#10: Lord Clarence MacDonald  Let's start this Top 10 list by saying this movie is so good that there will be some omissions that readers may wonder about, like specific dialogue or action sequences. This list focuses on moments throughout the film that I've latched onto, personally, but really, this is a hard one to narrow down since there's no lack of quality throughout the movie. We begin with Indy and Elsa infiltrating Brunwald Castle disguised as the Scottish Lord Clarence MacDonald and his assistant, who have come to "view the tapestries" when, in reality, they are there to rescue Indy's father. The pair switches hats, Indy puts on a Scottish accent, and the dialogue between him and a castle butler provides one of the funniest moments throughout the film, which is already full of good humour. I remember my brother quoting the scene long before I saw the film with lines like "I've gone and caught a sniffle!" and "How dare he!" He and I ended up bonding over this movie, and this scene may very well be the pinnacle of it, as we both had a good laugh upon my first viewing once I understood where all of his weird quotes came from. For those curious, here's a link to the isolated scene. If this was a list of the most nostalgic Indy Moments, this moment may very well be #1. #09: Indy Meets Adolf Hitler This may sound odd to some, but as an 8-year-old in 1990, I hadn't learned much about the world yet, and when it came to Adolf Hitler, I think I only knew his name and that he was a terrible human being. My first impression of Hitler's likeness, however, may have come from this scene. At the very least, I remember having to ask who the guy Indy bumps into here was. Years later, when this scene would mean much more than it did back then, I realized that this is one of the more frighteningly intense but somewhat subtle scenes throughout this series. Long story short, Indy's Dad wrote a diary with instructions on finding the Holy Grail - everything except where to begin. Therefore, this is a hot item for Nazi Germany and their occult ways. Indy has to infiltrate a Nazi book burning to retrieve it, a scene which, in itself, is pretty powerful, heartbreaking stuff. Almost as soon as Indy gets the diary back, he turns and bumps right into Hitler. Hitler sees the book, grabs it, autographs the inside, and hands it back. They don't come much closer than that. If Hitler knew what he was holding, the credits would have started rolling in the film quickly. It's a great, silent scene of intensity, and if you know anything about Nazis and their time with occult studies, that makes it all the more powerful. The look on Indy's face here says it all. #08: The Motorcycle Chase  There is no shortage of action in this movie, including several chase scenes, and I must give all of them that didn't make this list an honourable mention. That said, the motorcycle chase, for me, was always one of the more fun ones. Especially when one considers that the little old man holding onto his hat in the sidecar is Sean Connery, and this was my first impression of him. The scene occurs immediately after Henry's rescue from Brunwald Castle. Indy and Henry, on the run, find some boats, so Indy revs one up to try to trick the Nazis into thinking they left on it. Then, behind the Nazis' backs, Indy and Henry pop out of a crate on this motorcycle, and a chase ensues. What solidified the scene for this list, however, is Indy improvising with a flagpole to make one of the Nazi bikes crash; it's pretty awesome. In that same quick scene, Indy looks at his Dad almost as if he had just done something hilarious by taking a Nazi's life. Henry gives him a bit more of a fatherly, disapproving scowl. Much like the scene of Indy meeting Hitler, it's a great little moment where so much is said in one glance; Indy will do what it takes; Henry thinks the taking of lives may be unnecessary, or at the very least, doesn't think Indy should be having a good time with it. #07: Zeppelin Escape  Seeing as 'Last Crusade' is almost too good to narrow down a list of "Top 10 Moments" efficiently, this particular scene I speak of essentially covers everything from Indy and Henry boarding the zeppelin in an attempt to leave Germany up to the scene on the beach, as there are so many good little moments that take place within that time. First, there's the Nazi who discovers the pair are on the blimp, whom Indy throws off, disguised as a ticket inspector, after which he turns to the other passengers, saying "No ticket!" thus having every passenger enter panic mode, looking for their tickets. Once in the air, Indy and Henry have a father-son discussion in which we learn more about their dynamic, and soon, the blimp starts turning back toward Germany, forcing Indy and Henry to attempt escaping, lest they get caught, prisoners. Indy and Henry hop into the spare plane underneath the zeppelin, detach, and have a firefight with other planes ensuing them. Henry shoots up the plane's tail by accident, forcing them into a rough landing, followed by the pair stealing a car from a dude in the process of replacing his hubcaps, they drive through a tunnel, which a Nazi plane crashes through, and once through the tunnel, Henry chases a flock of birds into the propeller of another Nazi plane. This scene is about eight minutes plus of great filmmaking. #06: The Tomb of Sir Richard  Here, another scene encompasses quite a bit, although not as long-running as "Moment #7." We'll start this moment with my favourite visual gag in the film: Indy breaking through the library floor while someone's stamping books, with every stamp synchronized with Indy smashing through the floor with a stanchion. The scene then brings Indy and Elsa into the Catacombs below Venice. Every Indiana Jones film has at least one scene in which Indy has to explore something ancient to get answers. 'Raiders' had the Well of Souls, 'Temple' had the path into the temple, and here, we have the Catacombs that lead to the tomb of Sir Richard, which is a pinnacle need to find out where the Holy Grail is located. These are the scenes that make Indiana Jones the amazing archeologist that he is. He's not afraid to get his hands a little dirty or, indeed, risk his own life for the right reasons. I also appreciate the character of Elsa here, as she is such a far cry from Willie, the "Indy Girl" from the last film. Elsa isn't a damsel in distress here. She's tough and willing to follow Indy through these rat-infested underground tunnels. To top it all off, something is charming about how Indy reacts to finding the tomb of Sir Richard. Elsa claims he's "giddy as a schoolboy," and it's hard not to see his excitement that he's that much closer to finding the one and only Holy Grail. #05: "Let it Go..."  This is a big-time spoiler alert for what lies ahead between "Moment #5" and "Moment #4," both heavily involving the Grail itself. First up is a sweet and poignant scene between Indy and his father, occurring after Elsa gets her hands on the Grail and foolishly attempts to leave. This causes the whole place to implode, revealing a series of seemingly bottomless pits. As one gap in the floor opens under the Grail, the cup falls onto a ledge, and Elsa dives for it. Indy dives after her, attempting to hold her up and keep her from dropping. But her greed makes her reach for the Grail instead, and Indy loses his grip, dropping her. Indy then finds himself in the same predicament, with Henry holding him up while he tries reaching for the Grail. All the while, Henry says, "Junior, give me your other hand!" There's a running gag throughout the movie where Henry constantly calls Indy "Junior," much to his dismay, leading to this scene. In failing to reach him, Henry finally says what Indy needs to hear, "Indiana? Let it go." This short but sweet moment brings them together and suggests that Henry's life-long work in search of the Holy Grail itself isn't nearly as important as his love for his son. It also buries the Holy Grail forever and doesn't leave us wondering whatever happened, like with the Ark of the Covenant, which I appreciate. #04: "He Has Chosen Poorly"  Another of my favourite visuals in this movie occurs after the three challenges Indy faces, clearing a path for the double-crossing Donovan. Indy finds a room guarded by a knight who has lived all these centuries protecting the Grail, which we can assume is how he's alive. The thing is, the Holy Grail isn't the only cup this knight is guarding. After the three challenges, one significant challenge remains to see if one is worthy to drink from the Cup of Christ. The true Grail will bring life, but a false one will take it from you, so one must "choose wisely." Donovan takes the first go at it, with Elsa's "help," as she hands him a random gold cup. He takes a drink from it, and after a few seconds, we get some of the most awesomely terrifying practical effects to age him rapidly until he blows away in a breeze of dust. Incredibly, these effects still hold up, putting some horror movies of the time to shame with how terrifying they looked. As a kid, I left the room when I knew this scene was coming so I'd be able to sleep at night. But much like it is with horror from the era, I appreciate how effectively scary the scene is nowadays. Again, this movie has everything, and this scene delivers some horror. Nowadays, I use it as a primary example of why practical effects top CG effects in many areas. #03: Young Indiana Jones Opening  Today, it has seemingly become a bit of a cliche to show some origin as to how our favourite characters became our favourite characters, be it an origin film like 'Wolverine,' or an entire trilogy like the 'Star Wars' prequels. I don't know exactly where the idea started, but my first exposure to such a concept may have been the entire opening scene of 'Last Crusade.' This scene, running around ten minutes long, gives us everything we might have ever been curious about regarding how or where Indiana Jones got all his gear and became the fedora-wearing, whip-cracking adventurer we all know and love. It all starts with Indy as a Boy Scout attempting to intercept a treasured cross (The Cross of Coronado) from a band of thieves, insisting that the cross "belongs in a museum!" From there, a chase ensues on a moving circus train where we see Indy get his whip, his fear of snakes, and even the detail of Harrison Ford's real-life chin scar. As for the famous fedora, it's given to Indy by the head thief out of respect. The more I watch this scene, the more respect I have for River Phoenix capturing the character of Indiana Jones so well. This short ten-minute prequel is all we ever needed for Indiana Jones' origin story. Although a show, 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles' was spawned from this idea. #02: The Three Final Challenges  When everything is all said and done, and the massive tank chase climax ("Moment #1") ends, the film is awesome enough to tell us, "We have more than one climactic scene." But while the tank chase is pure action, this moment is more about intensity. They have reached the Grail Temple, but so has Donovan and a small band of Nazis. To get his hands on the Grail, Donovan shoots Henry, leaving Indy with only one solution: to get through the Grail Temple's challenges, find the Grail, and heal his father. Going by his father's diary, Indy faces challenges of agility and speed (first challenge), intelligence and memory (second challenge) and finally, faith (third challenge). All three are suspenseful and reasonably intriguing, but nothing beats the reveal of the third challenge - a fantastic visual! Of course, some preceding moments on this list tell us that Indy makes it through just fine. But even knowing that, one can watch this and wonder if they could ever get through such traps, even with the knowledge of them. It's another great sequence of scenes that portray Indy in the best light as a superhero who doesn't need a cape. This moment also makes the viewer hate Donovan much more, as Indy is risking his life to clear a path for him. But it also makes his demise that much more pleasant to watch. #01: The Tank Chase Another scene that's a solid ten minutes long and made up of a lot of little moments is the climactic tank chase scene. Indy comes to his father's and Brody's rescue after they are captured by Nazis, on good old-fashioned horseback, like some cowboy who has found himself amid the events of World War II. This scene is like the car chase in 'Raiders' if it got cranked up to eleven. Indy diverts the tank, aiming at him, to ram one of the convoy's many vehicles, which it later blows off with its heavy artillery. He straight-up pulls a Bugs Bunny by plugging the tank's side gun and making it implode, then dives onto the tank only to brawl with a series of oncoming Nazis and shoot three of them with one bullet. Meanwhile, despite being a little bumbling through the film, Henry and Marcus manage to hold their own within the belly of the tank. A whole lot more struggling and fighting ensues as the tank uncontrollably approaches a cliff face; the intensity builds, Indy's hat flies off in the wind, we see the tank go off the cliff, crashing, and then, silence, as Henry, Brody and Sallah look on, mourning their supposed loss. Of course, Indy survives, climbing back up the side of the cliff. In a moment of humour, Indy and Henry hug, but Henry quickly encourages his son to keep moving toward Grail. He'd rather rest, but as his hat blows back to him, it suggests "our adventure isn't over."
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