"Clear and Present Danger"

The Jack Ryan movies are some of my favorite and this one is no exception. Money laundering, drugs, a Presidents personal vendetta, an illegal war..."Clear and Present Danger" deals with all these, lead of course by our main character, Jack Ryan, played by Harrison Ford, one of my all time favorite actors.

There are many things to appreciate about this film. To start out with, I really like how they portray Jack Ryan's relationship with his wife. When the you know what hits the fan, we see Jack sitting down with his wife where its implied that he has just told her everything that's happened. We also see him reach for her when hearing bad news and I just have to say, it is so nice to see a Hollywood movie portray a married couple so well and so healthy.

I also appreciate how these films deal with the fight for good, the importance of ethics and doing what is right, even when great risks are involved.

Overall, even though this film is very intense, if you're looking for a good intriguing, and yes, intense movie, you should enjoy this story. Oh, and James Earl Jones is in it too, which tells you its gotta be good.

-Bethany

The Jack Ryan films have always been favorites of mine.  For the longest time, "Clear and Present Danger" was my favorite until it was de-throned by "Sum of all Fears."  "Clear and Present Danger" weaves a story of politics, spooks, special ops, and Colombian drug lords.  The film does a great job of matching action and excitement with the fact that the film's hero (Jack Ryan) played by Harrison Ford is an analyst (and in management at Langley by the time this film happens.)  Ryan seems like a person that we might know, and he is someone that I connect with.  The film's antagonists call Ryan a 'boy scout' in a derrogative sense, calling him a black and white rule follower.  I appreciate this part of the character.  It is how I try to act as well, and in today's film and TV culture it seems like there aren't very many heroes that are as honourable as Ryan.  The optimism of the mid-90s is alive and well in this film.  This film makes me proud of America's clandestine services, even as the film's President and some of his staff torpedo the country's reputation and abandon some of it's troops in an illegal paramilitary war, Jack Ryan is there to restore the balance, rescue the troops, and even face congress to answer for the mistakes of others.  That in itself must have been Jack Ryan's greatest challenge ever.

-David