A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Best Scenes from INDIANA JONES

This year marks significant anniversaries in the INDIANA JONES franchise. The second film in the series, THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, turns 35 years old, and the third film, THE LAST CRUSADE, turns 30. With THE LAST CRUSADE being the perfect film to watch on Father’s Day, that makes the month of June an un-official, official INDIANA JONES month, and a perfect time to look back at the best scenes the series has delivered. 

The character of Indiana Jones was created by STAR WARS mastermind George Lucas and brought to the screen by director Steven Spielberg, with the smash debut arriving in 1981 with RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Actor Harrison Ford, fresh off his role of Han Solo in STAR WARS and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, brought his charm and toughness to the character, who was a swashbuckling archeologist who carried a gun and a whip and a fedora…a character just as comfortable in a library as he was punching enemies or digging in the dirt. He was inspired by the serials of old with a touch of James Bond; trotting the globe to un-earth mysteries with a lover in every port. He has given us so many great moments in almost 40 years it is a challenge to pick just 10, but this Blogger has taken on the adventure. The criteria are entertainment value and importance to its film. 

So let’s go after that truck…

10. Government Men, RAIDERS 

Out of the four films we’ve had (so far), one of the most understated and overlooked is this beautifully crafted scene where Indy gets his mission. It is a classic “spaghetti supper” scene where characters sit around a table and offer information to the audience and establish what the film is all about. It firmly sets the importance of obtaining the Lost Ark before the Nazi’s do, and the vast knowledge of history Indy has. It is also a study in screenwriting, as the early versions of the script compared to the final draft is a fascinating look at how a script evolves. 

9. The Belly of the Steel Beast, CRUSADE 

 The stakes here are enormous for Indy. His father, Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery), and his friend and mentor Marcus (Denholm Elliot), have been taken prisoner by the Nazi’s and held in a tracked machine of war…and Indy has nothing but his revolver and a horse. Indy is knocked around, punched, dangled off the side of the tank and slammed into a rock wall…only to rise up in one of the most rousing scenes of the series. It is a lead-up to the most emotional moment of Indy’s life, but more on that later. 

8. This is my Place, RAIDERS 

 There is nothing better than a good old-fashioned bar-fight, and with RAIDERS embracing the Hollywood of old, it just had to do its own version. Indy travels to Nepal to find his old lover Marion (Karen Allen), who is a daughter to his former mentor Abner. The scene is a great fistfight, gunfight, and firefight, and establishes the toughness of Marion as she was far from the stock damsel-in-distress. At the end, Indy gets a goddamn partner…while the enemy walks away with a vital clue to the location of the Lost Ark. 

7. The Mine Car Chase, DOOM 

 All of Indy’s adventures have had a chase or two, and the mine car chase from TEMPLE OF DOOM is unique because in a mine car you can only go where the tracks lead you…leaving Sir Isaac Newton in the driver’s seat. As if the wicked speeds weren’t a thrill enough, Indy and his two sidekicks are chased by thugs from an evil cult which adds to the danger. This sequence was originally supposed to appear in RAIDERS, but was cut and saved for the next film…and is brought to the screen through some excellent editing of model work and live action. 

6. Plane Fight, RAIDERS  

Indy and Marion have escaped the snake-filled Well of the Souls, only to discover that the Nazi’s will be flying the Ark out of Cairo. What follows is another bare-knuckle fight to the death, with both characters showing their toughness and grit. The results are a blast (literally), and John Williams’ score keeps the action moving. 

5. No one has come out of there alive, RAIDERS 

 No one except Indy of course. The opening scene to RAIDERS establishes everything we needed to know about this new hero; he knew his territory, he was daring, clever, and had a never-say-die vibe. The temple he was raiding was packed with flying spikes, pitfalls, spiders, and a giant rolling stone that has become iconic; one threat after another in a perfectly crafted scene. 

4. The Three Challenges, CRUSADE 

 Once again, the stakes are enormous for Indy. His father has been shot by the Nazi stooge Donovan (Julian Glover), and only the power of the Holy Grail can save him. To obtain this antiquity, Indy must face three challenges with only clues discovered by this father to aid him. The metaphor here is excellent; Indy is walking in his father’s footsteps. 

3. All of Us, DOOM 

TEMPLE OF DOOM may have been released in theatres after RAIDERS, but its story takes place two years prior…making this a “prequel” long before the term became popular. Up until this scene, Indy was a treasure-hunter seeking diamonds for fortune and glory. After recovering from a dark spell, he has a chance to get away with the diamond-filled rocks…but instead turns back to rescue the enslaved children from the hellish mines. A turning point for the character that would be felt for all of his following adventures. 

2. I thought I lost you boy, CRUSADE 

The Holy Grail may have been the mystical object Indy was hunting for in THE LAST CRUSADE, but the real grail he was searching for was the father that he never knew; making CRUSADE the most emotional of the series. In this quiet scene, which takes place after the bombast and thunder of a fight on a tank (see above), Henry Jones Sr. thinks his son Indy has perished, only to be surprised moments later. The hug and dad’s cry of “I thought I lost you” is a tearjerker, and Connery’s performance is one of his best. It was a hug that provided closure for both characters. This is why CRUSADE is the perfect Father's Day movie. 

1. I’m going after that truck, RAIDERS 

 Indy may make things up as he goes, but maybe that’s what makes him so darn likeable. The Nazi’s have captured the Ark and loaded it on a truck for Cairo with plenty of protection, but Indy with his never-say-die attitude chases down the convoy on horseback and fist-fights his way onto the moving truck. What follows is a terrific sequence of Indy being thrown out the window, dragged underneath and behind the truck, and back in the cab for one more slugfest. The images are iconic, and with Harrison Ford performing most of his own stunts, it cemented him and Indiana Jones as one of the best pairings of actor and character in all of cinema. 

REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 SCENES FROM INDIANA JONES

1. I'm going after that truck
2. I thought I lost you, boy
3. All of us
4. The Three Challenges
5. No one has come out of there alive
6. The Plane Fight
7. Mine Car Chase
8. This is my place
9. Belly of the Steel Beast
10. Government Men