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Reviews |
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Source:
rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup
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CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER returns Harrison Ford to the screen as Jack Ryan (PATRIOT GAMES), now taking over as the Deputy Director for Intelligence of the CIA from James Earl Jones. Unfortunately for him, the President of the United States, played by Donald Moffat, is once again planning an illegal war, and Ryan is supposed to be the fall guy.
This is a conventional spy-thriller, as you'd expect. I found it a little bit boring towards the end. Somehow this kind of action film doesn't seem to me to be quite suitable for Ford, though he's played them often enough. I'm thinking of THE FUGITIVE, where Ford and the bad guy, both middle-aged, spend fifteen minutes or so running around bashing each other. Something very much like that happens again here. It's like watching those B-grade sci-fi flicks of the Fifties, made with plastic-model dinosaurs, which always seem to move with jerky slowness, even when they're trying to bite each other's arms off.
The thing I liked best about this film is Anne Archer, who plays Ryan's wife in a small role. She's aging, beautifully. There are not many roles for middle-aged women anywhere; they get discarded once they can no longer play someone in their twenties, regardless of how talented they are (Meryl Streep), as stewardesses used to be. I'm happy Anne Archer, at least has found a part she to which she can bring her elegant beauty for at least a few more years.
Willem Dafoe puts in a nice turn as the ambiguously evil free-lance CIA operative who runs the war. But I would've preferred Chuck Norris in this role. After all, we know Dafoe can play this kind of part, can Norris? He would've fit the action-hero scenes better, too.
Harrison Ford doesn't get to use his trademark confused-intensity look here much. He says it himself, "I hate this job." He's supposed to be much more of a direct-action type here than he was, say, in PATRIOT GAMES, where his family was at risk. His only conflict is over loyalty to the President, which is oddly downplayed in Philip Royce's direction (given that its the only source of dramatic conflict.) As a result, he just doesn't have that much to be confused about. Pity.
The script is about average for this kind of film. I've given up expecting great attention to detail; it just doesn't seem to be an issue anymore. For example, when Ryan buys something expensive, you'd think that no one in the world has ever gone to a South American country pretending to be associated with the CIA and trying to get something for nothing, or South Americans are unbelievably stupid. Or the nonsense about breaking into computers, or a scene which reminded me of the joke about a blackmailer handing his intended victim an incriminating photograph: "Be careful, that's the only copy I've got."
Overall, it's an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours, but not a terribly entertaining way. It's not as good as TRUE LIES, though you may find yourself put off by TRUE LIES tongue-in-cheek approach to spy thrillers (though I didn't.) This is meat-and-potatoes fare, served up a little too cold.
By : Jon A. Webb
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Source:
rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup
Rating:
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"How dare you, sir!" Harrison Ford yells near the end of the film, that has us all screaming, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" After enduring about two hours of watching Jack Ryan getting pushed around like some shopping cart we get to witness Ford's irresistible anger as he lays it all down on the President. Amidst the amount of political garble and CIA research, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER delivers yet other tally for the Tom Clancy chalkboard.
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER is about a successful drug dealer who orders the death of two senators, one being the President's friend. So now in a fit of rage the President announces that there in a fact a clear and present danger in Columbia and against all drug dealers from Columbia. The book was in fact based in Mexico instead of South America, however it really makes no difference in this movie. After the President makes his speech, he takes $650 million that was issued to them to help stop the drug cartel in Columbia with strict orders not to use any military or troops to fight the war on drugs. Ryan answers back with, "No troops."
So now it gets interesting. With Ryan's word, the President break the promise and uses the money to finance a small army that is under strict cover from any outside sources. William Dafoe's character is an ex-marine and heads the mission personally from Columbia. Dafoe's army conquers a few planes and factories when suddenly a hit on a house become futile. Ryan hears the news and immediately becomes suspicious. Suddenly the army is cut off and now Ryan has to choose what's more important: The elimination of drugs or the truth.
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER is far better than PATRIOT GAMES, but not as cunning and resourceful as THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. Nonetheless, Danger gives Ford another notch in his almost perfect movie record. Not only is CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER interesting, but automatically assumes that the audience is in fact smart enough to know what's going on. Moreover, watching Ford down the President like it was his job was well worth the $6.50.
By : Chris Klecker
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