CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 6.9
Date Released: 8/3/94 Running Length: 2:24 Rated: PG-13 (Language, violence)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, James Earl Jones, Anne Archer, Henry Czerny, Joaquim de Almeida, Harris Yulin, Donald Moffat Director: Phillip Noyce Producers: Mace Neufeld and Robert Rehme Screenplay: Donald Stewart, Steven Zallian, and John Milius based on the novel by Tom Clancy Cinematography: Donald M. McAlpine Music: James Horner Released by Paramount Pictures
Like PATRIOT GAMES and THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER before it, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER takes liberties with its source material. Whether this is "good" or not will be left to Clancy-o-philes to mull over. With all the hype attendant to it, however, this particular Jack Ryan adventure is somewhat disappointing. Beneath its posturing as a "techno-thriller", CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER is really little more than a high-class blast-and-bang festival. It's SNIPER with more plot, a better cast, and an hour of extra running time.
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER is all plot and no characters. The people running around on screen have about as much depth as the sheen of sweat on Harrison Ford's forehead. Jack Ryan is the most disappointing of all. He's disgustingly virtuous: a flawless fighter for good and justice, a Superman without the cape. I spent half the movie wondering if this guy was ever going to show anything to mark him as vaguely human.
The story is exceptionally, and often needlessly, convoluted. This comes as a result of attempting to retain some of the flavor of a long, complex novel. More attention is demanded of the audience than is probably necessary for this sort of movie. A little lapse of vigilance is all that's necessary to lose your way, yet the ultimate payoff doesn't seem worth it for those who manage to navigate the film's labyrinthine twists.
A massacre on board a boat in the South Caribbean starts in motion the wheels of vengeance in Washington. One of the victims could claim a friendship with the President of the United States in addition to his connections to the South American Cali drug cartel, from whom he had stolen more than $600 million. So, under the command of the battle- hardened Clark (Willem Dafoe), an elite team of soldiers is sent into Columbia to assassinate the drug lord responsible for the shipboard slaughter.
Meanwhile, Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones), the Deputy Director of the CIA, is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Unable to continue his job, he asks Jack Ryan (Ford) to take over for him. Ryan does so, only to end up in the middle of a high-level coverup. >From Washington to Columbia and back again, Ryan attempts to disinter the truth while certain nervous factions of the government seek to have him killed or, failing that, set up as a fall guy.
Some of the technical elements of CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER are fascinating (principally because the movie actually gets a lot of this stuff right), and there are several well-executed action scenes (even if Harrison Ford is getting a little old to be getting involved in so many fist fights). There's also a moment of cinematic flare where the proceedings of a normal funeral are intercut with those of a very untraditional - and bloody - one.
As can be seen in CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, there's only so much a performer can do with a sketchily-written role. With parts of minimal importance and limited visibility, Anne Archer and James Earl Jones are vastly underused. Harrison Ford, the man with top billing, is steady (as usual), but unexceptional. There will be no "best acting" nominations from this film.
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER boasts excellent sound - too bad the pedestrian visuals aren't of equal quality. In a time when good special effects are the standard, the viewer has a right to expect more from a picture of this magnitude than a cheesy-looking smart missile.
At least there's more complexity evident here than in THE PELICAN BRIEF, the straightforward John Grisham thriller that dealt less effectively with high-up Washington corruption. Nevertheless, whether because of or in spite of CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER's involved plot, too many corners are cut. The uneven flow is as likely to lead to a snoozing viewer as to one on the edge of their seat. CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER is enjoyable, but it's a shallow enjoyment that doesn't leave me hungering for Paramount Pictures' next Clancy adaptation.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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