Clear and Present Danger (1994)

CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

Tom Clancy (novel), Donald E. Stewart (screenplay) (as Donald Stewart)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	Jack Ryan
Willem Dafoe	...	Clark
Anne Archer	...	Cathy Ryan
Joaquim de Almeida	...	Felix Cortez
Henry Czerny	...	Robert Ritter
Harris Yulin	...	James Cutter
Donald Moffat	...	President Bennett
Miguel Sandoval	...	Ernesto Escobedo
Benjamin Bratt	...	Captain Ramirez
Raymond Cruz	...	Chavez
Dean Jones	...	Judge Moore
Thora Birch	...	Sally Ryan
Ann Magnuson	...	Moira Wolfson
Hope Lange	...	Senator Mayo
Tom Tammi	...	Emile Jacobs

Storyline

Jack Ryan is back and this time the bad guys are in his own government. When Admiral James Greer becomes sick with cancer, Ryan is appointed acting CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. Almost before he can draw a breath in his new position, one of the president's closest friends and his family are murdered in their sleep by what appears to by drug cartels. Ryan is called in to investigate, but unknown to him the CIA has already sent a secret field operative to lead an illegal paramilitary force in Colombia against cartels. Things get even more complicated when his team is set up and he loses an agent in the field and a friend of his wife's, who was the murdered agent's secretary, is murdered that same day. Ryan must then risk not only his career, but his life to expose the truth behind the mystery.

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Plot Keywords:

jack ryan character | good versus evil | cia | drugs | colombia | 

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Taglines:

Truth needs a soldier.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some intense action/violence and language

Details

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Clear and Present Danger

Filming Locations:

Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$62,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,348,017, 7 August 1994

Gross USA:

$122,187,717

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$215,887,717

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mace Neufeld Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Raymond Cruz and Harris Yulin also appear in Training Day (2001).

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Goofs

The apparent 'supercomputer/codebreaker' that Petey uses to hack into Ritter's system is actually the Powderhorn system, a tape backup library made by StorageTek that includes magnetic tape cartridges and a robotic arm to retrieve the cartridges and load into a tape drive. So unless Ritter saved his password on a hard drive and it was backed up to a tape cartridge, this data storage system would not help Petey hack into Ritter's system.

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Quotes

The President: These drug cartels represent a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States.

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Connections

Referenced in Get Shorty (1995)

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Soundtracks

Climbing In Geometry
Written and Performed by Will Ackerman (as William Ackerman)
Courtesy of Windham Hill Records

User Reviews

Harrison Ford on form in an excellent movie

I have read some quite negative reviews of this film, with many being upset by the lack of coherence with the book despite taking it's characterisations etc...I agree that the film does not follow the book particularly well but it is a film, for film watchers, not a book or a film for book readers so stop criticising it on that level. This film is entertaining from start to finish with a surprisingly clever plot considering the genre and credit must go to Ford for starring and excelling in yet another blockbuster. People may say he's not the most versatile actor in the world and I'm not going to disagree, but he does what he does brilliantly and those who don't enjoy this movie really do need a good talking to. Along with Patriot Games, this is part of an impressive set of movies which are far more entertaining than the books (perhaps thats because I'm not an avid reader) and shall keep all you viewers out there happy, if only for a short while.