Patriot Games
The beginning of Harrison Ford's reign as Jack Ryan, which would last for only 2 films: Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Ford never fit the Jack Ryan mould and Clancy was famously unhappy with him getting the role. I don't know why Alec Baldwin didn't continue on, although his famously left-wing views might have clashed too strongly with the Republican Clancy's more conservative novels. Another aspect of Ford's tenure was the gutting of Clancy's plot lines and resultant weaker stories and conclusions. The directing by Philip Noyce didn't help either.
The plot: The film begins with Ryan saving the life of the Queen's nephew Lord Holmes, his wife and child from an Irish terrorist group that are a rogue offshoot of the IRA. He kills the younger brother of one of the terrorists (Sean Bean), who vows to make him pay. The group's leader, played by Patrick Bergin, is more dispassionate. Needless to say, the terrorists escape and make an attempt on the lives of Ryan's wife and daughter. The climax occurs on the cliffs and bay around Ryan's Maine home during an evening when Lord Holmes is over at the Ryan's for dinner. There's a boat chase scene and that's about it.
In summary: The film is a bit more interesting than my plot description makes out and there are a few plot points that make it interesting, but Ford seemed stuck between being a mid-range CIA analyst and an action hero. The Ryan character, being younger than Ford in the novel, would have seemed better placed, but Ford just looks like an old guy trying to play a youngish guy.
The Casablanca comparison: Ford's Jack Ryan is the antithesis of Bogart's Rick Blaine. Where Ford is earnest and clearly struggling with the character, Bogart wears Blaine like a leather glove. Ford's Ryan seems never to have the measure of the terrorists, in comparison to the precise mark that Blaine has on the Germans. Try as I might, I just can't find a point where the films unite. The Germans know what they want, where the Irish terrorists don't. Clearly, this is an almost fatal flaw in Patriot Games.
Rating: I give this one a 6 out of 10. There is some good action and Sean Bean is very good as the Irish terrorist. Anne Archer is also good as Cathy Ryan. Unfortunately, Ford is not Jack Ryan and the diluted plot line doesn't help either. Great novel though, which I thoroughly recommend.
The plot: The film begins with Ryan saving the life of the Queen's nephew Lord Holmes, his wife and child from an Irish terrorist group that are a rogue offshoot of the IRA. He kills the younger brother of one of the terrorists (Sean Bean), who vows to make him pay. The group's leader, played by Patrick Bergin, is more dispassionate. Needless to say, the terrorists escape and make an attempt on the lives of Ryan's wife and daughter. The climax occurs on the cliffs and bay around Ryan's Maine home during an evening when Lord Holmes is over at the Ryan's for dinner. There's a boat chase scene and that's about it.
In summary: The film is a bit more interesting than my plot description makes out and there are a few plot points that make it interesting, but Ford seemed stuck between being a mid-range CIA analyst and an action hero. The Ryan character, being younger than Ford in the novel, would have seemed better placed, but Ford just looks like an old guy trying to play a youngish guy.
The Casablanca comparison: Ford's Jack Ryan is the antithesis of Bogart's Rick Blaine. Where Ford is earnest and clearly struggling with the character, Bogart wears Blaine like a leather glove. Ford's Ryan seems never to have the measure of the terrorists, in comparison to the precise mark that Blaine has on the Germans. Try as I might, I just can't find a point where the films unite. The Germans know what they want, where the Irish terrorists don't. Clearly, this is an almost fatal flaw in Patriot Games.
Rating: I give this one a 6 out of 10. There is some good action and Sean Bean is very good as the Irish terrorist. Anne Archer is also good as Cathy Ryan. Unfortunately, Ford is not Jack Ryan and the diluted plot line doesn't help either. Great novel though, which I thoroughly recommend.
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