90s American action thrillers always deliver what's expected of them and Patriot Games has some great action but by using the IRA as the bad guys with a healthy dose of distracting accents, it also has a level of stupidity that's unusually hard to accept. It's still refreshingly small scale though, as all the action and espionage culminates in a personal tale of revenge.
Harrison Ford has always played action heroes who are a little more human so him taking on the role of Jack Ryan feels as natural as possible. It's cool to see him share several scenes with Samuel L. Jackson, especially since this is before he became truly famous and even with a distracting accent, Sean Bean remains a solid villain.
Philip Noyce's direction lays on the English and Irish stereotypes thick and fast, making up for it when it comes to the action sequences which all have the required tension and danger. James Horner's is completely serious and makes the personal stakes feel as important as possible, even if also can't help indulging in some stereotypes.
Harrison Ford has always played action heroes who are a little more human so him taking on the role of Jack Ryan feels as natural as possible. It's cool to see him share several scenes with Samuel L. Jackson, especially since this is before he became truly famous and even with a distracting accent, Sean Bean remains a solid villain.
Philip Noyce's direction lays on the English and Irish stereotypes thick and fast, making up for it when it comes to the action sequences which all have the required tension and danger. James Horner's is completely serious and makes the personal stakes feel as important as possible, even if also can't help indulging in some stereotypes.
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