Now this is more like it - 90% - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Although my heart will always have a soft spot for Indy's second film as it was the first in the series I ever watched, it's not easy to hold it in such high regard when watching films like this. In all honesty, this is probably the best in the series as it offers everything the original did and more. It dispenses the gloom and darkness of "Temple Of Doom" and offers a bright, action-packed adventure that thrills from the first reel.

In case this somehow passed you by, the film opens with a scene showing a young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix) demonstrating his tenacity when uncovering grave robbers taking precious artifacts in Utah. The film begins properly when Dr Jones (Harrison Ford once again) is invited by wealthy Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) to help locate and recover the Holy Grail, said to grant eternal life to those who drink from it. But as Dr Jones soon realises, he must rescue his Grail expert father (Sean Connery) from the Nazis who also covet the Grail for their own evil purposes.

From the off, this film simply doesn't let go. Each scene is a riotous, action-packed sequence of stunts, explosions and fisticuffs. Think of it as a curious cross between "The Da Vinci Code" and "Die Hard" - everything the modern blockbuster needs to satisfy most movie goers. But not only does the action thrill and the story grip, the performances are electric. Ford is more comfortable in the role and excels but Connery is more than a match, playing against his usual macho self by becoming a bumbling, almost comic sidekick. Special mention must also go to Denholm Elliott as Marcus Brody (this time given much more prominence) as well as Alison Doody as the love interest. And given that this is helmed by two of the biggest names in the business, it is a stone-hearted curmudgeon who would argue that "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade" is anything other than simply magnificent entertainment.

The only real flies in the ointment are a couple of editing mistakes and the understandably primitive CG and blue-screen effects but even this should be easily treatable given a Blu-Ray touch-up. But seeing as most of the action is stunt-based anyway, even this is the most minor of offences. It's actually better than most modern action films, stuff like "The Matrix" or "Die Hard 4.0" that relies on CG to make an impact. In "The Last Crusade", Harrison Ford's stuntman (Vic Armstrong) insisted doing certain stunts because Ford was doing them all! This really is a fantastic movie, offering thrills and spills in abundance and giving you a wonderfully enjoyable roller-coaster ride through ancient myths, foreign lands and nail-biting set pieces. It's just a shame they didn't carry this through to the belated fourth film but on its own, this is easily one of the all-time classics.