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Ford fizzles in 'Firewall'

At some point, you have to ask yourself: "This is the guy who played Indiana Jones? That's Han Solo up there on screen?"

Warner Brothers Pictures 'Firewall' 2 out of 5 stars Director: Richard Loncraine Starring: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Jimmy Bennett, Virginia Madsen, Robert Patrick Run time: 105 minutes Release date: Feb. 10, 2006 Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence. See showtimes Meet the hero Austin American-Statesman film writer Chris Garcia interviews Harrison Ford about his roles as an action hero. On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Firewall'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Harrison Ford's slide into humorlessness is nothing new, and has had its high points (such as "The Fugitive," where the charisma burden was carried by Tommy Lee Jones). But for anyone who knows the actor only from his work since 1990, the idea that he was once a witty screen presence must be unthinkable — like hearing that Dick Cheney, in his youth, cut records at Sun Studios with Elvis and Johnny Cash. How does one remain a star for so long after losing the qualities that got him there?

If these questions arise while watching "Firewall," it's because the movie offers so few diversions of its own. The latest entry in the "do something bad for us or we'll kill your family" genre, it casts Ford as the security expert for a bank.

Villains enter his house one night, stock the fridge with frozen pizzas, and put his children and wife (Virginia Madsen, who must have hoped for better after her "Sideways" acclaim) under house arrest. If Ford doesn't steal $100 million for them, they'll force the kids to eat unhealthy food. (Seriously. One of the story's tense moments involves the exploitation of a peanut allergy.)

In searching for a bad guy with even less magnetism than Ford, the filmmakers found the seriously feeble Paul Bettany, whose chief skill seems to be slipping back and forth between British and American accents. Bettany's machinations are borrowed from a dozen similar films, and it must be admitted that they're pieced together with enough competence that the low-expectations crowd — folks who know Ford's recent work and still want to watch him wrestle guys half his age — might walk out satisfied.

But the commercials that suggest the movie's actual star is the Chrysler 300C might be onto something: When a film boasts such limited charisma and such a familiar plot, maybe it can be stolen by a sedan so unsleek it appears to have jowls.