Jack Ryan is back, and this time he is not chasing a submarine. He is running from a bullet. Patriot Games, the 1992 sequel to The Hunt for Red October, trades the Cold War chessboard for a terrorist cell that wants Ryan dead for personal reasons. Harrison Ford plays the former CIA analyst turned Naval Academy professor, and the film sets its stakes high from the first scene in London, where Ryan stops a kidnapping attempt on Lord William Holmes and kills three attackers. That act draws the attention of Kevin O’Donnell, the leader of a radical IRA splinter cell, and his lieutenant Sean Miller, who vow revenge on Ryan and his family.
The film opens with Ryan teaching history at the Naval Academy, a quiet life shattered when he walks into a terrorist attack in London. He wounds one attacker, kills two, and captures Sean Miller, the younger brother of one of the dead men. The IRA cell sees Ryan as a threat to their operations, and O’Donnell orders his men to target Ryan and his family. The film moves between Ryan’s Maryland home, the streets of London, and North Africa, where O’Donnell plots his next move.
Trailer, via YouTube Movies.
Jack Ryan’s Return
Harrison Ford carries the film with a performance that balances the academic calm of Ryan’s teaching days with the steel of a man who has faced death twice. He is wounded in the London attack, and the film does not let him forget it. Anne Archer plays Dr. Caroline “Cathy” Ryan, his wife, and Thora Birch plays Sally, their young daughter. The family dynamic gives the action weight. Ryan’s concern for his wife and child drives his decisions throughout the film.
The villains are a mixed lot. Sean Bean plays Sean Miller, the captured attacker whose brother died in the London incident. Patrick Bergin plays Kevin O’Donnell, the IRA leader who orchestrates the revenge plot. Polly Walker plays Annette, O’Donnell’s lover, and together she and Miller form the core of the team sent to America. James Fox plays Lord William Holmes, and Richard Harris plays Paddy O’Neil, an IRA operative who becomes a key figure in the plot. The cast delivers a steady, professional performance across the board.
A Family Under Fire
The film’s central tension comes from the threat to Ryan’s family. Miller vows to avenge his brother’s death, and O’Donnell lets him take Annette and several squadmates to America to kill Ryan. The plot thickens when British police determine that an informant has been tipping off the terrorists. They surveil Dennis Cooley, a book shop owner who is an IRA operative, while Ryan is told first that Cathy is pregnant again and then about Miller’s escape.
Ryan brushes off the news, assuming a wanted fugitive would not dare cross the Atlantic. He is wrong. Miller’s team attacks Ryan near the Academy, and Miller simultaneously targets Cathy as she drives home. Her car crashes, seriously injuring both her and Sally. The attack forces Ryan to abandon his quiet life and return to the CIA, where his former superior, Vice Admiral James Greer, played by James Earl Jones, asks him to rejoin the agency to help stop the terrorists.
“Not for honor. Not for country. For his wife and child.”
That tagline sums up the film’s moral center. Ryan fights not for abstract causes but for the people he loves.
Technical Complaints
Tom Clancy, the novelist whose work inspired the film, had a problem with the adaptation during production. He repeatedly voiced his displeasure with the script, particularly over details of technical items shown on screen and the casting of the 49-year-old Ford as a character he envisioned as older. Clancy’s objections were public, but the source does not describe his reaction after seeing a cut of the film. The film’s success at the box office proved him wrong, at least financially.
The film premiered in theaters in the United States on June 5, 1992, by Paramount Pictures. It spent two weeks as the No. 1 film and grossed $178.1 million worldwide. The critical reception was generally positive.
The Pace Problem
Patriot Games runs 117 minutes, and it tries to fit a great deal of story into that time. The film moves between London, North Africa, and Maryland, following multiple threads at once. This leads to a choppy structure, with some scenes feeling rushed and others dragging. The middle section, where Ryan’s wife and daughter are injured and the family is separated, slows the pace significantly. The film’s strength is its ability to build tension, but it struggles to sustain it across the full runtime.
The action sequences are well staged, but they rely heavily on quick cuts and rapid movement. The film does not explain its action clearly, and some viewers may find themselves lost in the chaos. The London attack, where Ryan kills the attackers, is a tense scene. It establishes Ryan as a capable fighter. The Academy attack, where Miller’s team strikes, is another action sequence in the film.
Where It Lands
Patriot Games is a solid entry in the Jack Ryan franchise, but it is not the best of the series. It benefits from a strong cast and a compelling premise, but the pacing issues hold it back. The film is watchable, entertaining, and emotionally effective in its final act. It earns its place in the series, even if it does not reach the heights of The Hunt for Red October.
The film’s legacy is secure. It was followed by Clear and Present Danger in 1994, with Ford, Archer, Jones, and Birch reprising their roles. Patriot Games remains a significant chapter in that history, even if it is not the strongest one.
Patriot Games is a good film, not a great one. It is worth watching for the cast, the tension, and the emotional payoff. It is worth skipping for the pacing problems and the occasional confusion in the middle.
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