Although Patriot Games may be the better of Harrison Ford's two outings as Jack Ryan, Clear and Present Danger is still a very solid film overall.
Despite being mostly labeled as an action film, it is decidedly light on the actual action. In this way, it is quite like Patriot Games, though there are also many differences between the two which I will talk about later. There are very few "action" sequences throughout the movie despite its 141 minute runtime. I would instead look at this as a political thriller or crime drama. In this way, it is a very good movie. If you go into the film expecting non-stop intense action scenes, you will likely be disappointed with what you find, so it is important to know what you are getting when you watch this movie. Despite the lack of action throughout most of the film, however, it never feels boring or like it's dragging along, which is a bit surprising due to its lengthy runtime.
As for the few action sequences that are present, they are done quite well. Most of the action comes towards the end of the film. However, these are still not full-on action scenes either, as they mostly feature Jack trying to avoid gunfire, rather than confront it and fight back. Jack does seem to have some serious plot armor in all of these moments, too. The people shooting will be able to hit just about anyone with ease, then aim at Jack and for some reason start aiming at his feet or above his head, missing him entirely. And to be honest, it's not like Jack is necessarily moving very fast in any of these scenes, as Ford was starting to get a little old for these types of things. The action in this movie is quite thrilling at times, though, and despite the limited quantity of action scenes, it has enough quality to ultimately entertain the audience enough to keep them interested in what's happening.
As for the overall plot of the movie, Jack Ryan is given the role of Director of Intelligence. After the President's friend is murdered, Jack is sent to investigate to see if it had anything to do with Colombian drug cartels, which the President is blaming for this event. However, unknown to Jack, an illegal war is already being started by the US before Jack has even started anything. The plot does sometimes try to get a little too smart for its own good and becomes slightly confusing, especially at the fast pace this movie sometimes moves at. In the end, all of the plot lines come together in a way that kind of clears things up a bit, but leaves you feeling as though some scenes may have been a little unnecessary after you see where the movie ultimately ends up.
Clear and Present Danger is the sequel to Patriot Games, but the two films are very different. Jack is outside of the political game in Patriot Games and is just a man trying to protect his family, whereas in Clear and Present Danger, Jack is right in the middle of all of the politics and fighting for the American people. There was less of an emotional anchor in this film because his family is so detached from the plot of the film, which was something I did not particularly enjoy. Because of this, the stakes seem severely lowered, and there isn't really that sense of fear that we felt in the first of Ford's movies. However, Clear and Present Danger does have that political intrigue that wasn't really all that present in Patriot Games. This is what really makes the film much more fast-paced and engaging for the audience as we learn about the corruption going on and try to figure out who's on the good side and who's bad, and where the grey area is. I would say, however, that Patriot Games was the better film overall.
Harrison Ford returns as Jack Ryan and brings the same intensity to the character as he did the first time. We see that his moral incentive is much more powerful in him than in most others once again, and Ford delivers a powerful performance in a scene where he speaks to the President near the end, illustrating these morals. Newcomer to the series Willem Dafoe is great as well, though he probably could have been utilized a bit more, especially with the acting talent he has. His character is one of the more interesting ones we see in the film, yet we don't spend much time with him. The rest of the cast does well also, though no one else in particular stands out. Because the film is mostly illustrating political corruption, there isn't necessarily a real "villain" in the movie, though there are plenty of characters that we see are not great people.
Clear and Present Danger is overall a good entry in the Jack Ryan series. The plot may get a bit carried away with itself at points, but another strong performance from lead Harrison Ford as well as the fast pace and political intrigue keep it entertaining and enjoyable.
Despite being mostly labeled as an action film, it is decidedly light on the actual action. In this way, it is quite like Patriot Games, though there are also many differences between the two which I will talk about later. There are very few "action" sequences throughout the movie despite its 141 minute runtime. I would instead look at this as a political thriller or crime drama. In this way, it is a very good movie. If you go into the film expecting non-stop intense action scenes, you will likely be disappointed with what you find, so it is important to know what you are getting when you watch this movie. Despite the lack of action throughout most of the film, however, it never feels boring or like it's dragging along, which is a bit surprising due to its lengthy runtime.
As for the few action sequences that are present, they are done quite well. Most of the action comes towards the end of the film. However, these are still not full-on action scenes either, as they mostly feature Jack trying to avoid gunfire, rather than confront it and fight back. Jack does seem to have some serious plot armor in all of these moments, too. The people shooting will be able to hit just about anyone with ease, then aim at Jack and for some reason start aiming at his feet or above his head, missing him entirely. And to be honest, it's not like Jack is necessarily moving very fast in any of these scenes, as Ford was starting to get a little old for these types of things. The action in this movie is quite thrilling at times, though, and despite the limited quantity of action scenes, it has enough quality to ultimately entertain the audience enough to keep them interested in what's happening.
As for the overall plot of the movie, Jack Ryan is given the role of Director of Intelligence. After the President's friend is murdered, Jack is sent to investigate to see if it had anything to do with Colombian drug cartels, which the President is blaming for this event. However, unknown to Jack, an illegal war is already being started by the US before Jack has even started anything. The plot does sometimes try to get a little too smart for its own good and becomes slightly confusing, especially at the fast pace this movie sometimes moves at. In the end, all of the plot lines come together in a way that kind of clears things up a bit, but leaves you feeling as though some scenes may have been a little unnecessary after you see where the movie ultimately ends up.
Clear and Present Danger is the sequel to Patriot Games, but the two films are very different. Jack is outside of the political game in Patriot Games and is just a man trying to protect his family, whereas in Clear and Present Danger, Jack is right in the middle of all of the politics and fighting for the American people. There was less of an emotional anchor in this film because his family is so detached from the plot of the film, which was something I did not particularly enjoy. Because of this, the stakes seem severely lowered, and there isn't really that sense of fear that we felt in the first of Ford's movies. However, Clear and Present Danger does have that political intrigue that wasn't really all that present in Patriot Games. This is what really makes the film much more fast-paced and engaging for the audience as we learn about the corruption going on and try to figure out who's on the good side and who's bad, and where the grey area is. I would say, however, that Patriot Games was the better film overall.
Harrison Ford returns as Jack Ryan and brings the same intensity to the character as he did the first time. We see that his moral incentive is much more powerful in him than in most others once again, and Ford delivers a powerful performance in a scene where he speaks to the President near the end, illustrating these morals. Newcomer to the series Willem Dafoe is great as well, though he probably could have been utilized a bit more, especially with the acting talent he has. His character is one of the more interesting ones we see in the film, yet we don't spend much time with him. The rest of the cast does well also, though no one else in particular stands out. Because the film is mostly illustrating political corruption, there isn't necessarily a real "villain" in the movie, though there are plenty of characters that we see are not great people.
Clear and Present Danger is overall a good entry in the Jack Ryan series. The plot may get a bit carried away with itself at points, but another strong performance from lead Harrison Ford as well as the fast pace and political intrigue keep it entertaining and enjoyable.