Patriot games is another shining example that you should trust the source material more when making movie adaptions of books. Deviate too much, and you get a whole other beast.
It's not that I dislike Patriot games, especially since most of the ending is quite suspenseful, but it's not a Tom Clancy spy thriller. It's also got some pacing issues that bring the entire experience down a bit.
As a standalone story, without the source material existing, I might enjoy it more. However, as it stands...I prefer the book ten out of ten times.
They mostly reuse soundtracks...mostly
Patriot Games is a solid addition to the Jack Ryan series, with an entertaining storyline and impressive action scenes. While Harrison Ford's performance as Ryan may not be his best, it's still a solid effort and fits well within the context of the film. The movie's political themes and suspenseful moments keep you engaged from start to finish, and Sean Bean's turn as the villain adds an extra layer of tension. Overall, Patriot Games may not be the best film in the Jack Ryan series, but it's still an enjoyable watch for fans of the franchise.
Technically a follow-up to The Hunt for Red October, though the two have very little connection beyond a title character and a touch of international flavor. Protagonist Jack Ryan has been re-cast as a much older agent: burnt out, retired from the CIA and content in his new life as an instructor at the US Naval Academy. The role has shifted from Alec Baldwin to Harrison Ford between films, and even in the early ‘90s, there was no way to paint the latter as a roguish, physical young specimen. He does get a few moments of exercise, particularly in the events that set the plot in motion, but even here, his limitations are acknowledged and played into the script. Which is awkward, as the two films are set only a few years apart, but here we are.
While in the United Kingdom on a speaking engagement, Ryan finds himself caught in the middle of an IRA assassination / kidnapping attempt. Reflexively, he springs into action, killing one terrorist and wounding another. This earns him a commendation from the target (a distant member of the royal family) and a blood feud with the surviving evildoer (Sean Bean), whose younger brother ate the fatal bullet and is left laying in the street. They dance the expected dance - Bean escaping custody, Ford surviving repeated surprise attacks, a climactic showdown with family in the crosshairs - and it’s all just fine. Very typical action / suspense fare for the era, with an effectively claustrophobic final confrontation in the corridors of a large country house. There’s nothing glaringly bad, but also nothing exceptionally memorable, besides another example of poor Sean Bean’s well-earned reputation for grisly on-screen farewells. A lukewarm potboiler that’s beginning to show its age.
Yeah, a classic hollywood action movie. Good to watch in an evening, I like it that has satisfying action scenes.
The adventures of Jack Ryan continue in Patriot Games. When Ryan thwarts an assassination attempt on a member of the Royal Family by a fringe wing of the IRA, they vow to get revenge on him and his family. Harrison Ford takes on the role of Jack Ryan, and is joined by Sean Bean, Anne Archer, and James Earl Jones. The film is full of suspense and riveting action sequences. However, the pacing is rather poor, causing the film to lose its momentum a few times. And, the story sort of comes apart in the last act. Still, despite a few issues Patriot Games is a smart and thrilling action film.
years without seeing it, I still like it, it becomes strange to see the characters after watching the series Jack Ryan, Sean Bean, dies, again :-) Those pieces of the music of Aliens
Harrison Ford helped set different tone on his version of Jack Ryan, by drawing focus to his regards and consequences his own actions brought in this movie. It's still pretty textboook, but a Tom Clancy written textbook is the kind that most will find themselves satisfied with.
It's a solid spy action movie. Harrison Ford is pretty good. Sean Bean is a one note villain but hey he does what he does best.
Another Jack Ryan movie. A different Jack Ryan.
But this is not the reason why I think this isn´t as good as Red October. Harrison Ford does a good job in replacing Alec Baldwin. It is a different kind of movie. First off it is not my favorite Clancy novel as well. In the movie the political issue, here the IRA, takes a backseat. Instead of trying to kill the Prince and Princes of Wales like in the book, it is some cousin of the King of England which lowers the significance somewhat. OK, it mighty have been nessessary for obviuos reasons. But what Tom Clancy does best in his books didn´t show up in the movie. At the bottom it is a revenge story that goes back and forth. The action is in front and that isn´t what Red October was about. Yes, Clancys books have action but the action is not the story. It serves a purpose. What also didn´t work for me here is time and structure. Events in the movie are progressing too fast. The whole story seems to take place within a week.
It is an OK movie but that´s about it.
Well paced old-fashioned style spy thriller. Great cast, and for the most part an okay script. (Don't quite buy Anne Archer telling Harrison Ford "Go get them - no matter the cost!" or something similar.)
On the whole though, a good solid film that has stood up remarkably well.
Shout by ShubesBlockedParent2022-02-04T00:27:19Z
I love Harrison Ford, but he just seemed lackluster in this one. I never could really buy into him as Jack Ryan and he just couldn't make it "believable" that he was anything BUT a nobody analyst. I had to keep reminding myself that Jack Ryan had this hardcore military background and could handle himself in a fight because Ford just wasn't real convincing of that. The story has a tendency to drag on longer than it needs to, and Anne Archer added zilch to the entire show; if anything she was just an annoying extra. No spoilers here but that ending blew chunks. Just totally awful. TOTALLY awful. I don't regret watching it, but I wouldn't waste the time on watching it more than once.