Harrison Ford

In the fading summer of 1999, Robert Zemeckis took a break from the filming of Cast Away to make What Lies Beneath, a ghostly thriller set against the banks ...

The actor's patented rugged charm is still here but only in part -- a fallible outer layer veiling the self-absorbed and murderously determined true character within. The viewer is swept up in the plight of its heroine, as well as the narrative diversions and occasionally well-worn trappings of the genre, before having to fully reckon with Ford's villainous turn. It's a thoroughly dark role inhabited by Ford, and the film's effectiveness is heightened by the actor's presence. Following confrontations and a futile attempt by Norman to "exorcise" the spirit, Claire exerts every ounce of energy to extract the absolute, unambiguous truth regarding the student's demise but is consistently met with varying forms of denial. Shot mid-length and cast in half-shadow, the full extent of the character's arrant heartlessness is revealed. For in spite of it becoming increasingly clear that Norman is deceitful, it's hard to immediately accept him as the primary perpetrator. Doing away with the incredulity and reappearing sincere again becomes the new play for Norman -- but only because it becomes apparent that his livelihood is in jeopardy. He sends his wife to a psychiatrist in the hopes the "ghost" can be eliminated through therapy and tries to dodge any suggestion he may be withholding information until Claire is given a preternatural glimpse at a past encounter between the two -- a memory buried due to a traumatic incident the year before. Married to Pfeiffer's Claire and stepfather to Claire's daughter Caitlin, Spencer is further presented as a decent and caring (if not always present) figure whose workaholic tendencies place increased strain on the relationship he has with his spouse. The director cleverly uses space and long sweeping shots to execute his nifty paranormal vehicle, and White Lies Beneath ends up serving as an unexpected departure for both the director and Ford. Taking cues from several Old Hollywood classics of the genre but adding a spectral twist to proceedings, Zemeckis went on to craft one of [the most underrated and effective offerings](https://collider.com/why-what-lies-beneath-is-good-movie-harrison-ford-villain/) from that era (released at a time when there was a lot of competition in flicks like Stir of Echoes and The Sixth Sense). [Robert Zemeckis](https://collider.com/tag/robert-zemeckis/) took a break from the filming of Cast Away to make What Lies Beneath, a ghostly thriller set against the banks of Lake Champlain in picturesque Burlington, Vermont.