Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Harrison Ford | ... | Jack Ryan | |
Anne Archer | ... | Cathy Ryan | |
Patrick Bergin | ... | Kevin O'Donnell | |
Sean Bean | ... | Sean Miller | |
Thora Birch | ... | Sally Ryan | |
James Fox | ... | Lord Holmes | |
Samuel L. Jackson | ... | Robby | |
Polly Walker | ... | Annette | |
J.E. Freeman | ... | Marty Cantor | |
James Earl Jones | ... | Admiral Greer | |
Richard Harris | ... | Paddy O'Neil | |
Alex Norton | ... | Dennis Cooley | |
Hugh Fraser | ... | Watkins | |
David Threlfall | ... | Inspector Highland | |
Alun Armstrong | ... | Owens |
Former CIA analyst, Jack Ryan is in England with his family on vacation when he suddenly witnesses an explosion outside Buckingham Palace. It is revealed that some people are trying to abduct a member of the Royal Family but Jack intervenes, killing one of them and capturing the other, and stops the plan in its tracks. Afterwards, he learns that they're Irish revolutionaries and the two men are brothers. During his court hearing the one that's still alive vows to get back at Jack but is sentenced and that seems to be the end of it. However, whilst the man is being transported, he is broken out. Jack learns of this but doesn't think there's anything to worry about. But, when he is at the Naval Academy someone tries to kill him. He learns that they are also going after his family and so he rushes to find them, safe but having also been the victims of a failed assassination. That's when Jack decides to rejoin the CIA, and they try to find the man before he makes another attempt. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com
Patriot Games is a more than serviceable thriller, perhaps a bit out of date when viewing it now, but still a very effective good against evil piece.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.