Rating: 
Summary: Jack Ryan is the Man.
Review: I really enjoy watching the films that Harrison Ford has made, but over the years have missed several of the films he has acted in. I've been trying to correct that by watching one of the Ford filmography that I haven't seen yet. That led me to watching PATRIOT GAMES. Before watching the film, I knew that the movie was based off of a Tom Clancy novel; starred Harrison Ford; and that it took place after THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.I really enjoyed watching the movie. It was filled with just enough suspense and fairly believable action to keep the film rolling along. The movie had a great cast (besides Ford, there's also James Earl Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Sean Bean, Thora Birch, etc.). The movie involves Jack Ryan (Ford) saving a member of the English elite while vacationing in London and in the process kills a member of the IRA. The brother of said IRA member becomes obsessed with getting even with Ryan and tries to have him and his family murdered. The film doesn't paint the IRA in a positive light at all and that in turn leads to some people thinking all Irish people are "bad". That's just not true. The Irish are great people and the IRA has done a few good things over the years. Nevertheless, the organization still has a reputation for being a terrorist group and unfortunately most of their good deeds have been overshadowed and outnumbered by the bad. Anyway, PATRIOT GAMES is a decent action adventure/suspense movie. It's a good film to watch when you're not sure what you want to see.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerhouse film!
Review: Here's one of Harrison Ford's best movies. Here, he plays almost-ex CIA agent Jack Ryan, who after saving his family and the British royal family from a assaination atempt by terrorists, gets caught into some sticky situations when the leader of the bad guys, swears to make Ryan's life miserable after Ryan killed his brother (who was trying to kill Ryan's family.).Why wasn't Tom Clancy happy with how this film was made? The movie was very well made, in my opinion. It had great directing, great acting, a mean and evil villian who causes conflit almost every half hour of the movie, edge-of-your-seat thrills, and great action sequances, and the screenplay AND the book were very darn creative. It's impressive when someone puts a movie like this together. It's a must-see movie for those action and Harrison Ford fans everywhere!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Jack Ryan movies to have
Review: This is another one of Harrison Ford's greatest. I have always enjoyed his movies. There are not many real actors left out there that can really act, most just try to be as stupid acting as they can and think thats fine, well for some simple ones that is fine. This movie has a plot to it and was well made. Great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Patriot Games, Sean from Dublin
Review: In many respects the film is an improvement upon the original book. The main plot remains fairly intact, but is greatly simplified. This makes the film much more accessible than the book, although purists will miss some of the endless details from the book. By having a minor member of the royal family as the target rather than Prince Charles the film is also more plausible and less cheesy. Some individuals seem to feel that somehow the IRA is portrayed in a bad light. But it is scarely mentioned, as it is clearly stated that it is a splinter group not the the main branch or the terrorist organisation. Though admittedly one can draw fairly obvious comparisons in that both are vicious terrorist organisations willing to use violence against any who stand in their way. Those who seem to feel that the IRA are a noble bunch of freedom fighters might do well to look at the numbers and occupations of their victims. They include women and children as well as many other innocent bystanders and social undesirables in the view of the IRA. The unwillingness of Sinn Fein to place its faith in ballot box by disarming its supporters also illustrates the nature of the organisation. Overall it is a good film, with impressive acting, special effects and a sound plot.
Rating:
Summary: Patriot Games - A fine adaptation of Clancy¿s masterpiece!
Review: Not for honor. Not for country. For his wife and child. These three bold statements are emblazoned on the cover of the DVD which, quite briefly, sums up the theme behind this fairly decent adaptation of Tom Clancy's best selling novel of the same name. While, as with all of the "Clancy" movies, the screenplay, written by W. Peter Iliff is very loosely based on the actual novel, this film is excellent as a stand alone. A minor note about the screenplay, they should've stuck with the original ending from the book, it would've been much more dramatic. This film certainly stuck a little closer to the original novel than the summer 2002 adaptation of "The Sum of All Fears." Replacing "The Hunt for Red October's" Alec Baldwin and Gates McFadden (best known as Dr. Beverly Crusher from Star Trek The Next Generation) as Jack and Cathy Ryan are Harrison Ford and the ever beautiful Anne Archer. The films producers couldn't have made a better choice to fill these two integral roles. Reprising the role of Admiral James Greer, James Earl Jones gives another fine performance. The recently departed Richard Harris of Harry Potter fame performs admirably as well. Samuel L. Jackson does well with the role of Commander Robbie Jackson, fellow professor and best friend to Jack Ryan. Performing admirably in the primary antagonist's role is Sean Bean of Lord of the Rings fame. Outstanding performances by all mentioned. The score, performed by James Horner, is quite in keeping with his usual high standards. It meshes beautifully with every scene. The DVD itself is not much to speak of, in that the only feature on it is one theatrical trailer. Ultimately this is fine though, as I rate/review movies based on the movie itself, not all of the extraneous other items... Dr. John Patrick Ryan and his family are on a working vacation in London, England. As he and his family meet up in a park, what appears to be IRA terrorists, blow up a car and are attempting to kidnap members of the Royal family. Throwing caution to the wind, Jack Ryan jumps into the fray... What follows is an extremely intriguing and well made movie. Many "Clancy" fans may not have found this film to be up to the standards of his novels. This, in my opinion, is not the case, being that it is entirely impossible to film a five hundred plus page novel into two hours. This is not the "Patriot Games" that I've read a couple times now, but it is very good as it stands on its own merits. I highly recommend this film to all those who are interested in a good, suspense filled and action packed thriller. {ssintrepid}
Rating: 
Summary: Reasonably good film - but what 'good' things?
Review: I must admit to being disappointed in this version of the Clancy novel. Much as I like Harrison Ford, One can't help thinking Baldwin would have done a better job in portraying Ryan once again. Sean Bean is eerily psychotic as Sean Miller - the man on an obsessive hunt for vengeance after the death of his brother at Ryan's hands, but there is an awful appearance by Richard Harris as a stereo-typical IRA man who forges an almost symbiotic relationship with Ryan. Having said that, the end of the film is well-done and gripping - if you can manage to suspend belief that the security in place to protect the Ryans and their high-ranking visitor could possibly be so slap-dash. In amazed disbelief at the previous critic who states that the IRA have done some 'good things', I am just sat here wondering what they could possibly be. Perhaps he is thinking of the Warrington bomb - left randomly in a waste-bin in a crowded shopping centre? That had the distinction of killing two children. Or perhaps the Omagh bombing? Scores of innocents died there, including a party of visiting Spanish schoolchildren. Maybe the Rememberance Day parade at Inniskillen? Among the many Irish victims, I suppose the best known was an 18yr old Student Nurse. Or the Harrods bomb, or the Hyde Park bomb, or the Chelsea Harbour bomb? The knee-capping of young Irish men who refute the 'cause' or happen to disagree with them? Could it be the weapons assistance and training with well-known Arab terrorist groups? Or the solid refusal to lay down their arms and resort to the political process/ballot box in spite of the on-going Peace Process . . . Just one or two of those 'good' things . . .
Rating:
Summary: Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan Geniouse
Review: Harrison Ford is the perfect Jack Ryan as he goes out to protect his family from IRA teorrist
Rating:
Summary: Protecting His Family
Review: Harrison Ford was a great choice to take over the role of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games. Ford has that everyman quality that works really well when he finds himself and his family (wife Anne Archer and daughter Thora Birch) thrust into international events when they witness an assassination attempt on a British royal. Ford thwarts the attempt, which makes his family revenge targets. The assassins, an Irish militant group, counts amongst its members, a hotheaded Sean Bean who makes it his mission to kill Ford, Archer, and Birch. But needless to say, Ford has other ideas! Patriot Games is a well-crafted thriller from director Philip Noyce. He keeps the tension going from the beginning, mixing periodic bits of action into the drama that drive the film to its' climax. There's also a good mix of gadgetry and politics to spice the plot up as well. Ford does a great job portraying the hero as a family man out to protect his loved ones. Archer is an ideal, classy wife, and Birch isn't the typically annoying or cute movie kid ... she's very likeable. Samuel L. Jackson is wasted in a smaller role as Ford's buddy, while Bean and Patrick Bergin make the most of their bad guy roles. I've seen a lot of action films that have the heart stopping chases and intrigue, but Patriot Games is a step above them. It's a great combination of cast, director, story, and action, and it holds up to repeated viewings.
Rating:
Summary: Looks Good But.....
Review: As with The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger, the production values of this film are outstanding. While visiting London with his family, Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) unexpectedly becomes involved with a failed attempt by renegade Irish terrorists to assassinate Lord Holmes (James Fox). Ryan is wounded while intervening, killing one of the assassins whose brother Sean (played by Sean Bean) is arrested, imprisoned, tried, and convicted. After he escapes during an ambush of the police van in which he is being transported, he vows to kill Ryan. After that, the plot stumbles and staggers through various disjointed episodes, some of which are visually stunning but few of which make much sense. For example, especially after the first attack on the World Trade Center and extensive violence in Northern Ireland in 1991, there is an almost total absence of appropriate security precautions throughout this film. How ludicrous, given the numerous and quite serious dangers in which Ryan and his family find themselves after Sean Miller's escape. Lord Holmes remains a high priority candidate for assassination whose safety is presumably of some interest to British and American authorities. Nonetheless, near the end of the film when he (one of the most visible of "The Royals") visits the United States and joins the Ryans for dinner in their home, he and they are essentially defenseless to terrorists who months ago vowed to kill them. The events which follow are even less plausible. This film has a few effective moments but, on balance, is a disappointment. I would have preferred Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and regret the waste of Anne Archer's talents. (Most of her time on screen as Dr. Cathy Ryan. she is either beaming with approval or wincing with apprehension.) The car chase and attempt on her life -- on a limited-access highway during rush hour! -- seem gratuitous, indeed strategically irrational, as does the earlier attempt on Ryan's life on a street in Annapolis. (Of course, he is alone and unprotected, thus vulnerable to everyone else on the same street as well as to passing cars. Dumb.) Surely more could be done with Ryan's friend and U.S. Naval Academy colleague Robby Freeman (Samuel L. Jackson). As for Richard Harris, he does the best he can with what is essentially a cartoon character, Paddy O'Neil. James Earl Jones reprises his role as Admiral James Greer, spending much of his time entering and leaving rooms. Whoever is responsible for such waste should be charged with criminal neglect. To sum up, this film is consistently pleasant to look at. However, the plot seldom makes sense and the overall quality of acting is mediocre. Nonetheless, it has been a cash cow for Paramount and its producers so apparently others have a much higher regard for it than I do. Fair enough.
Rating:
Summary: So they got better on this one.
Review: Order of the Purple Target. Gotta love that. I just wish they had got Sam Jackson to do others. It least they kept to a near outline of the book, but they still ignored a LOT of great subplots.
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