Review of Clear and Present Danger (1994) by Cal ( — 13 Jan 2008

This sequel to the superb Jack Ryan adventure Patriot Games is a pretty good movie, but largely disappointing. I saw this sequel because I loved Patriot Games and was hoping for another great action/adventure like that.

..instead I got an overlong, convoluted action film that is really hard to understand. Harrison Ford returns as CIA hero Jack Ryan who has been promoted to the new title of Deputy Director Of Intelligence.

But this time he's investigating possible illegal actions that have been approved by the President of the United States. The film moves at a snail pace, with scenes that don't seem to advance the non-existent political plot that takes dozens of viewings to understand.

This is a dialogue-driven action film with little action but lots of talking. In a way this sequel sort of destroyed Patriot Games as the continuation of the story only gets rid of characters and introduces new unnecessary additions to the cast.

Still, Harrison's performance as Jack Ryan is still strong and believable. Willem Dafoe makes a pretty believable soldier as well, and the other members of the cast are solid as well. Some of the CGI was a bit cartoony and laughable though.

Overall, I thought that Clear and Present Danger was good and bad. On the one hand it continues the adventures of Jack Ryan, and on the other hand it's long, drawn-out and kind of boring. If you like your action films to be driven by some cheesy dialogue at pivotal points, go rent it.