Patriot Games (1992)

IMDb plot summary: When CIA analyst Jack Ryan interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets him and his family for revenge.

Directed by Phillip Noyce. Stars Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, and Patrick Bergin.

Patriot Games is a Jack Ryan movie starring Harrison Ford as Ryan, who intercepts two brothers trying to kill a British lord and, in the process, kills one of them. The living assassin makes it his life’s mission to get revenge on Ryan for his brother’s death. I don’t really know this franchise at all, but I’d always assumed more political intrigue, while really this one primarily comes down to one man and his family being personally harassed. I’m not complaining – that’s a more interesting story to me, and the assassin, played by Sean Bean, ends up being the most fascinating character as he continuously throws his cause under the bus to carry out his personal revenge. The pacing is pretty solid, as it’s a long film but moves along quickly enough that it doesn’t FEEL long. It doesn’t make me want to watch anything else in the franchise – Ryan himself is by far the least interesting piece here – but this was enjoyable enough.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Patriot Games (1992)

📊 Ranked #2315/4058 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 42

lost to King Kong (#2025 → #2015)

beat Hour of the Wolf (#3039 → #3037)

beat Only You (held at #2531)

lost to Drive (#2278 → #2274)

beat Thoughtcrimes (#2404 → #2406)

beat Dr. No (#2341 → #2371)

beat Pokémon: The First Movie (held at #2309)

beat About Last Night... (#2293 → #2307)

beat Dr. Seuss on the Loose (#2285 → #2508)

beat A Tale of Two Sisters (#2281 → #2285)

beat Dhamaal (held at #2279)