Made between The Fugitive and Air Force One, Patriot Games was Harrison Ford at the peak of his post Star Wars/Indiana Jones popularity. As in those other two movies, Ford plays his patented "average family guy" caught up in something big and dangerous. Even though his character's only differences are their occupations, Ford's charm still draws you in and you still, of course, root for him to succeed. Both Alec Baldwin and Ben Affleck have played the role of Jack Ryan, but Harrison Ford found the most success with it.

In Patriot Games, former CIA analyst Jack Ryan is in London to make a speech and do some sight seeing with his wife and daughter. Fate steps in and Jack becomes a hero saving a member of the royal family from some terrorists. In the process, he shoots and kills one of the terrorist leaders' brother. The terrorist, Sean, changes his focus from the British royals to getting revenge on Jack by going after his family. With the help of his friends in the U.S. government, Jack goes about protecting his family and capturing Sean.

Patriot Games moves along quickly, while paying great attention to detail. Notice the red pony tail in the car just before the royals get attacked. It plays heavily in helping Jack further in the film. While in London, Jack calls someone house sitting for them in the States and reminds them to take care of his daughter's gold fish. It is a set up for a punch line that comes later in the movie.

Phillip Noyce knows exactly how to direct this movie. He builds to action scenes and creates the right level of tension during them. One of the best examples is early on when Kevin quietly and calmly sits in his home watching a music video while wouldbe killers surround his home. The moment is shattered by a shotgun blast exploding through a door. The best action scene is the climactic chase and fight on speed boats at night. The amazing thing is that the entire scene was filmed in a pool. In most of the shots, the boats are not even actually moving but look as if they are. Noyce would reunite with Ford to direct Clear and Present Danger two years later, but he has yet to have another movie as successful as these two.

Patriot Games succeeds in every way except for in its politics. Sean is in an off shoot of the IRA. Harris plays a foreign lobbyist who ends up helping Jack. Annette assassinates another Irish terrorist. Americans, in general, never really took that much interest in what was going on with Ireland's religious civil war in the first place. After 9/11, it all seems like some events from a different generation. This movie is great but it already seems very dated. Tom Clancy is big on details, but the movie could have benefitted from editing even more of the politics out of the movie based on his book.

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