Patriot Games (1992)

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

5 June 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | 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:

Jack Ryan | CIA | Assassination | Revenge | Assassination Attempt

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:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | New Zealand:PG | 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 (Certificate #31598)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Mace Neufeld Productions

Trivia:

Paramount yanked all their advertising out of Variety when one of the magazine's film critics, Joseph McBride, called the film "fascistic, blatantly anti-Irish... a right-wing cartoon". Variety's editor Peter Bart privately sided with Paramount's boycott, calling McBride "unprofessional". Bart was subsequently embarrassed when his letter criticizing one of his reviewers and supporting studio censorship was leaked to the press. The Los Angeles Film Critics' Association and the National Society of Film Critics then publicly lambasted Bart for his "dismaying treatment" of one of his members of staff, saying "the question is not whether any responsible critic is right or wrong, but whether any responsible critic must be muted so as not to offend an advertiser or bruise a handful of tender egos".

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Sean Miller is transferred from a prison in Southwark (in London) to the high security unit on the Isle of Wight. This would involve a land journey of 50 miles to the southwest, then a ferry across the Solent. However, the ambush is depicted as occurring at the Middlesbrough moving bridge, 200 miles north of London; and in later dialogue it's said to have been in Kent near the Channel, which would be southeast of London and at least 70 miles from the Isle of Wight ferry routes.

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:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Bob Saget/TLC (#20.19)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Theme from Harry's Game

Have to admit, I like this

OK, so it has some plot holes, and I generally spend a good amount of time detailing for my husband the deviations from the novel (which are many, since Hollywood doesn't make many five-hour movies). And it's predictable and artless and has plenty of clichés. I make it a point not to read IMDB reviews for a movie until after I've written my own, but even so I can guess that this one has been torn apart on these points probably at least a dozen times. Now that that's over with, I'm going to admit that I like this movie. It feels like a tight thriller, good for those nights when I want entertainment with some minor complexity. I like to "go along for the ride", so to speak, even though I know how it ends. And going back to the first time I saw this, before I'd read the book, I remember being on the edge of my seat quite a bit.

Thora Birch does this film a lot of good. Her expressions and lines are quite well-acted, and she's cute without being syrupy. Harrison Ford is Harrison Ford; you either like him or you don't, and this movie isn't going to change your mind (I happen to like him).

Don't go renting this one if you want an artsy movie, or a beautiful movie, or a movie with a perfectly tight script. But if you can enjoy a film for simple entertainment value, and you like Harrison Ford ;), this is a good one for after the kids are in bed.