Reviewed by Mike Crowl
Two thirds of the way through Clear and Present Danger, a confrontation occurs between Jack Ryan, played by Harrison Ford, and one of the bad eggs on the White House staff - we know he's a bad egg from the beginning, because he sneers. The bad egg claims Ryan sees morality in black and white; Ryan says it's not a matter of black and white, it's a matter of right and wrong.
Ryan is a curious anomaly in a modern movie: he's a man who believes there is right and wrong, and who has the integrity to act on that principle even when nearly all of those around him behave as though principles have no place in a modern world. Ryan's morality keeps him going through the toughest situations. He'd be an interesting character to explore, but in spite of its two and a half hours, this movie doesn't have time to do it. Besides, its plot permutations are basically old-fashioned cops and robbers disguised under the highest of high tech. No one really has time to think much about anything, let alone integrity.
Morals and integrity apart, this is a superb example of Hollywood's world-class ability to produce thrillers, as well as their ability to improve on Tom Clancy's pedestrian and over-detailed approach in the original novel. It's also an example of how much money Hollywood is prepared to spend on a movie that's presold because audiences know the story and the characters.
The film opens with a sea-chase which includes an expensive two second bird's eye view of the two boats. Helicopters and planes abound throughout the story, and at one point an aircraft carrier makes an imposing twenty second appearance. The piece de resistance, however, must be the edge-of-the-seat sequence when one of the White House envoys is assassinated. This is a grim and nasty business, but it's also utterly gripping. Cars and men are thrust round in a hectic and terrifying ballet, while more vehicles explode than we thought we started out with. (Harrison Ford, being the hero, comes out of it all with barely a scratch, though he does wind up with a chipped eyebrow in a later skirmish.)
The violence in this movie is frequent, but it's violence of the older, comic book style: there isn't much blood, and very little dwelling on gory details. So see this movie if Clancy's state-of-the-art stories interest you; see it for Harrison Ford's consistent ability to portray sincerity; and see it if you enjoy professional work at its best in every sphere (particularly the superb deep-focus photography).
copyright 1997 Mike Crowl
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