Jack Ryan. It’s a name that’s synonymous with action, intrigue, and, more often than not, the fate of the free world. Tom Clancy’s brilliant CIA analyst first burst onto the screen in the excellent “The Hunt for Red October”, but Ryan (as portrayed by Alec Baldwin) served as something of a second fiddle to Sean Connery’s  conflicted Russian submarine captain, Marko Ramius. The success of that film spawned the idea for a sequel, but, due to scheduling issues, Baldwin found himself replaced by Harrison Ford (who was originally offered the role of Ryan in Hunt, but turned it down because he felt that the script focused too much on Connery’s character), and, with a proven box-office commodity headlining the bill, a “new” franchise was born.

While on vacation in London, Jack Ryan literally stumbles into an I.R.A. plot to kidnap high-ranking British official, Lord William Holmes (James Fox). Ryan instinctively intervenes, and manages to subdue the volatile Sean Miller (Sean Bean), but not before gunning down Miller’s younger brother in self-defense. Jack is lauded for his efforts, while the seething Miller is sentenced to rot in prison. Meanwhile, Kevin O’Donnell (Patrick Bergen), the mastermind behind the attempted abduction, senses the I.R.A. disapproves of his methods, and, when a he takes out a hit squad sent to kill him, O’Donnell decides to go rogue, and intercepts the convoy bringing Miller to prison so that he can free his young apprentice.  While O’Donnell wants to lay low and train for the team’s next big mission, Miller wants revenge for his brother’s murder, and he’ll go to any lengths necessary to get it.

Patriot Games is a superb thriller buoyed by a fantastic cast that includes Anne Archer, Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, and Richard Harris among others. This lends a sense of real class to a film already sporting two great performances by Ford and Bean. It’s also much more cerebral than the typical action flick, and, in one of the film’s standout moments, in which Ryan is forced to watch a satellite feed of an S.A.S. team assaulting a camp, the viewer gets a genuine sense of Ryan’s distaste for the darker side of the CIA (and also a sense that this was his impetus for “retiring” from the Agency). Sure there are some loopholes and lapses in logic (I can see how a Libyan freighter can get O’Donnell’s squad from Britain to North Africa, but how was it, exactly, that Miller and his cohorts got into the U.S. during their first attempt on Ryan and his family?), but, overall, this is a great thriller that really captures the essence of Clancy’s character.

Paramount unleashes Patriot Games with a solid 2.35:1 1080p transfer that features a nice amount of detail despite an occasional softness and grain inherent with the source material. This was never a terribly “vibrant” film, as much of it was shot in overcast weather, nighttime, or in bland indoor settings (I especially like how the CIA analysts area looks like pretty much any other cubicle filled office).  This results in a fairly neutral color palette, but one that is given added depth by solid blacks and general overall clarity. The nice detail actually drew my eye to some background stuff I’d never noticed before, including one funny bit that I have to assume was an inside joke. Watch for the street sign behind Ryan in the scene where he’s leaving the Naval Academy at Annapolis (just before Miller’s jogging suit buddy tries to take him down). The street sign says HANOVER ST., which was the title of Ford’s post-“Star Wars” WWII romance flick.

Yes, I’m a font of useless information.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track is just as impressive as the video transfer, with a strong, clear mix, crystal clear dialogue, and well-defined highs and throbbing lows. Everything from the “ping” of a silenced pistol to the rumble of an explosion is perfectly articulated and immersive.

Supplements are fairly light for this catalog title, and feature a short-but-informative standard definition making-of documentary, Patriot Games up Close, as well as the trailer for the film presented in HD.

I’m a sucker for Tom Clancy stuff, and, luckily, most of the film adaptations of his work have been remarkably solid, with Patriot Games standing shoulder to shoulder with Hunt for Red October as the best of the adaptations. Paramount’s Blu-ray presentation, while short on extras, gives the film a great HD makeover that will surely please fans of the series, and make new fans out of those yet to see this fantastic flick.