It's nice to look back to the older espionage style movies and this is a classic. Solid storyline with quality characters by tallented actors and actresses. Although generic by nature to the nineties spy genre they differe somewhat from the "Bourne-esque" movies we're seeing now.

Harrison Ford plays a fantastic character and puts ona terrific performance. If you're a fan of thought provoking storylines with incidents of intense action dotted throughout then this is a film for you.

It manages to balance the need for storyline and action without dumbing down the overall feel of the film. Some modern films feel overwhelmed with the action however this balances story and action almost perfectly.

A good template and example for spy films of this generation.

Harrison Ford returns as CIA agent Jack Ryan for the second time.
This is a better film than Patriot Games, Ryan this time gets appointed acting CIA deputy director of intelligence, and his first asignment is to investigate the murder of one of the presidents best friends, a prominent U.S. businessman with a secret connection to the Colombian drug cartels, But unknown to Ryan, the CIA have already dispatched a crack team to set a private black op war on the cartels. Ryan is cought in the crossfire, and has to take matters into his own hands, risking every thing.
The film has a much better story than Patriot Games, Ford has made the role his, and some of the action scenes, even now are outstanding, a good example is the RPG attack on the CIA convoy. Also the scene where the camera follows a lazer guided bomb all the way to it's target, is well executed. The film is long, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat for the whole running time.
Anybody who is a fan of the Bourne Trilogy or the recent The Kingdome should buy this high tech thriller now!

No movie could ever, EVER do a Tom Clancy novel full justice. The trademarks of Clancy's novels are a fascinating plot, a great tempo to the story, brilliant action and the way he makes it enjoyable/sometimes amusing.

However I have to give the film makers credit - they have squeezed every last minute out of the 2 hrs available to make this an excellent movie! The trademarks are all there. Also the representation of the Ryan character is brilliant - his honesty, ingenuity and, his best quality - fury at betrayal. This provides the brilliant tempo and amusement I mentioned, to see how Ryan thinks on his feet to make the best of a terrible situation.

Then there is "Potomac Two Step" scene - which, although only a few minutes long is worth the price of the DVD alone. 'The other party' thinks he has Ryan cornered and under control... Ford plays it brilliant - showing fury, dignity, and not one bit of fear in the face of authority.