CIA analyst Jack Ryan
(Harrison Ford) takes over for Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones)
as the Deputy Director of Intelligence, and begins to uncover the
president’s revenge mission. His research deciphers that Hardin
was laundering money for the Cali Cartel, and his investigation
takes him to Columbia and into the realm of Felix Cortez, an informant
who plays both sides for profit and power. But as Ryan disrupts
operations, unearths secrets and digs deeper, the odds that no one
will like what he finds becomes lethally more apparent.
Donald Moffat portrays President Bennett, who is perhaps the
only piece of the film that doesn’t feel authentic. His
lines sound generic and his actions are detestable, which work
perfectly for the type of character he needs to be - but audiences
may question his overwhelming control. Showing a loathsome side
of the presidency the public is typically unaware of is possibly
too realistic to be believable. With his desire to teach the cartels
a lesson, the president must use unofficial means to gather hitmen
against his enemies. The danger is present, but the real villains
are anything but clear. Both the US intelligence and the drug
cartel advisors struggle to decipher who’s really behind
the constant assaults and casualties spawning from the death of
Bennett’s friends.
The plot is fairly standard backstabbing and covert operations,
but the details are massive. The twists and turns are already
apparent to the audience, so we watch to see who will figure out
the never-ending deceptions first. It’s Ryan versus the
government this time around, and mysteries and conspiracies are
necessities. Clear and Present Danger backs off its intensity
from Patriot Games (earning it a PG-13 rating) and tacks on nearly
half-an-hour more of complexities. An unforgettable ambush on
the streets of Bogota (involving a convoy of Suburbans and plenty
of bazookas) is the highlight of the film, and a riveting climax
clinches the deal. Clear and Present Danger ups the ante on the
scope of collusion that riddles the government, but slows in just
enough spots that it can’t quite match the fervor of Patriot
Games. It’s an excellent third chapter to the political
adventures of Jack Ryan, and thanks to the first-rate performance
by Harrison Ford, he is one of the screen’s greatest protagonists.
- Mike Massie
