Patriot Games (1992)

The book was better -- more intellectually taut -- but the movie is still a visceral thrill. Of the Tom Clancy book-based movies, I prefer Clear and Present Danger overall but Patriot Games has its moments. Harrison Ford delivers a better Jack Ryan -- everyman, patriotic, and "cowboy" -- than Alec Baldwin. Sean Bean is insanely intense in his hatred as an ultra-extreme ex-IRA terrorist. The highway attack is gripping but the home attack seems perfunctory when compared to the book. 4 stars.