Amazon.com essential video: Let's see--he's been Han Solo in three films and Indiana Jones in three more. So why shouldn't Harrison Ford take on a new continuing character in Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan? In this film, directed by Phillip Noyce, Ford picked up the baton when Alec Baldwin, who played Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, opted for a Broadway role instead. In this film, Ryan and his family are on vacation when Ryan saves a member of the British royal family from attack by Irish terrorists. The next thing he knows, the Ryan clan has been targeted by the same terrorists, who invade his Maryland home. The film can't shed all of Clancy's lumbering prose, or his techno-dweeb fascination with spy satellites and the like. But no one is better than Ford at righteous heroism--and Sean Bean makes a suitably snakey villain. --Marshall Fine
Product Description: An American tourist prevents the assassination of a member of the British royal family. Soon, the ULA members responsible for the attempt try to take revenge on his family. Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure Rating: R Release Date: 6-MAY-2003 Media Type: DVD
Patriot Games - Solid Action Adventure With Powerful Leading Man Patriot Games is one of the best action adventure movies out there based off the book by Tom Clancy (one of the most entertaining writers for this genre).
The movie starts as former CIA agent Jack Ryan intercepts a mission by a rogue group of IRA operatives while in London. As a result of the failed mission by the operatives Jack is given a reward and is thanked by the government. This is only the beginning, however, because during the operation one of the terrorist's brother was killed and he's out for revenge.
I think what makes this story so engaging is the fact that it forces us to think about how we'd respond in the situation Jack himself is put into. With your family in danger who do you turn to? What do you do to protect them? Can you really protect them?
Harrison Ford shines throughout the whole story and portrays a believable character filled with emotion and determination to do the right thing. It's an amazing movie and while it's not the sort of movie you'd watch twice in a row in the same sitting definitely is the sort you'd pull out every once in awhile to rewatch. It's entertainingly wonderful.
Decent Flick It's a good movie. If you like excitement and a little intrigue.
I'm a little confused by the reviews, as I don't think the movie makes "Irish people" look bad. I think a lot of people have no clue about the PIRA, or any other paramillitary/terror group operating in Northern Ireland (LVF, UVF, etc.). The fact is, the IRA today is not Michael Collins IRA, in fact, Collins fought a civil war with these people. The movie doesn't place Irish people in a bad light. It places a rogue army in a bad light, and in truth, they should be placed in a bad light, along with any army, Protestant or Catholic, that sells contraband, targets unarmed men and women and accepts blood money from drug dealers and radicals.
Decent Film that still holds up well with Action/Thrillers today This film was a hot summer movie upon its release in June 1992. Harrison Ford had taken the passed-on role of Jack Ryan from Alec Baldwin and a new Clancy movie was in the works. Patriot Games was that movie. Phillip Noyce was in the director's chair who had already garnered acclaim for his directorial job in "Dead Calm"(1989) which was a real sleeper hit.
The plot of "Patriot Games" centers around a rogue group of IRA terrorists(Sean Bean and Patrick Bergin) who fail to assassinate a Royal of England. Instead, Sean Bean's brother is killed by Harrison Ford amidst the conflict and all hell breaks loose. From there on, Sean Bean sets a personal vendetta against Jack Ryan for killing his lit'el baby brother and vows revenge. Jack Ryan is certainly aware of this and avoids danger in and out through the rest of the film. It all boils down to a great fight on American shores at the Ryan residence.
Overall, this movie delivers some good action sequences and twists but for the most part lacks in providing a solid story and consistent acting. Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, Sean Bean, and Samuel L. Jackson all do very well in all. This movie wasn't a very good adaption of the Tom Clancy novel and could have emphasized the original story a bit more. The better Clancy film to watch is "Clear and Present Danger"(1994).
Patriot Game [movie] Excellent movie that follows the book fairly well. Harrison Ford does an exceptional job in his portrayal of Jack Ryan.
Disappointed Thought the entire movie missed the point of the book, and was too hung up on stereotype vengeance from it's main villain. The book was 10 times better.
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