Patriot Games (1992)

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers (WGA):

Tom Clancy (novel)
W. Peter Iliff (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 June 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Let the Games Begin.

Plot:

When CIA Analyst Jack Ryan interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets him and his family for revenge.

Plot Keywords:

American In The Uk | Irish Republican Army | Freeway Shooting | Speedboat | Historically Inaccurate

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Harrison Ford	...	Jack Ryan
Anne Archer	...	Dr. Caroline "Cathy" Ryan
Patrick Bergin	...	Kevin O'Donnell
Sean Bean	...	Sean Miller
Thora Birch	...	Sally Ryan
James Fox	...	Lord William Holmes
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Lt. Cmdr. Robby Jackson
Polly Walker	...	Annette
J.E. Freeman	...	Marty Cantor
James Earl Jones	...	Adm. James Greer
Richard Harris	...	Paddy O'Neil
Alex Norton	...	Dennis Cooley
Hugh Fraser	...	Geoffrey Watkins
David Threlfall	...	Insp. Robert Highland
Alun Armstrong	...	Sgt. Owens

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Brazil:12 | New Zealand:PG | Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | Peru:18 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London, England, UK

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The CIA scenes were filmed at the actual CIA headquarters; this was the first time the CIA had ever done such a thing.

Goofs:

Continuity: Although the power was shut off to Jack Ryan's house, his house alarm obviously still had power running to it. In addition, the keypad light doesn't come on until after he's done setting it. A keypad light would be useless after an alarm has been set and would instead need to come on near the beginning of the process.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jack Ryan: [answering machine answers] Sorry, we can't come to the phone right now. If you leave a message, we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Patriot Dames (1992) (V)

Soundtrack:

Theme from Harry's Game

Good guys are real good, and the bad guys are real bad.

Patriot Games is a more than serviceable thriller, perhaps a bit out of date when viewing it now, but still a very effective good against evil piece. The source material is so dense and intricate it was always going to be hard to condense that into a 2 hour movie but I feel the makers manage to keep it fleshy whilst making the respective characters interesting and watchable. The acting on show is more than adequate, Harrison Ford is great in the role of Jack Ryan, he manages to portray him as a sensitive family man who can step up to the plate when things get ugly, and Anne Archer is solid enough as the wife and mother caught up in the web of nastiness unfolding.

The baddies are led by the brooding Sean Bean who is a little under written, whilst Richard Harris is sadly underused, but the action set pieces make their mark and thankfully we get a riveting final reel that cements the steady ride we have under taken. It is formulaic to a degree, but that is OK if the combined efforts of all involved are spot on, and here they are, 7/10.