Celebrating President Day on Air Force One with Harrison Ford There is only one movie that comes to mind when I reflect on these points - "Air Force One." First, who wouldn't want Harrison Ford as the President of the United States? produced and starred in "Extraordinary Measures," which is a movie that helped educate people on the deadly Pompe disease and the road to developing a drug to fight or end it Lastly, he's Han Solo AND Indiana Jones! Come on! Alright, I know the last point is really not legitimate but still. Ronald Reagan did it, so why can't Ford? I find it hard to believe that the character President Marshall he

President's Day is coming up on February 21 and much like every holiday, from Christmas to Valentine's Day, I find myself thinking about what movie I will watch to celebrate it. For me, President's Day isn't just a day to honor the past and present commander-n-chiefs of our great nation. There's plenty of movies out there that address how great George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, JFK, and the likes were. It's about reflecting on what makes a great president and what sort of characteristics they would have. There is only one movie that comes to mind when I reflect on these points - "Air Force One."
1997's "Air Force One" revolves around "the President of the United States, James Marshall, taking a tough anti-terrorist stance and then becoming a hostage himself when Air Force One is taken over by terrorists from Kazakhstan, led by Ivan Korshunov, who demand the release of their fascistic leader General Radek. The President seems to escape from the plane in an emergency capsule yet is actually hiding on board. He silently kills a member of the terrorist group before establishing contact with F-15's to engage the hijacked plane. As passengers escape by parachute, Marshall is captured by Ivan and forced to release General Radek, setting in motion an international incident."
First, who wouldn't want Harrison Ford as the President of the United States? The actor has more than proven himself to be one of the most down-to-Earth, socially-minded men in the national spotlight. He helps lead rescue missions in the area that he lives in. He even produced and starred in "Extraordinary Measures," which is a movie that helped educate people on the deadly Pompe disease and the road to developing a drug to fight or end it. The actor has also become known as a very hard worker. Lastly, he's Han Solo AND Indiana Jones! Come on! Alright, I know the last point is really not legitimate but still. Ronald Reagan did it, so why can't Ford? I find it hard to believe that the character President Marshall he plays in the movie is so different than how he is in real life. There's just been too many public parallels that have come into light through tabloids and personal interviews that the actor has given.
Let's move on to Ford's character in "Air Force One." He plays President James Marshall and what impresses me about him is he isn't willing to let terrorists make the rules. He takes a hard stance against terrorism and stands his ground. Secondly, Marshall doesn't just let his advisors and other cabinet members do his dirty work. He is more than willing to get his hands muddied up. This particular president is also brave and doesn't back down from a confrontation. He could have taken the easy way out by getting in that emergency capsule, but he didn't. This heroic leader stayed there to deal with the problem at hand. Marshall is also very active and doesn't just sit back and take it. If a terrorist needs to be shot or beat up, he doesn't order somebody else to do it. He takes the matter into his own hands and gets the job done. My last point is that Marshall is a family man. He has morals and loves his family very much. You can tell he's a good father and husband right off the bat by the way his wife and daughter look and treat him. If a man can't run his household correctly then how will he run the country?
Apparently, I'm not the only one that thought Harrison Ford would make a good president. "Air Force One" went on to make $172,650,002 and has maintained a B average with both critics and moviegoers. Filmcritic.com's Christopher Null stated that this movie was "one of Harrison Ford's best performances." Mick LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle called Ford "a flat-out heroic president" and described his portrayal of the President as "beyond sincere" and "the ultimate role of his maturity." Washington Post critic Desson Howe called Ford's Head of State "dynamic" and "one part bleeding heart, two parts Sgt. Fury." He also stated that "you may find yourself favorably weighing his odds in Iowa and New Hampshire." Personally, I can't help wondering how much of Ford's performance was really just fictional play-acting.
All the reasons and reflections above should explain why I'm writing in Harrison Ford's name on the ballot in 2012. I might even start campaigning for him. He's got to do a better job than some of the guys who have been in office lately. I'm getting up right now to start painting my "Harrison Ford for President!" sign right now. But until 2012, let's just take 2010's President's Day as 24 hours of honoring the great men who have already led this country and give them a loud shout-out of "Hail to the Chief!"