I love Harrison Ford, but he just seemed lackluster in this one. I never could really buy into him as Jack Ryan and he just couldn't make it "believable" that he was anything BUT a nobody analyst. I had to keep reminding myself that Jack Ryan had this hardcore military background and could handle himself in a fight because Ford just wasn't real convincing of that. The story has a tendency to drag on longer than it needs to, and Anne Archer added zilch to the entire show; if anything she was just an annoying extra. No spoilers here but that ending blew chunks. Just totally awful. TOTALLY awful. I don't regret watching it, but I wouldn't waste the time on watching it more than once.

Patriot games is another shining example that you should trust the source material more when making movie adaptions of books. Deviate too much, and you get a whole other beast. It's not that I dislike Patriot games, especially since most of the ending is quite suspenseful, but it's not a Tom Clancy spy thriller. It's also got some pacing issues that bring the entire experience down a bit. As a standalone story, without the source material existing, I might enjoy it more. However, as it stands...I prefer the book ten out of ten times.

They mostly reuse soundtracks...mostly

The adventures of Jack Ryan continue in _Patriot Games_. When Ryan thwarts an assassination attempt on a member of the Royal Family by a fringe wing of the IRA, they vow to get revenge on him and his family. Harrison Ford takes on the role of Jack Ryan and is joined by Sean Bean, Anne Archer, and James Earl Jones. The film is full of suspense and riveting action sequences. However, the pacing is rather poor, causing the film to lose its momentum a few times. And, the story sort of comes apart in the last act. Still, despite a few issues _Patriot Games_ is a smart and thrilling action film.

The family scenes, vomitous. The IRA scenes, laughable.