Thirty age ago this month , the movie version of Tom Clancy ’s 1989 novelClear and Present Dangersailed into theaters with Harrison Ford as the author ’s iconic hero , Jack Ryan . Ford had previously taken over the persona from Alec Baldwin for 1992’sPatriot Games , butClear and Present Dangermarked his final coming into court as Ryan . In the three decade since this film ’s freeing , Ben Affleck and Chris Pine have play Ryan on the big CRT screen , while John Krasinski headline Amazon Prime Video’sJack Ryanseries .
Clear and Present Dangerisn’t often mentioned today , even though Ford was one of the top activity champion of his epoch and is still dynamic in making high - profile movies like last year’sIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny . DoesClear and Present Dangerhold up to scrutiny 30 years later ? And is Jack Ryan one of the best roles of Ford ’s vocation , suitable of the massive amounts of attending that his work as Han Solo or Indy capture ? It ’s clip to take a expression back and find out .
Clear and Present Danger’s story was ahead of its time
Although the Iran - Contra affair was still a late event when Clancy publishedClear and Present Danger , the book still seemed to be forward of the breaking ball . By that time , the Cold War was winding down and the governing was refocus on the Drug War .
Clancy ’s assumption of the U.S. administration fund a tail warfare against a cartel was all too believable against this background . It also seems to augur the path that the governing undertake to downplay or deny misconduct from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq a decennary after the movie descend out .
Harrison Ford was still a top draw
Readers of the original novel can evidence that the book was reworked to give Ford ’s Jack Ryan a bigger part to play . And more asses to sound off . It would be an hyperbole to call this one of Ford ’s most popular action movies . But 1990s audience loved realize Ford play the hit , which is why the pic made $ 215 million worldwide . That was lot of money for 1994 !
Even now thatClear and Present Dangeris decades erstwhile , Ford is still the top drawing card for this movie . The assassination attack on Ryan is also one of the best parts of the movie , and it just would n’t be the same without the actor . Ford put his impression on Jack Ryan , one that other actor like Affleck and Pine just could n’t do .
The supporting cast is stellar … but doesn’t get much to do
In 2024 , a picture that had Willem Dafoe , James Earl Jones , Benjamin Bratt , and Anne Archer backing up Ford would be considered an all - hotshot plaster bandage . It was just as loaded in 1994 whenClear and Present Dangercame out . But aside from Dafoe ’s grand turn as John Clark , most of the heavy - name stand cast members do n’t get much to do . Jones ’ Admiral James Greer is only there to suffer from cancer and ( despoiler alerting ! ) ultimately pass away from it , while Archer just gets any scenes with Ford .
Harris Yulin ( Ghostbusters II ) and Henry Czerny ( Mission : Impossible – Dead Reckoning ) are both perfectly underhanded as James Cutter and Robert Ritter , two of the U.S. functionary behind the war against the drug combine who scantily think twice about betraying their country ’s soldier in the name of keeping the scandal quiet . But neither the characters , nor the actors behind them , get a prospect to further explore their motivation
The pacing moves very slowly compared to modern films
Times change , and this is rightful of the room films are edit as well . But from a modern view , Clear and Present Dangermoves at arctic yard compared to more recent political action thrillers .
At the fourth dimension , this may not have been an issue to moviegoers , but it ’s something that ’s very noticeable during a rewatch . It ’s only two hour and 21 moment long , but it somehow palpate longer . An overlong drama is bad enough , but a slow - propel action movie feel lethal .
The movie removes a lot of the novel’s moral ambiguity
It could be argued that nuance does n’t spiel very well in action movies , soClear and Present Dangerthe film does n’t seem to have the same moral ambiguity of the novel . Jack Ryan is even more virtuous in the movie than he is in the book , and he wo n’t be a party to a cover - up .
In the book , Ryan reports what occur to Congress and allow the president to have the election as penance for his activity and to protect the people who were involved with the covert state of war . Even Ryan acknowledge that exact honor and dignity in the Bible . That ’s missing from the motion-picture show and make Ryan ’s predicament more simplistic .
Clear and Present Danger goes for the Hollywood ending
In one of the more inexplicable change from book to film , Ford ’s Jack Ryan really team up up with drug lord Ernesto Escobedo ( Miguel Sandoval ) to confront their mutual foe , Félix Cortez ( Joaquim de Almeida ) . This gives the film one last action sequence for Ford , although the death of the main baddie fall to another fibre .
The ending of the novel is superior because it not only avoids the tacked - on action sequence , but it gives Escobedo and Cortez even more poetic destiny . That may have lacked the bombastic quality of Hollywood ’s take , but it would have been a better cease for the film .
Three decades later , Clear and Present Dangerdoesn’t entertain up as well as some of the player ’s other classic likeBlade Runner , Raiders of the Lost Ark , orWitness . But if you want to see Harrison Ford doing Harrison Ford things in his heyday , then this movie is for you .
WatchClear and Present DangeronMax .
