Firewall (film)

Beacon Pictures
Industry	Film production
Founded	1990
Founder	Armyan Bernstein
Headquarters	Santa Monica, California, United States
Products	Films
Website	www.beaconpictures.com

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Firewall (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Firewall is a 2006 action thriller film directed by Richard Loncraine with a screenplay by Joe Forte. The movie features Harrison Ford portraying a bank security chief who is coerced by criminals, led by Paul Bettany, into orchestrating the theft of $100 million. The cast also includes Virginia Madsen, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Robert Patrick, Robert Forster, and Alan Arkin. Initially titled The Wrong Element, the project was originally set to be directed by Mark Pellington, who exited the production in August 2004 due to a personal loss; Loncraine took over the directorial role two months later.

Critical reception of Firewall was largely unfavorable, with particular criticism aimed at its storyline and editing choices. At the box office, it failed to meet expectations, earning approximately $83 million globally against a production budget of $50 million.

Plot

Jack Stanfield serves as the head of security at Landrock Pacific Bank in Seattle. When a collection agency contacts him regarding an alleged debt of $95,000 tied to an online gambling site, he suspects identity fraud and delegates the matter to his coworker Harry Romano. After an encounter with prospective business associate Bill Cox, Jack is forcibly taken at gunpoint by Cox to his home, where his family is under constant surveillance.

Cox demands that Jack transfer $10,000 from each of the bank’s 10,000 largest depositors—amounting to $100 million—to offshore accounts under Cox’s control. Jack is closely monitored via camera and microphone devices. Using the alias Bill Redmond, Cox guides Jack through security protocols at the bank. Despite Jack’s efforts to resist—including attempting to bribe one of Cox’s men and trying to escape with his family—Cox retaliates by threatening Jack’s son Andy, withholding an EpiPen during a severe allergic reaction until Jack complies.

To avoid raising suspicion, Jack dismisses his secretary Janet and proceeds with initiating the extensive wire transfer. Before leaving, he covertly photographs the account information. Cox then compels Jack to erase security records and introduce a virus designed to disrupt the bank’s systems. Upon returning home and finding his family missing except for one henchman named Liam, Jack kills Liam and seeks out Harry for assistance. He witnesses Cox murder Harry and fabricate evidence framing Jack for both Harry’s death and embezzlement.

With Janet’s help, Jack recovers a phone containing Cox’s account details. He hacks into Cox’s Cayman Islands accounts and reroutes the stolen funds. Using Liam’s phone, Jack arranges a ransom exchange and locates his family through GPS tracking embedded in their dog’s collar. At an abandoned house where his family is held captive, Jack confronts Cox’s henchmen; following a deadly pursuit ending in an explosion, he faces off against Cox in a final confrontation. Jack kills Cox with a pickaxe in a ditch prepared for his family, ultimately rescuing them and returning home safely.

Cast

Harrison Ford as Jack Stanfield, head of security at Landrock Pacific Bank.
Paul Bettany as Bill Cox, a businessman who takes Jack and his family hostage to force a $100 million transfer to offshore accounts.
Virginia Madsen as Beth Stanfield, Jack's wife.
Mary Lynn Rajskub as Janet Stone, Jack's secretary.
Robert Patrick as Gary Mitchell, colleague of Jack.
Carly Schroeder as Sarah Stanfield, daughter of Jack and Beth.
Jimmy Bennett as Andy Stanfield, son of Jack and Beth.
Robert Forster as Harry Romano, coworker who introduces Jack to Bill Cox.
Alan Arkin as Arlin Forester, employer of Jack and Harry.
Vincent Gale as Willy, one of Cox’s henchmen.
Kett Turton as Vel, another henchman who shows sympathy toward Jack’s family.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Liam, one of Cox’s henchmen.
Vince Vieluf as Pim, Cox’s most ruthless henchman.
Matthew Currie Holmes as Bobby, employee at Landrock Pacific Bank.
Beverley Breuer as Sandra.
Ty Olsson as Airport traffic officer.

Production

In April 2004, it was announced that Harrison Ford would headline the thriller initially named The Wrong Element, produced by Beacon Pictures, the company behind the successful Ford-starring film Air Force One. The screenplay, written by Joe Forte, was first developed at MGM but entered turnaround before Beacon Pictures secured the rights and transitioned the project to Warner Bros.. Originally, Mark Pellington was attached as director but withdrew due to personal circumstances. Subsequently, in October 2004, Richard Loncraine was appointed to direct the film.

Box office

Firewall premiered on February 10, 2006, across 2,840 theaters, generating $13.6 million during its opening weekend and ranking fourth in the domestic box office. The film completed a 14-week theatrical run by May 18, 2006, accumulating $48.8 million in North America and $34 million internationally, for a global total of $82.8 million. Upon its release in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2006, it entered the box office charts at number seven.

Critical reception

Critical response to the film was predominantly unfavorable. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 19% approval rating based on 158 critiques, with an average score of 4.6/10. The consensus highlights Harrison Ford’s "routine performance" within a lackluster techno-thriller marked by a predictable storyline and unlikely plot developments. According to Metacritic, the movie earned a score of 45 out of 100 from 38 reviewers, reflecting "mixed or average" opinions. Audience feedback collected by CinemaScore awarded it a "B+" grade.

Awards

Award	Year	Category	Result	Cast/Crew
World Stunt Awards	2007	Best Fight	Template:Nom	Jason Calder Mike Carpenter
Young Artist Award	2007	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actor Age Ten or Younger	Template:Nom	Jimmy Bennett

Home media

The DVD and HD DVD editions of Firewall were released on June 6, 2006. The DVD debuted at number two on sales charts with $10.8 million generated from 596,000 units sold during its first week. Overall sales reached 1,286,600 units, producing total revenue of $21.1 million.

External links