Clear and Present Danger

Like Patriot Games and The Hunt for Red October before it, Clear and Present Danger takes liberties with its source material. Whether this is "good" or not will be left to Clancy-o-philes to mull over. With all the hype attendant to it, however, this particular Jack Ryan adventure is somewhat disappointing. Beneath its posturing as a "techno-thriller", Clear and Present Danger is really little more than a high-class blast-and-bang festival. It's Sniper with more plot, …

…the straightforward John Grisham thriller that dealt less effectively with high-up Washington corruption. Nevertheless, whether because of or in spite of Clear and Present Danger's involved plot, too many corners are cut. The uneven flow is as likely to lead to a snoozing viewer as to one on the edge of their seat. Clear and Present Danger is enjoyable, but it's a shallow enjoyment that doesn't leave me hungering for Paramount Pictures' next Clancy adaptation.