Patriot Games (1992)

First rate author (Clancy), great big star (Ford), famous role (Ryan), beautiful wife (Archer) with over-cute daughter, a story with some good bits. Alas, it all comes together as really boring, they all do their stuff and it should all connect, but doesn't for me. Trying to introduce issues about Ireland and IRA is distracting and marginally inaccurate? But then the departure of Jimmy is enough to raise my rating by 1.In one of the other Clancy films, he is listed as an "executive producer" and gives a voice-over commentary. That might have made this mess a whole lot better. The credits say it was shot in studios and the US, but not London? So, those scenes must have been faked? Not that it matters I suppose.

Harrison Ford stars in "Patriot Games" from 1992, an adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel. As the years went on, we were able to see Ben Affleck, Alec Baldwin, and Chris Pine play Clancy's hero, Jack Ryan, who appears in quite a few books.There was a time when there were films about Irish terrorists, but today, they have been replaced by another group. Former CIA analyst Jack Ryan is visiting England with his wife and daughter when he foils an abduction/murder of members of the Royal Family as they leave the Palace.The masked men were Irish revolutionaries, and Jack kills Paddy, the younger brother of one of the revolutionaries, Sean Miller (Sean Bean). He vows revenge, and he'll stop at nothing to get it. That includes escaping as he's being moved from one prison to the other and traveling to America.This is a very exciting film, with a long and detailed finale that is both scary and fantastic.Harrison Ford is the ultimate movie star, hearkening back to the classic stars of the '30s and '40s. Likable, versatile, and strong, he makes a great Jack Ryan,a man as determined to protect his wife and daughter as his nemesis is to destroy all of them. Anne Archer is lovely as his doctor wife. Sean Bean is hateful, as he should be. Lots of familiar faces -- Patrick Bergin, Thora Birch, James Fox, Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, Alum Armstrong ("New Tricks), and Hugh Fraser ("Poirot"). Quite a cast.Truly excellent -- if you never saw it, see it now. Ford plays Ryan again in Clear and Present Danger.

Based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy, this is an extremely absorbing, intelligent thriller. In some respects, it is an improvement on "The Hunt for Red October", particularly when it comes to the pacing, while in others it is not on the same level in that it is more plot based than character based. Clancy disowned the film before it was released and it was criticised for departing too much from the novel but, since I have never read any of his work, I can only comment on the film itself. It has a great script by W. Peter Iliff and Donald Stewart and the director Phillip Noyce proves even more adept than John McTiernan at creating and maintaining tension. Since I am from Ireland, I don't watch films about the Troubles too often since I vividly remember watching news reports about them every other week when I was a child in the 1990s but the film handles the material in a skillful way. I was delighted that it portrayed the IRA in an extremely negative fashion.The film stars Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, succeeding his "Working Girl" co-star Alec Baldwin in the role. Ford had originally been offered it in "The Hunt for Red October" but he turned it down, incidentally. In the seven years since the events of the previous film, Ryan has retired from the CIA and works full-time as a professor of history at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. While on holiday in London, he prevents a splinter group of the Provisional IRA from assassinating Lord William Holmes, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Queen Mother's cousin. In the process, Ryan kills a 16-year-old Provo named Patrick Miller. As a result, Miller's elder brother Sean swears revenge on not only Ryan but his wife Cathy and daughter Sally. Ford gives a very convincing performance as Ryan, bringing his own special brand of charisma to the role. He is very effective in both the scenes in which Ryan uses his considerable intelligence and expertise and the more action-orientated ones. However, one manner in which the film is lacking compared to its predecessor is that Ryan is not as compelling a protagonist as Captain Marko Ramius, played funnily enough by Ford's erstwhile on screen father Sean Connery.In the previous film, we only caught a glimpse of Ryan's family and home life but it plays a major larger role on this occasion. The underrated Anne Archer is very good as Cathy and she and Ford are very believable as a married couple. Cathy is a strong character and, while her life is put in danger several times, she never seems like a damsel in distress in contrast to the character's depiction in "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit". Thora Birch, one of the best American child actors of her generation, is perfectly cast as the adorable Sally. Sally is severely injured as a result of one of Miller's attacks and her spleen is subsequently removed. Putting children in danger can sometimes be a cheap, manipulative trick but the matter is handled about as well as it could be here. Sally's condition strengthens Ryan's resolve so it is at least significant to the plot. Sean Bean is quite good as Miller, not the most interesting character in the film, but his Northern Irish accent is very variable. As a matter of fact, I was not particularly impressed by any of the Irish accents on display from the predominantly non-Irish cast members. The most notable Irish cast member is Richard Harris, who is excellent in the comparatively small role of Paddy O'Neil, a Sinn Féin representative who is attempting to drum up support and, more importantly, money for his cause in the US. He repeatedly tells the media that the attempts on the lives of Lord Holmes and the Ryans were not sanctioned by the IRA and, for once, he is telling the truth. As Ryan points out, he is essentially the Boy Who Cried Wolf when it comes to such matters so it is not a surprise that the media does not believe him. His fellow Irishman Patrick Bergin also gives a great performance as Kevin O'Donnell, who attempts to be the voice of reason - not usually a description that I would apply to the IRA - when it comes to Miller. The only other well known Irish actor in the film is Jonathan Ryan as the IRA brigade commander Jimmy O'Reardon. The cynical part of me - which is most of me, frankly - is inclined to think that Ryan was cast because of his resemblance to Gerry Adams. It was a little surreal seeing him play an IRA terrorist because he used to present the iconic Irish kids' show "Bosco". It's a bit like a "Blue Peter" presenter or Mr. Rogers playing a terrorist. The film also features strong performances from James Fox (who replaced his elder brother Edward) as Lord Holmes, James Earl Jones (the sole returning cast member from "The Hunt for Red October") as Admiral James Greer, Alun Armstrong and Polly Walker. Oh, and it was nice to see Gerald Sim pop up in a film not directed by his brother-in-law Richard Attenborough!Overall, this is an extremely effective thriller and a worthy sequel to "The Hunt for Red October", which I enjoyed only marginally more than this film.

Patriot GamesCIA retirement packages should always include low-level government secrets that the retiree can sell to the Russians.Unfortunately, the former agent in this thriller is dealing with the Irish.On vacation with his wife (Anne Archer) and daughter (Thora Birch), ex- CIA agent Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) thwarts the kidnapping of the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.During the skirmish, Ryan kills the brother of one of the IRA members (Sean Bean), who vows revenge.He makes good on that promise when the Secretary visits Ryan's family home in Maryland.Unfortunately for the IRA, Ryan hasn't forgotten how to neutralize a foreign threat.The second installment - and first star Ford in the titular role - Patriot Games replaces its predecessor's intrigue with white-knuckle action for a more satisfying, yet less cerebral, follow-up. As for how to get the IRA off your trail: lead them to an Orangemen convention.Yellow Light vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca