PATRIOT GAMES
A film review by Sarah M. Elkins
Copyright 1992 Sarah M. Elkins
PATRIOT GAMES: "prequel" to THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER; based on the novel by Tom Clancy (which I have not read).
Plot/kick-off: The kickoff was one of the most exciting parts of the movie to me, so I'll skip it and just say Jack Ryan and his family become the targets of an IRA splinter group of terrorists. He enlists the aid of the CIA for protection.
Characters/acting: very different from THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. Harrison Ford plays Ryan believably and with charm. Anne Archer looks beautifully vulnerable, but what with her similar roles in *Narrow Margin* and *Fatal Attraction*, I could have used a new face or or maybe more attention in the script for her jep role. Patrick Bergen is competent as the leader of the terrorists; I liked the actress who played his terrorist girlfriend but didn't think her disguise made much sense. James Earle Jones was the only actor also in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.
Cinematography/FX: A couple of good chase scenes; I thought the most unique scene in the movie was the live satellite observation.
Score/Sound: didn't much notice, though I thought the music was familiar (not from THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER; from some other movie/score).
Violence: Lots of bullets flying and some hitting; a few bloody faces; not a lot of gore compared with many recent action movies
Language: some profanity
Skin/situations: one scene with a couple in bed, male nude mostly covered by mostly-undressed female; not long or graphic
Analysis: decent thriller, no major flaws, but a bit predictable. I would have cut out most of the scenes from the terrorists' viewpoints, and perhaps put in more of the analysis work that Ryan and the CIA must have done.
-Sarah elkins.wbst139@xerox.com
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