The last of Harrison Ford's outings as Jack Ryan (following PATRIOT GAMES), CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER is a classy outing that throws the star into the middle of a drugs war between Colombian cocaine barons and some highly corrupt American officials. Along the way, he must contend with an ineffectual President (THE THING's Donald Moffat), an ailing buddy (the ever excellent James Earl Jones) and a mercenary leader (the scene stealing Willem Dafoe).
The movie is well shot and entertaining, never better than when detailing the cyber hijinks between Ford and corporate schmuck Henry Czerny or an excellent ambush set-piece halfway through. The first half is a little slow but things really pick up for the second, which depicts a complex situation south of the border with no less than three sides competing for dominance and Ford caught in the middle. We get a solid turn from Ford and a deliciously tough bad guy performance from Joaquim de Almeida, alongside well-shot action and a climax that doesn't hold back.
The movie is well shot and entertaining, never better than when detailing the cyber hijinks between Ford and corporate schmuck Henry Czerny or an excellent ambush set-piece halfway through. The first half is a little slow but things really pick up for the second, which depicts a complex situation south of the border with no less than three sides competing for dominance and Ford caught in the middle. We get a solid turn from Ford and a deliciously tough bad guy performance from Joaquim de Almeida, alongside well-shot action and a climax that doesn't hold back.