Top 5

Against the advice of his bones, joints and ligaments, Harrison Ford, 65, has resurrected action hero Indiana Jones in a third sequel, “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which opens in area theaters Thursday. But then, archaeologist Indy, rugged as he was, always got by on his wits rather than weapons, brains rather than brawn — a role model for flesh-and-blood mortals everywhere.

1. Jason Bourne— You know a guy is smart when even head trauma can’t stop his brain from recalling several languages and memorizing multiple license plate numbers at a cursory glance.

2. Benjamin Franklin Gates— Nicholas Cage’s “National Treasure” hero is so freighted with obscure historical minutiae, it’s a wonder he has the practical wherewithal to break into the National Archives.

3. MacGyver— A TV fixture of the mid-‘80s, this Phoenix Foundation secret agent (Richard Dean Anderson) resolutely refused to use guns on missions, relying instead on the unexploited potential of everyday objects, and perhaps inspired a few young viewers to pay attention in science class.

4. Jack Ryan— Inhabited most recently by Ben Affleck and, before him, Mr. Ford, the Tom Clancy-created hero was first played by Alec Baldwin in “The Hunt for Red October” (1990). It was the latter outing that best captured Ryan: a quiet, reserved CIA wonk who’s prone to motion sickness.

5. Clarice Starling— Sure, “The Silence of the Lambs” may not fall strictly under the action-flick rubric, but Jodie Foster’s performance as the meek, clever, striving FBI agent gave you more thrills and chills than any shoot-‘em-up adventure. With the not-disinterested assistance of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Starling nabs the serial killer “Buffalo Bill.” After all Starling endures, firing a gun with trembling hands was the easy part.