Review of Patriot Games (1992) by Erik T — 03 Sep 2007

"Patriot Games" is the story of a terrorist seeking revenge for his brother's death based on the novel by Tom Clancy. Harrison Ford is Jack Ryan, the CIA analyst sought by terrorist Sean Miller, played by Sean Bean. Harrison Ford is the definitive Jack Ryan and brings more force to the role than Alec Baldwin or Ben Affleck. Sean Bean is also solid as Ryan's terrorist nemesis. The film had a notable supporting cast including James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, James Fox, Hugh Fraser and Samuel L. Jackson.

The film is generally fast-paced and has some decent action sequences. It is interesting to see the technology used behind the scenes at the CIA. However, the film's primary weakness it its story. There is little story development beyond the "terrorist seeking revenge" premise and the characters are less interesting and developed than they could be. This makes "Patriot Games" is overall an average thriller, albeit with an outstanding cast. I'd recommend "Clear and Present Danger" (1994) instead of this for a Tom Clancy adaptation featuring Harrison Ford as Ryan because its story and characters are better developed.