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Clear and Present Danger (Special Edition)

Clear and Present Danger (Special Edition)

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: good but not as good as the other jack ryan movies
Review: this is a good movie I jsut don't think it lives up to the other jack Ryan movies it is still one of the best action movies out there though.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: great movie but bad dvd
Review: this is one of the greates movies from Harrison Ford but I hate when the Dvd doesn`t comes with a good appareance, Is it not the best dvd if talking about extras but doesn`t mean the movie is good. If you want to have it doesn`t wait and order it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb Fim Adaptation Of Clancy's Political Thriller!
Review: As a long time fan of the many Tom Clancy's techno-thrillers, I was amazed at just how fine a job had been done in dramatizing the complex, quite literate, and endlessly evolving plot that Clancy used to such advantage in spinning "Clear And Present Danger", a story about how the intelligence and political communities intersect and overlap, often with disastrous results for the democratic process. Here the erstwhile Jack Ryan is thrust into the hot seat as his long-time mentor Admiral James Greer (played By James Earl Jones) is forced by health into taking sick leave and Ryan (Harrison Ford) is tapped to take his place as the Acting Deputy Director for Counter Intelligence (DCI) within the CIA. As such he is sucked into the somewhat murky effort to investigate the circumstances surrounding the grisly murder of a millionaire businessman who was a personal friend of the current President.

Ryan quickly discovers a Columbian drug connection, with one of the biggest and most dangerous cartels, and further traces what appears to be a money laundering operation that the dead entrepreneur was investing in legitimate businesses in the United States. Informed of this, the President quit publicly impounds the funds, and initiates a spiral of events that eventually spin way out of control. Thus, once again the game is afoot. Ryan must tread softly but quickly to counter the deft moves made by another CIA deputy director who is blindsiding the Agency while serving the President's National Security Advisor.

The game gets hotter and hotter, with so much action and so much suspense building up that it is impossible not to appreciate and enjoy. The is a wonderful film, one that will stir your patriotic juices as the same time it raises your pulse rooting for Ryan to right the grievous wrongs perpetrated on some American special forces troopers who are intentionally stranded in-country to fend for themselves as they find themselves caught in the middle of the quickly changing political and strategic circumstances. Harrison Ford is terrific as Jack Ryan, reprising his takeover of it in "Patriot Games".

Also superb (as usual) is Willem Defoe playing John "Jack" Clark, our man on the ground in Columbia, and relative newcomer Joaquim de Almeida as the deadly head of security for the Escobedia family cartel. Miguel Sandoval is convincingly menacing as the cartel's front man Ernesto Escobedia. Of course, the photography and special effects are masterful and heighten the degree of suspense and realism of the quickly transpiring action sequences. I. This is a spy-thriller of the first magnitude, one I have watched again and again for it is such eye-candy and so exciting that I find myself caught up in it each time I sit down to enjoy it. I hope you will too. Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Tasty Brew
Review: This is one of two films based on Clancy's novels which really work, the other being The Hunt for Red October. It is certainly far superior to Patriot Games in terms of plausibility and cohesion of narrative, quality of acting, exploration of central issues, and ultimate resolution of various conflicts. I do think the escape by helicopter from one drug lord's compound was overdone but the film concludes appropriately with Ryan's final conversation with President Bennett (Donald Moffatt) and then his arrival at the subcommittee hearing chaired by Senator Mayo (Hope Lange). I still would have preferred that Alec Baldwin continue as Jack Ryan but concede that Harrison Ford is far more credible in this film than he was in Patriot Games, perhaps because he and his colleagues were working with a much better screenplay, one on which John Milius collaborated with Donald E. Stewart and Steve Zaillian. (It should be noted that Stewart and Zaillian also collaborated on the screenplay and must share at least some of the blame for Patriot Games' inadequacies. Both films were also directed by Phillip Noyce, another accomplice.) Having the President of the United States actively involved in Danger's narrative gives it a unique substance, to be sure, but also affords valuable opportunities to explore moral corruption and political expediency at the highest levels of government.

There are several outstanding performances, including Moffatt's in a difficult role as is Henry Czerny's as Robert Ritter, deputy director of the C.I.A. and Ryan's principal adversary; also Willem Dafoe as Clark and Harris Yulin as Cutter. Anne Archer reprises her do-nothing-but-beam role as Cathy Ryan, adoring wife; James Earl Jones also reprises his role as Admiral James Greer whose health problems deny Ryan his mentor and friend's assistance when needed most. This is a "techno-thriller" in several respects but its special effects are almost never gratuitous. An important sub plot involves Moira Wolfson (Ann Magnuson) who is the F.B.I. director's administrative assistant and a key source of classified information which she provides to Felix Cortes (brilliantly played by Joaquim DeAlmeida) whom she believes to be a reputable businessman, not knowing that he is a key operative for one of the Colombian drug lords. Wolfson loves Cortes to death, literally.

Lots of well-staged action, including an ambush of the F.B.I. director and his entourage, another ambush of American troops in the jungle (a callous and bloody betrayal by their government), a missile attack on the drug lords and their families, and the final helicopter escape by Ryan and Clark. As in The Hunt for Red October, the story line sustains the film's momentum, aided by generally solid performances. I do not consider this film an indictment of any specific administration or foreign policy. Clancy is primarily a storyteller, not a polemicist. The United States will continue to have clear and present dangers no matter who is in the White House. When this film was first released (in 1994), one reviewer suggested that it was inspired in part by some of former C.I.A. director William Casey's elaborate schemes for secret operations against the drug lords. (I have no idea whether or not that is true.) In any event, I find this a thoroughly entertaining, well-made film and look forward to seeing it again.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Apparently directors and screenwriters cant read.
Review: This is a BAD film version of a GREAT book. nuf said.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Revenge is a dangerous motive......
Review: (I wrote this for the original, out of stock version)

Clear and Present Danger (1994 film)

The third film in the Jack Ryan series (and the last one to star Harrison Ford) deals with America's war on drugs and also the abuse of power in high places. As in Clancy's original novel, the plot hinges on one crucial question: how far can a President go to achieve a laudable goal, even if the means cross moral, legal and international boundaries?

As in the novel of the same name, the interception of an American-flagged yacht in the Caribbean results in the arrest of two Colombian "sicarios" (hit men) who have murdered the American owner (along with his entire family). The resulting FBI-CIA investigation reveals that Peter Hardin, the late yacht owner and personal friend of the U.S. President (Donald Moffat), had extensive ties to the Cali drug cartel. Hardin, as Jack Ryan (Ford) explains, had been skimming millions from his "partners," thus sealing his fate.

Although Ryan is aware that the President is understandably upset that his late friend was a money launderer for the drug lords, he is not aware that the National Security Advisor, Admiral James Cutter (Harris Yulin) and his CIA colleague Bob Ritter (Henry Czerny) have been given off-the-record orders to do "something about the drugs pouring into the country." When the President declares to Cutter that the drug cartels pose a "clear and present danger" to the United States, the somewhat slimy admiral and Ritter unleash several covert operations within the sovereign nation of Colombia.

While Ryan does get orders to go to Bogotá and find out about Hardin's financial dealings with the Cali Cartel, he is totally unaware that Cutter and Ritter have launched Operation Reciprocity, a clandestine invasion of Colombia by Spanish-speaking special-ops troops. These forces, supervised by ex-CIA field officer John Clark (Willem Dafoe), wreak havoc as they blow up drug labs and smuggling aircraft. Nevertheless, Cutter and Ritter keep Ryan in the dark, and the upright analyst and now acting Deputy Director (Intelligence) unknowingly tells a Senate subcommittee that there are no troop deployments planned for Colombia.

Further complicating Ryan's life is the sudden discovery that his boss and mentor, Admiral James Greer (James Earl Jones), is dying of cancer. Little does he know that his ascent to Greer's job will propel Ryan into the middle of a life and death situation in Colombia...and a constitutional crisis at home.

What makes the Jack Ryan books and movies work is not just the slam-bam action sequences or the glimpses at the mysterious workings of the CIA, but the very notion that a CIA employee can be portrayed as an honorable and decent fellow. Tom Clancy clearly desired to show that the agents and analysts who work for the CIA are not the "dark forces" depicted in films such as "Three Days of the Condor" or "Firefox." Nor are they martini-swilling, trigger happy, bed-hopping super-spies like James Bond. Ford (like Alec Baldwin before him, and like Ben Affleck after) shows Ryan has intelligence, courage, and, above all, integrity.

As in Patriot Games, Ford also shares a few short yet important scenes with his wife and two children. Ann Archer and Thora Birch returned to play Ryan's wife Cathy and daughter Sally, giving Ryan that most un-Bond-like sense of family and a tie to the audience.

Although the screenplay by Donald Stewart, Steven Zaillan, and John (Red Dawn) Millius strip the huge and complex Clancy novel to its bare essentials and changes many scenes and situations, Ford's acting and Philip Noyce's able directing makes Clear and Present Danger a top-notch action thriller. Even though as in Patriot Games the ending is rendered in a good-guy vs. bad-guy shootout (whereas in the novel the ending for the villains was more subtle and thereby more chilling), this movie is still worth watching.

The DVD I own is Paramount's first barebones release. Of course, even that is an improvement over the pan-and-scan "full screen" VHS tape I had previously owned. The movie has been restored to its original Widescreen presentation, given Dolby digital audio in both English and French, Spanish subtitles, English captions, interactive menus, and the theatrical trailer. The newer version has commentary tracks, making-of featurettes, and other extras.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An excellent political thriller. Ford does Jack Ryan!
Review: This is a very well done film version of Tom Clancy's novel of the same name, which features his trademarked hero, Jack Ryan. Harrison Ford really has the Jack Ryan character down pat, and turns in his customary excellent performance. As always, James Earl Jones plays his part, as the CIA director, to perfection.

The storyline here is far more complex than the two earlier Jack Ryan films, which caused me to worry that the film would either sacrifice important elements of the novel, or become so convoluted that most viewers would have difficulty following the story. Neither occurs--the movie tells a complicated political/adventure story in a crisp and coherent fashion that retains the viewer's interest. This is a very fine film.

The basic premise is simple enough--the President decides to insert US forces into Columbia to take out certain elements of the drug cartels operating there. This is done without any permission/authorization from Congress and is therefore illegal. As might be expected, not everything goes according to plan. And of course Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) has to straighten things out. Therein lies a fast-paced and interesting story that parallels in some ways the conflict between Congress and President Reagan in the 1980s as regards the Nicaraguan Sandinistas and the Contras.

The DVD is excellent, with very good color and sound. Fans of Ford, Tom Clancy, or simply those who like fast-paced political action thrillers will want to include this DVD in their collections.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Clear and Present Danger
Review: It was an excellent movie with great acting. I would highly recomend it to any one who enjoys action/drama movies.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: STILL PLAYING GAMES ON THIS LATEST TRANSFER
Review: There's just no polite way of saying this, so here goes. When Paramount DVD first issued "Clear and Present Danger" the transfer quality was...well...gosh darn awful. In fact it had to rank up there with the worst transfers I had ever seen. Now we get the new and improved, second "special" edition of this cloak and dagger thriller.
Based on the novel by Tom Clancy, Harrison Ford is Jack Ryan, a professor and retired CIA agent who gets thrown back into the hopper when he accidentally becomes involved in a terrorist plot to assassinate one of England's Royals. The plot has heavily dated. It centers around a drug cartel and CIA agent, Jack Ryan's mission to infiltrate and stop the spread of massive drug trading into the U.S. Yeah - right!
This latest transfer from Paramount Home Entertainment really isn't as much of an improvement as one would have hoped for. Almost gone are the excessive aliasing, shimmering and edge enhancement, abundantly present on the original DVD - but not entirely. Pixelization still plagues many of the outdoor scenes and long shots. But of more concern is the color balancing. At times flesh tones appear too pink or orange. Fine details are completely lost in the dark scenes while they occasionally appear digitally harsh during some of the day scenes. Overall the color scheme is muted, dull and muddy with a bland characteristic. Several scenes are also plagued by an opaque haze that weakens black and contrast levels. Film grain, nicks, chips and scratches are blatantly apparent throughout and, while they don't distract, they really don't add anything to the viewing experience either. The audio is presented in both 5.1 and DTS. Both versions are almost identical with the DTS bumping up the bass levels a notch. Still, at times voices seem to be centered too directly into the center speaker with little to no ambiance spread across the other channels. Some effects and screams crackle the sound field and are strident and grating on the ear.
EXTRAS: We get a comprehensive documentary that covers all the bases and a theatrical trailer. This is Paramount doing its bare bones best and it's disappointing.
BOTTOM LINE: Yes, this is the preferred DVD of this movie. But it's still not the way I'd prefer to watch it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Overblown dreck...
Review: This third installment of the Jack Ryan series gets too confused too quick and can't find a way out. It also contains way too much action for a movie that wants to be taken seriously. Harrison Ford is Jack Ryan again, and he's the worst to date. Alec Baldwin will forever be the best Ryan and Ford and Affleck will just have to deal with it. In this movie, it's Ryan vs. everybody from Columbians to the president of the United States himself in a plot so perplexing it's a wonder the movie ever gets off the ground. This is not that good of a movie and a poor follow-up to the cool "Patriot Games." I'm disappointed.


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