Patriot Games (1992)

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

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

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

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Anne Archer

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

jack ryan character | lingerie | villain | terrorist | cia | 

---

Taglines:

Let the Games Begin.

---

Genres:

Action | Thriller

---

Certificate:

PA

Did You Know?

Trivia

The satellite attack-watching sequence features rather emotional, thinly scored music by James Horner, but the music is, in fact, taken quite directly from the slow movement of Dmitri Shostakovich's 5th Symphony. It's only for about half a minute that Horner does this, and he blends it into his own stuff, but that one little part is a very direct, uncredited grab.

---

Goofs

At the beginning of the movie, there is a game of Monopoly being played. The building of houses / hotels breaks the general rules. You have to build evenly, you cannot build a hotel on the Strand, with only two houses on the Trafalgar Square for example. Also the property card for Old Kent Road sits in the bank tray, but a player must own it, as it has a Hotel (and incorrectly another house) on it. The rent for landing on Oxford Street with a hotel is 1275, not 1100 (thats for 4 houses) as called out in the game.

---

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.

---

Alternate Versions

The German TV-version has got a few cuts.

---

Connections

Referenced in Face/Off (1997)

---

Soundtracks

The Washington Post
Written by John Philip Sousa
Performed by John Philip Sousa

User Reviews

Tense and Fast-Moving Thriller

A faction of the IRA attempt to kidnap Lord William Holmes, a member of the British Royal Family who also happens to be a Government minister, but the crime is thwarted by the courageous actions of Jack Ryan, an American tourist in London with his family. During the ensuing scuffle, Ryan shoots dead one of the terrorists, Patrick Miller. Miller's elder brother Sean is jailed for his part in the attack, but is rescued by his comrades, and vows vengeance on Ryan, who is a former marine and CIA operative. When Ryan realises that Sean Miller is targeting his family he returns to work for the CIA to help with the fight against terrorism.

There are a number of fairly obvious goofs and plot holes. No member of the British Royal Family could serve as a Government minister, as they are constitutionally obliged to remain politically neutral. If a foreign citizen were being made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (one of the highest awards in the British honours system) he would be invited to a formal ceremony in Buckingham Palace to be knighted by the Queen in person. He would not be presented with the decoration in his own home by a junior member of the Royal Family. It seems unlikely that any Irish republican terror group would carry out an attack on American citizens on American soil, as to do so would risk losing the support their cause has long enjoyed among sections of the Irish-American community. As others have pointed out, it seems illogical for Ryan to take his family to their isolated summer home to get them away from Miller; doubtless the CIA could have found a safer location for them.

The film lacks the political implications of "Clear and Present Danger", Philip Noyce's next attempt to film a Tom Clancy thriller which involved Watergate-type misconduct by the President and his closest aides. (That film also starred Harrison Ford as Ryan). Despite the involvement of the IRA, "Patriot Games" makes no attempt to analyse the complexities of the Northern Ireland situation. The film also lacks any detailed characterisation. The moral divisions are straightforward- Ryan, his wife Cathy and his CIA colleagues are good and Miller and his gang are bad.

The film does, however, have a strong hero in Harrison Ford. Ford has always been good in the thriller genre, and gives another good performance here as Ryan, combining decency with a strong sense of intelligence. Anne Archer and Sean Bean are also good as Cathy and the villainous Miller. There is a good cameo from Polly Walker as Miller's glamorous but ruthless female associate Annette. Despite the occasional implausibilities of the plot, this is a tense and fast-moving thriller with some good action sequences. It is not Ford's best thriller (that must be either "Witness" or "The Fugitive"), but it is nevertheless a good one. 7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 June 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jeux de guerre

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,511,191, 7 June 1992

Gross USA:

$83,351,587

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$178,051,587

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mace Neufeld Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1