The Hunt for Red October' - 5 stars

'The Hunt for Red October' may be a beloved classic today, but when it hit theaters in March of 1990, quite a few notable critics were… let's just say less than kind. The Washington Post skewered the film for being "big, clunky, and ponderously overplotted," Newsweek labeled it a disappointment, and the Washington Times called its underwater intrigue "murky and impossible to follow." Audiences, on the other hand, weren't so quick to dismiss the remarkably written and meticulously paced Cold War thriller. The film went on to make $200 million during its worldwide theatrical release, develop a loyal following on home video, and endure the decades to become a true, timeless classic.

Based on Tom Clancy's best-selling novel of the same name, 'The Hunt for Red October' follows CIA analyst Jack Ryan (a young Alec Baldwin) as he attempts to convince his superiors that a rogue Soviet submarine sneaking through international waters is not plotting an attack on the United States. He believes the ship's captain, Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), and Executive Officer, Vasily Borodin (Sam Neill), are planning to defect and surrender their advanced vessel to US military personnel. Weaseling his way on board the USS Dallas -- a submarine whose SONAR operator (Courtney B. Vance) has discovered how to track Ramius' vessel -- Ryan convinces a reluctant American captain (Scott Glenn) to let him make contact with Ramius and offer his government's full support.

There's an early scene in 'The Hunt for Red October' where we see Ramius and his Russian crew going about their duties and speaking in their native tongue. After the camera pushes in on a man reading a Bible, a language transition occurs and the crew simply begins to speak in English for the rest of the film. With this single, confident changeover, director John McTiernan ('Die Hard,' 'The Thomas Crown Affair') eliminates the difficulties an audience may have with a Scot playing a Soviet sailor, makes it clear the crew is actually speaking Russian, and allows the various European and American actors to dig into their roles without risking the integrity of their delivery. In fact, this effortless narrative trick is the first of many that demonstrate the subtlety and sure-handedness McTiernan brings to the entire production. He creates conflict and doubt with silent stares and nervous glances, he reveals intense emotional turmoil with the smallest sampling of dialogue, and gives each of his supporting cast members at least one moment to shine.

More importantly, McTiernan doesn't lose his audience in the complicated political minefields Clancy takes the time to explore in his novels -- instead, the director shapes a layered story about two strangers who breach cultural barriers to accomplish something great. He spends the majority of his time developing the characters, trusting that the plot will fall into place as a result. To his credit, it works. The Americans and the Russians aren't portrayed as good or evil, but rather political forces comprised of a variety of beliefs and ideals. The intrigue McTiernan pulls from Larry Ferguson and Donald Stewart's screenplay focuses on the human struggles aboard the Dallas and the Red October… not the race to acquire a new technology or an underwater battle between two superpowers. Best of all, Ramius and Ryan aren't portrayed as two sides of the same coin, but as separate intellectual strategists who both understand exactly what is at stake.

Of course, all of it would be for nothing if it weren’t for a collection of fine performances from everyone involved. Connery redefines "stoic," revealing restrained bits of brashness, playfulness, and intelligence in his well-rounded defector. Baldwin combines wit and determination, naturally crafting Ryan into a clever and engaging thinking-man's hero. Neill becomes the tragic center of the tale, portraying a loyalist who considers Ramius a superior, a colleague, and a friend. It doesn't end there either. Vance, Glenn, James Earl Jones, Stellan Skarsgard, Tim Curry, and plenty of other notable faces pop up and make the best of their all-too-brief scenes. To its testament, any one of 'The Hunt for Red October''s eclectic characters could be the focus of an excellent film.

I sometimes worry that nostalgia brightens my assessment of films I fell in love with when I was younger, but 'The Hunt for Red October' is as absorbing today as it was eighteen years ago. A sharp script, effortless direction, and an endless collection of fantastic performances make this entry in the Jack Ryan series a top notch thriller. As it stands, all of the filmmakers currently working on rebooting Clancy's biggest franchise should train their eyes on the first and the best.

Despite the fact that I've watched every other Jack Ryan film numerous times over the years (yep, even the critically-panned, Affleckalicious 'The Sum of All Fears') and tackled a half dozen Tom Clancy novels which have yet to make it to the big screen, I've only caught director Phillip Noyce's 'Patriot Games' one time… and that was sixteen years ago. This realization surprised me since 'The Hunt for Red October' -- aside from being one of my favorite flicks of all time -- was always one of my go-to movies throughout high school and college. You would think I would have at least sampled Harrison Ford's Jack Ryan debut more than once. Needless to say, I was able to approach this viewing with few expectations and evaluate the film without any preconceived ideas.

'Patriot Games' – 3.5 stars

Adapted from Clancy’s 1987 novel of the same name, 'Patriot Games' follows newly-retired CIA agent Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) on a vacation to London with his wife (Anne Archer) and daughter (a young Thora Birch). To his dismay, sight-seeing and shopping is yanked from the itinerary when an Irish terrorist named Sean Miller (a scene-chewing Sean Bean) attempts to kill British Secretary of State, Lord William Holmes (James Fox). Ryan interrupts the assassination plot and saves Holmes, incapacitating Miller and killing his younger brother in the process. After being sent to prison, Miller escapes and sets his sights on revenge, forcing Ryan to protect his family from a squad of blood-thirsty terrorists. At the same time, Ryan must face Miller, contemplate his future in the CIA, and prevent another international incident.

At its heart, 'Patriot Games' is about the collision of two opposing forces -- a family man working to defend the innocent, and a misguided loyalist fighting for his increasingly vague ideals. When Bean and Ford are circling each other, the story seems to crackle towards its inevitable, climactic showdown, giving the actors plenty of room to control the tone of the entire film. To the slight disappointment of Clancy fans everywhere, political intrigue takes a back seat to the central conflict and offers viewers a more accessible plot than the novel or the other Ryan-centric films in the series. Personally, I think it works. While 'Clear and Present Danger''s globe-trotting game of cat and mouse is, at times, unnecessarily convoluted and 'Sum of All Fears' boasts the subtlety of a Ferrari blasting down a dirt road, 'Patriot Games' simply focuses on Ryan's struggle to keep his family safe and Bean's insatiable need to propel his blood-feud no matter the cost.

Sadly, the biggest problem I have with the film may also be the same element that sets 'Patriot Games' (as well as 'Clear and Present Danger') apart from other political thrillers. Ford's Jack Ryan is such a reluctant, average-joe hero that he doesn't seem like a CIA man at all. While I appreciate the realistic take on the character and the believability Ford brings to the role, there isn't enough of a developed arc to make it matter. Ryan comes across as an unwilling participant -- an unenthusiastic champion if you will -- who doesn't have the spunk and fire Alec Baldwin brought to the part in 'The Hunt for Red October.' Perhaps the culprit is the film's underdeveloped script or Noyce's simplistic intent, but the Jack Ryan that appears in 'Patriot Games' is far too reactionary to benefit from the drive and intelligence that make Clancy's iconic everyman so engaging.

Ultimately, 'Patriot Games' struck me as a solid thriller with quite a few compelling performances. Sure, I would have liked to see Noyce's interpretation of Ryan fleshed out and for the script explore everything that’s going on inside its characters' heads, but I must say I enjoyed its authentic examination of honor, rage, and revenge. While it's not a show-stopping powerhouse like 'The Hunt for Red October' or as intense and detailed as Clancy’s novels, it still offers genre junkies a few things to get excited about.

'Clear and Present Danger' - 4 stars

What ever happened to Harrison Ford? I'm not talking about the self-referential actor who grimaced his way through 'Hollywood Homicide' or cashed out with 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' (sorry fans, it lost me the moment Indy stumbled out of the refrigerator)… I'm talking about the legendary performer who commanded the screen in 'Air Force One,' crafted a pitch-perfect reimagining of a beloved character in 'The Fugitive,' and delivered the goods as a relatable CIA official who takes matters into his own hands in director Phillip Noyce's 'Clear and Present Danger.' Where'd that guy go?

Based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name, 'Clear and Present Danger' follows series mainstay Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) -- now Deputy Director of Intelligence -- as he fights to survive the political machinations of an amoral CIA director named Robert Ritter (Henry Czerny), a corrupt National Security Advisor named James Cutter (Harris Yulin), and the President himself (Donald Moffat). After convincing a congressional committee to grant the CIA funds for intelligence operations in Colombia, Ryan discovers that Cutter and Ritter have been conducting secret military operations against a vicious drug cartel. Ryan must ascertain the nature of their dealings, enlist the help of a field operative (Willem Dafoe) who Cutter and Ritter manipulated, and save a black-ops squad that's been left for dead behind enemy lines.

My apologies if I made a slow-burning political thriller like 'Clear and Present Danger' sound like a guns-n-explosions actioner, but it would take three or four paragraphs to outline the various subplots, double-crosses, and international intrigue that undergird every scene in the film. So much material has been exorcised from the novel that one might expect a simplistic story, but nothing could be further from the truth. Honestly, the sheer scope of the film can be a bit daunting and will lose anyone who steps out of the room for more than a minute. Even so, Noyce keeps the film's countless narrative threads precariously tight and doesn't lose sight of the central conflict. He hurls dozens of characters, motivations, and ideals at the screen, but wisely keeps his camera swirling around Ryan, Cutter, Ritter, and the President. While the film does occasionally drift into super-agent vs. the world territory, Noyce tones down scenes that risk transforming Ryan into James Bond and keeps his hero grounded in relative reality and plausible politics.

Thankfully, Ford is given more opportunities to make Ryan a proactive force (as the character is in 'The Hunt Red October') than a victim turned reluctant hero (as he is in 'Patriot Games'). Even the chattiest scenes crackle with the actor's patented average-joe intensity -- when Ford barked, "How dare you, sir," at the President, I felt it in my gut and immediately realized how refreshingly noble and genuine it sounded. On the other end of the spectrum, Czerny, Yulin, and Moffat make for some great, scene-chewing villains. Each character has his own agenda, but the extent of their collective influence and power gives the entire story a palpable volatility that keeps things barreling along to the subtly climactic end. The only weak performances come from the conventional Colombian soldiers and cartel leaders but, of course, this isn’t the sort of film that needs them to be anything but formulaic stand-ins.

My heart still belongs to 'The Hunt for Red October,' but 'Clear and Present Danger' is an engaging political thriller that manages to keep its quiet double-crosses as compelling as its explosive action sequences. While some may find it a tad slow and overblown for their tastes, I couldn't help but get caught up in Ryan's quest to defend his forgotten countrymen, uncover the truth, and fight for his ideals -- three things that are sadly missing from modern politics.

'The Sum of All Fears' – 3.5 stars

Hi. My name's Ken Brown and I'm an Affleckoholic. It's not something I like to talk about… when I try to tell people that Affleck's work in 'Gigli' wasn't as bad as critics made it out to be, or that he managed to bring a bit of wit to a trainwreck like 'Surviving Christmas,' I always encounter the same stares, sneers, and snickers. It's a tough addiction to deal with in a world that’s turned its back on the would-be Matt Murdock, but I still hold out hope that Ben will eventually get his career back on track. Sure, he's spent the last ten years slogging his way through junk like 'Reindeer Games,' 'Pearl Harbor,' and 'Man About Town,' but let's not forget this is the same guy who turned in impressive, late '90s performances in 'Shakespeare in Love,' 'Chasing Amy,' and, of course, 'Good Will Hunting.'

One of the more divisive films in Affleck's critically-panned canon is 'The Sum of All Fears,' Paramount's first attempt to reboot the Jack Ryan film franchise for a new generation. Loosely based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name, Ryan (a furrow-browed Ben Affleck) has been reimagined as a young intelligence analyst whose knowledge of the latest Russian president (Ciaran Hinds) earns him a trip to the Kremlin with CIA Director William Cabot (Morgan Freeman). However, when Ryan and Cabot realize the Russian officials have lied to them about three missing nuclear technicians, an operative named John Clark (Liev Schreiber) is dispatched to get to the bottom of the deception. Before long, Ryan discovers that a neo-Nazi named Richard Dressler (Alan Bates) has stashed a Russian-made nuclear bomb in Baltimore in the hopes of starting a cataclysmic conflict between Russia and the United States. Racing against time, Ryan tries to prevent an explosion, warn the President (James Cromwell) of the danger, and thwart a manufactured nuclear war.

Despite my affinity for Affleck, I rather enjoyed 'The Sum of All Fears.' While it has little to do with the novel that inspired it, it isn't just a "slick-looking mess" like some critics have suggested. Evaluated on its own terms, director Phil Alden Robinson's revamp is a solid thriller that takes quite a few brave and unexpected turns (a big one in particular). The screenplay effortlessly balances it's intrigue and action, adds palpable tension to the hunt for the nuclear bomb, and strips the characters and story of extraneous subplots that would cloud the central conflict. At first I was worried the film would feel hollow next to meatier Clancy fare like 'Clear and Present Danger,' but it actually works and keep things moving along at a brisk pace. More importantly, Freeman and Cromwell inject legitimate gravitas into a script that could have been trite and cliché, Schreiber and Bates deliver respectable supporting performances that give the film more realistic interpretations of a superspy and a Bond Villain-of-the-Month, and notable faces like Bruce McGill, Philip Baker Hall, and John Beasley help modernize Ryan's world and make it more authentic.

And Affleck? All bias aside, the young actor does a fine job channeling Harrison Ford's bewildered action-hero mannerisms and Alec Baldwin's defiant charm. The only scenes that sag involve Jack Ryan's girlfriend, Dr. Catherine Muller (Bridget Moynahan) -- Moynahan and Affleck's interactions are passable, but you can tell the screenwriters and the actors considered the relationship between the future Mr. and Mrs. Ryan to be an inevitable plot device that didn't warrant a lot of investment. Aside from these minor characterization missteps, 'The Sum of All Fears' suffers from a few more dehabilitating problems. Its plot developments seem a bit contrived, characters are shuffled around the board as if they're chess pieces rather than real people, and the third act is a relative disappointment (especially in light of the jaw-dropping, second act clincher). None of these issues particularly ruin the movie, but they do lessen the overall impact and make the film feel more like a by-the-numbers thriller than a Tom Clancy spider web.

As it stands, 'The Sum of All Fears' squeaks by 'Patriot Games' to become my third favorite Jack Ryan film. I would have enjoyed it more if it offered the double-crosses and character twists that populate 'Clear and Present Danger' or the plausible plot developments and performance weight of 'The Hunt for Red October,' but I still thought it was a lot better than most people seem to think. While anyone looking for a thought-provoking sequel to the established series will probably be disappointed with Paramount's efforts, those looking for an above-average thriller and an overhaul of Clancy's aging character will dig the results.