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So why did the film perform as bad as it did? Because this is the dumbest Tom Clancy adaptation ever, all thanks to these changes, especially the moronic liberties they took in ignoring and altering the basic motivations which were laid out in the book. Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) gets pissed while watching IRA fuckers attacking one of the Royals, he saves the day helps bust one of the terrorists, Sean Miller (Sean Bean), and kills Miller’s brother. Ryan is a hero but also a target as Miller, who later escapes British imprisonment thanks to his friend/partner Kevin O’Donnell (Patrick Bergin) is hell-bent on revenge on both Ryan and his family.

I could rip this film to shreds based on the aberrations they inflicted on the book, which is one of the best techno-political thrillers out there, but that would be missing the point. So let’s take the film as it is, is it actually any better? No, because now, it’s a typical revenge film with some gadgetry and almost no character developments or insights into the several political connections and motivations that it makes (the whole IRA structure or a bit more on the IRA’s fight against the British), and ultimately lead off into nothing. Richard Harris’s character of an IRA fundraiser is completely flat. Not to mention that the film is full of potholes and implausible moments enough to make your stomach kick: A member of the Royal family holding a government position, gimme a fucking break; Members of the royal family can’t hold government positions, damn it. The royal family heading off with no armed escort, oh gee this Royal must be some true dumb-fuck. The mole at the Royal’s house, absolutely predictable; if the British Police didn’t see this guy within half-a-mile, then they must be the stupidest police organization at that time until the FBI showed their incompetence of hiring an IRA terrorist to track down a known assassin. The boat chase scene – ok, my head is hurting.

This film also has to be one of the dumbest executions ever by a director; in other words, Noyce had no fucking clue what he was doing or had no idea how to do an action film. And it shows, whenever an explosion is made, its shot either at the distance or the object blown up is never shown, like the case of the scene where Sean gets freed. Rarely do you see somebody get his brains shot off or whatever and that omission takes the punch out of those scenes. The big fucker was the “War game room” scene in which supposedly it’s a satellite view of the SAS forces taking out a terrorist camp where supposedly Miller and the boys are, the scene is completely chopped up and the infrared view prevents us further from knowing what the hell is going on. Why the fuck didn’t they interplay this scene with actual action going on? Truly annoying.

Harrison Ford is alright, but he doesn’t hold a candle to Alec Baldwin; his Jack Ryan is a little more hardened, inflexible and just doesn’t give the necessary emotion that he’s supposed to give as a man loving of his wife and daughter. Anne Archer as Cathy Ryan is passable, though her character needs work. Sean Bean though, shows some real screen presence and emotion and was truly a talent to watch for back then.

In the end, this film is probably only suited to die-hard Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan fans; that is if they can accept the shit that’s floating around. Personally I can’t look at this film without cringing. Pretty much a waste of what was actually a great Tom Clancy thriller. This should be shown in film schools as an example of how NOT to write and direct an action movie. 2-5

link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=834&reviewer=235
originally posted: 10/24/04 04:57:09
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