Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt Clash in ‘The Devil’s Own’ Now Streaming on Netflix

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Preparing to enrich (and trim) its streaming platform with several movies and series. From timeless masterpieces by Alfred Hitchcock to underrated thrillers from the ’90s, there’s an abundance of choices for a home movie night. One film that now calls the streamer its home is the intense action thriller starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt. Although it received a somewhat lukewarm reception from critics (with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 37%), it was successful at the box office. The film features one of Pitt’s early roles, as these Hollywood legends square off against each other. Ford’s performance in particular was lauded.

Brad Pitt was on his way to becoming a well-known figure when “The Devil’s Own” was released on March 26, 1997. Prior to this role, he had acted in approximately 21 films. In this movie, he played Francis “Frankie” McGuire/ Rory Devaney, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who came to the U.S. to acquire black market anti-aircraft missiles. This mission wasn’t simple, particularly when Frankie developed a bond with an Irish-American policeman, Sergeant Tom O’Meara (portrayed by Harrison Ford). In New York City, Frankie went by the name Rory Devaney, who O’Meara thought was a new immigrant laborer, while residing with the police officer and his family.

This movie boasts an impressive ensemble of supporting actors such as Margaret Colin portraying Sheila O’Meara (Tom’s wife), Ruben Blades as Edwin Diaz, Treat Williams as Billy Burke, George Hearn as Judge Peter Fitzsimmons, Mitchell Ryan as Deputy Chief Jim Kelly, among others. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, who is known for classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and All the President’s Men, The Devil’s Own was his last film, as he passed away a year after its release by Columbia Pictures. The film’s stunning visuals were the work of Gordon Willis, an acclaimed cinematographer who worked on movies like The Godfather and Bright Lights, Big City, and retired shortly after.

Harrison Ford’s Conflict With Brad Pitt on ‘The Devil’s Own’

The movie, costing $86 million to produce, earned $140.8 million in ticket sales. Shortly after its release, critics voiced their mixed feelings about the film’s political undertones. Critic Dennis Schwartz described it as an engaging but ultimately disappointing large-scale political thriller that failed to reach greatness. Jeffrey Overstreet of Looking Closer gave it a mediocre grade of C-, commenting, “The statement ‘This is not an American story, it’s an Irish one’ holds no meaning … it is a tale as quintessentially American as McNuggets — all crispy exterior and no substantial content beneath.

Harrison Ford was an established actor by the time Brad Pitt was rising to fame. Yet, it’s said that Pitt was initially linked to “The Devil’s Own” before Ford, and their visions for the movie differed significantly. During the filming, Ford reportedly had disagreements with his co-star, as he once mentioned…

Initially, Brad wrote the script, and later, he gave me a role in it. I held back my thoughts about the character and the script structure because I respected Brad greatly. Firstly, I hold Brad in high regard. I believe he’s an exceptional actor. He’s genuinely kind-hearted. However, we couldn’t decide on a director until Alan Pakula came into the picture. I had collaborated with Alan before, but Brad hadn’t. Since Brad’s character was complex, I felt it was crucial to have someone who could match that complexity in the director’s chair. This way, it wouldn’t just be a simple good versus evil conflict. And it was then that I came up with the idea of the bad-shooting thing.

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2025-06-02 16:03