success.  A woman disappeared a year ago, about the time of Claire's accident.  She slowly becomes convinced that this is the ghost, and it has something to do with her husband.  

If you are into a good fright this is a very good movie.  Harrison Ford is in a different type of role for him.

Harrison Ford Movie: **** Firewall (2006)

Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) works in security in a large bank.  He and his family, his wife Beth (Virginia Madsen) and kids, Sarah and Andy (Carly Schroeder and Jimmy Bennett) are held hostage by a group of thieves intent on stealing $10,000 from 10,000 richest customers.  The thieves have studied the family for some time, opening a gambling account in Jack's name and a bill of $85,000.  The thieves are very treacherous.  They are lead by Bill Cox (Paul Bettany).  Jack's coworker, Harry Romano (Robert Forster) introduced Jack and Cox.  His boss is Arlin Fiorester (Alan Arkin). His assistant is Janet Stone (Mary Lynn Rajskub). They control Jack by threatening his family.  They try to get away but fail.  Stanfield is forced to help them get the money, erase tapes and allow cox into sensitive areas.  They also set him up as a jealous husband, making his wife record that he is leaving for Romano.  Cox visits Romano and murders him using Stanfield's gun.  

However Stanfield is able to do a double cross, having taken a picture of the account numbers where the money went.  He recruits Stone to help him.  The family after the operation was being taken to a rural area for their murder.  Stanfield overwhelmed the man sent to kill him and iill hi instead.  He lets Cox know his money is gone and won't come back until he gets his family.  The family is still alive, and the dog with a gps tracking device is with them.  Consequently they are able to track them.  

This movie is very good.  The fighting at the end had me really riled up.  Very exciting.  They bad guys are easily hated.  None of them would help the family as they were all committed.  When asked why you hate us the answer is, we don't, we just don't care about you. 

Harrison Ford Movie Review: **** Morning Glory (2010)

 Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) is a seasoned journalist who has considerable experience, and feels he is abov doing a morning show; so when they opportunity comes to him he balks, but agrees not because of interest but because of his contract.  Becky (Rachel McAdams) has been hired as the Morning show producer, and wants to prove herself.  Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum) is her boss.  Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton) is the female anchor who has been there for sometime.  She and Pomeroy quickly develop a feud because most stories are beneath Pomeroy who she has to cover.  The movie for the most part is about the developing relationship between Beck and Pomeroy.  The show is scheduled to be cancelled, but because of many antics, and Pomeroy gong out and getting the scoop on a real story, the ratings come up and they get another year.  Becky gets a job offer from a network, and at first she things her current relationships are worth preserving.  But in the end she goes to interview.  Pomeroy does a cooking class.  This is his way of telling her that he would like her to stay, because cooking stories he always considered beneath him.  

I enjoyed this movie.  Harrison ford is actually very good in it.  Rachel McAdams also is very good.  The relationship they develop carries the movie.  

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

 This is a very good Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) movie except for just before the end.  Indiana Jones is in pursuit of the Dial of Destiny, as is Dr. Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelson).  Voller is a Nazi who wants to go back in time and effect a different result to the war.  His men are unscrupulous.  They seem to kill people right and left.   They are trying to get a piece of the devise from Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Dr. Jones' god daughter.  She knows that her father gave the piece to him to destroy it.  Of course Dr. Jones did not destroy it, but has stored it safely in the university vaults.  Helena gets the device, and is away with it, leaving Dr. Jones to deal with the peopler chasing her.  They both get away in the end.  They all end up in Morocco, where Helena is selling her piece.  In all the action Voller ends up with the piece.  Helena has a young friend, Teddy (Ethann Isidore) she rescued from the streets when he tried to steal her purse.  

The next stop is scuba diving in order to find the other piece.  Of course our villains show up just as they are finding it.  More murders take place, Dr. Jones' friend Renaldo (Antonio Banderas).  The the hel of dynamite they are able to get away and then decipher the clue which leads them to caves in Cicily.  In the end Voller comes away with both pieces and puts them together.  He then calculates how to go back in time to 1939 as he intends to kill Hitler, thus freeing Germany from him, so they can win the war.  Dr. Jones tases him that his calculations are wrong--and in fact they are.  They over shot their time and end up in the Roman Greek war long ago.  Having gone back in time in an airplane, they meet Archimedes (Nasser Memarzia), the inventor of the Dial of Destiny, who then took it apart so it couldn't be used.  He is the only person who could help them get back to their own time.

Now the part I don't like.  Suddenly Dr. Jones wants to stay in the past.  Helena punches him in the jaw to knock him out and the take him back.  I do not think there was motivation for Dr. Jones to stay nor for Helena to knock him out.

Karen Allen as Marion and John Rhys-Davies as Sallah have cameo parts.  They were both in the first Indiana Jones.

Moviw Review: ****American Graffiti (1973)

 This movie was written and directed by George Lucas.  This movie is ripe with future stars.  Richard Dreyfuss portrays Curt, who is suppose to fly to college in the east the next morning, but is wondering if he should go.  Ron Howard portrays Steve, who is planning to attend college with Curt.  Cindy Williams plays Laurie, his girlfriend.  She is torn about Steve's leaving and when he says they should date others it is even worse, and starts an argument that lasts through the night.  Paul Le Mat portrays John, who is the number one street racer.  Charles Martin Smith plays Terry "the toad" who is a bit of a nerd driving a moped.  However Steve gives him his wheels while he goes to school, and through the car he meets Debbie (Candy Clark) who is a bit of a rebel and wants Terry to get some hard alcohol.  Mackenzie Phillips plays Carol who ends up palling with John for the night despite being younger than he.  They end up having a good time despite John's efforts to be cool and not to b e seen with a younger girl.  Lastly Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford) meets up with John and challenges him to a race.  

An interesting side story is Curt's trying to meet a girl he sees and falls for madly.  He looks for her all night, but is unab le to find her.  He finally resorts to the disc jockey (Wolf Man Jack) and asks him to have her call.  Which she does, just as he has decided to leave and go to school.  He never gets her name.

Laurie is in Bob Falfa's car for the race as a result of her argument with Steve.  She asks he let her out, but he refuses.  They race and Bob Falfa is starting to overtake John when Bob's car pops a tire and he rolls the vehicle.  Steve had heard about the race, and went to intervene.  He is able to get her out of the car before it bursts into flames.  Bob Falfa also escapes.  They profess their love, and decide to stay together in Modesto rather than Steve's going to school.  The next morning it is Curt who goes to school and Steve who stays.  

Movie Review: At the Movies: ****Captain America: Brave New World (2025)

 I found this movie very entertaining.  The president (Harrison Ford) is the character Thaddeus Ross, who had a thing against the Hulk.  This seems to still influence him, as his daughter, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) avoids him as a result, and he is trying to prove that he has changed.

The part of the movie which is a bit confusing as an island has appeared with a new mineral more precious than vibranium.  The show starts with Falcon/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) recovering it.  As a result they are invited to the Whitehouse.  Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbley) the African American who was not accepted as a super hero but incarcerated for 30 years for experimentation by Ross, attends with them.  

At the reception, Bradley, along with five other attendees start shooting at the president; however they do not kill him.  They are all arrested.  The President had asked Captain America to reform the Avengers, but withdraws the offer and doesn't want anything to do with Captain America.  Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) portrays the secret service agent assigned to resolve the assassination attempt.  She is a former Black Widow.  

Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) is the man behind all the bad stuff happening, including mind control and use of the super-human serum.  He almost brings the U.S. and Japan to war fighting over the new mineral.  When things to be almost resolved; they are not.  We are introduced to a new Hulk and Captain America has met his match.

Movie Review: *****Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

 I think with regards to this franchise The Last Crusade puts everything right.  Again we have Jones (Harrison Ford) facing the Nazis and this time looking for the Holy Grail.  We are introduced to Jones' father, Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery).  We also see a young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix).  Returning characters include Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott).  The Nazis have taken an interest in the Holy Grail, and have kidnapped Indiana's father who is an expert on the Holy Grail.  He has mailed his journal to his son trying to keep it from the Nazis.  However Indiana Jones has brought it with him when he is seeking his father.  They are both caught, and the journal taken, but a map has been removed.  

There are many adventures in getting away from the Nazis.  Indiana says he is use to people trying to kill him, while for his father it is a new experience.  I found this movie delightful many years ago and again today.  It is always important to choose wisely.  

Movie Review: ****^Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

The fun continues with the Temple of Doom.  This movie precedes the Lost Ark as it is before WWII. Dr. Jones is again seeking his fortune and glory with Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), A Chinese boy who drives and covers Dr. Jones' back side, and Willie (Kate Capshaw) an American singer who is performing in Shang Hai when she becomes part of the Dr. Jones entourage.  Fortune brings them to India, after they escape a crashing airplane on a raft boat.  There a shaman has been waiting for them, and they are sent on a quest to recover a stone from Pankot Palace.  When they arrive they are welcomed by the young Maharajah (Raj Singh).  Jones Willie and Short Round follow some tunnels under the temple and come upon some worshippers of Kali in the act of performing a human sacrifice.  The priest, Mola Ram (Amrish Puri) pulls out the victims heart with his hand and holds it until it burns up as he is fed to the lava.  They also discover they have captured children and enslaved them to look for more stones.  Our three heroes are captured by the cult,  Short Round is enslaved as well, Jones is given a serum which makes hime a zombie slave to the cult, and Willie is the next sacrificial victim.  

This movie has two intense chase scenes.  One with Short Round driving and the other on mining cars.  It also as an intense scene on a bridge with alligators below.  This is a fun movie, just not quite as fu as the original.

Movie Review: *****Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

 What a fun ride the Doctor Jones has been; and it all started with The Lost Ark.  The first Dr. Jones episode is in South America where Doctor Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) rescues a rare artifact, only to have it stolen by Belloq (Paul Freeman).  Then we get to the real story of the movie--the search for the lost ark and covenant, in which is kept the ten commandments.  This reportedly has great power and the Nazis want anything with power; so they too are searching.  Indy first visits a former girlfriend, Marion (Karen Allen) in Nepal, whose father was an archeologist and had collected a piece to help find the ark.  They both escape a murder attempts and head to Egypt, where they meet the third member of their crew, Sellah (John Rhys-Davies).  Belloq is working with the Nazis, but they are digging in the wrong lace.  One of the cute things of this show is the persistence of Indiana Jones.

This movie is terrific fun. It puts Harrison Ford in his second successful trilogy and indicates he is truly a star performer.  

Movie Review: ****^Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

This review is very late. Only a couple years after the movie do i realize I had neglected to right a review for this movie. I actually watched this in theaters, several time, when it first came out. Over the months, there have been those who have expressed opinion about this episode, the final of the original ning episodes. Many want to trach the final three altogether, while others are the opposite and love them. I would put myself in the group that loves them. I must admit, "The Last Jedi" was a disappointment to me. This movie had to fix so many things--such as Luke Skywalker throwing a light saber over his shoulder. That was just too out of character for me. Anyway, this movie attempts to repair the damage with a different director. It also brings us to Exegol. This is a fitting environment for the last battle. Palpatine has returned, and Rey is his off spring. But Rey is not a Palpatine. The interaction between she and Kylo Ren is very well done. The story comes full circle. This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat to the end. Is was fantastic to see a cameo of Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker who had both passed away in previous episodes.

In Theaters: ***^ The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)

When Rorie was born we had the boys, and took them to the theater.  We had a pretty good time.  This story actually goes about telling three stories at the same time.  Consequently it gets pretty complicated.  However it all comes together in the end with all of the pets teaming up to save a lion from and evil circus master who treats the lion poorly in training, and consequently the pets help him escape, and then overcome the circus master when he comes back to recapture the ion.  Harrison Ford plays Rooster and Patton Oswalt Max who is overly anxious about his boy.  Kevin Hart plays Snowball, a bunny who thinks of himself as a superhero.  Gidget, a dog who becomes ruler of a cat family, is portrayed by Jenny Slate.  The kids had a good time, Sheri was confused by the three plots happening at the same time and Miranda fell asleep.

Harrison Ford Movies

When it comes to Harrison Ford I like him, and so I give his movies lots of stars.  But so do lots of people because he has been in most of the highest grossing movies.  This list is not complete but will be growing.

Captain America: Brave New World (2025). Harrison Ford portrays the President/ Red Hulk

**** The Call of the Wild (2020)

***^ The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) An animated show 

**** The Age of Adaline (2015) Portrays the past love, and father of the current love of a woman who doesn't age

****^  Ender's Game (2013) Plays a grouchy Colonel

***^ 42 (2013). Portrays the manager of Jackie Robinson

***^ Paranoia  (2013)  Industrial espionage

**** Cowboys and Aliens  (2011)  Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig take on the aliens

**** Morning Glory. (2010). Ford plays a morning show anchor.  With Rachel McAdams.

Extraordinary Measures (2010)

**** Firewall (2006)

Hollywood Homicide (2003)

K-19 The Widow Maker (2002)

**** What Lies Beneath (2000). Great Halloween/ghost story with Michelle Pfeiffer

Six Days Seven Nights (1998)

***^ Air Force One (1997)

**** Sabrina  (1995) A very good remake

****^ Clear and Present Danger (1994

****  The Fugitive  (1993)  Great fun with Tommy Lee Jones

***^ Patriot Games (1992)

**** Regarding Henry (1991)

*****Indian Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) The movie that made archeology cool

****^ Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

*****Indian Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

***  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull   (2008)  I liked this movie less than the other Indian Jones movies.  Perhaps because Shia LaBeouf plays his son.

****^Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

***^ The Frisco Kid  (1979)  With Gene Wilder

***** Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) The first Star Wars produced

****^ Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) In which Han Solo is frozen

***** Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) Everyone's favorite with action of many different levels

****  Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)  A very good beginning to the third trilogy, not so good for Han Solo

****^ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)  Ford makes a cameo as a force ghost to talk to his son.

American Graffitti (1973)

Movie Review: ***^42 (2013)

This film is the story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) as the first Black player to play major league baseball.  42 is the number Robinson wore throughout his career.  The owner of the Dodgers, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) was looking for a Black player to join the Dodger's organization.  A sports writer suggested Jackie Robinson.  Rickey, according to the film, did this because he was tired of the racism of major league baseball.  Of course there were economic issues as well.  Bringing the black community to the ball park would be good for revenues.  His first year Robinson played with the Toronto Royals, the Dodger's triple A ball club.  This film tells of his success that year, and then the subsequent year with the Dodgers as a rookie.  Robinson had to face serious racial discrimination, at first form his own teammates, who signed a petition not to play if Robinson played, and then from coaches and players on other teams.  This racist vitriol was most poignant from the Philadelphia manager.  Robinson for his part had to learn to keep his place, until he won people over.  Then we could better influence others, and others would sometimes defend him, and he could defend himself.  Robinson proved himself with his bat, base stealing, base running and play in the field.  The Dodgers made it to the World Series his rookie year.
The next year, more teams had black players.  After the ice had been broken, a team was foolish not to draw from this talent pool for his team.  Check out my review of a book about Jackie Robinson with this link.  And here is a blog looking at the veracity of this storytelling of this movie.

Harrison Ford does a good job.  I could hardly recognize him in this character of a baseball owner.