''Patriot Games'' is a 1992 American
action thriller film directed by
Phillip Noyce and based on
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have b ...
's 1987
novel of the same name. The film is a
sequel to the 1990 film ''
The Hunt for Red October
''The Hunt for Red October'' is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cut ...
'', but with different actors in the leading roles,
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
starring as
Jack Ryan and
Anne Archer
Anne Archer (born August 24, 1947) is an American actress. Archer was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971, and in the year following, appeared in her feature film debut '' The Honkers'' (1972). She had supporting roles in '' Cancel My Reservation'' ...
as his wife.
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
reprises his role as Admiral James Greer. The cast also includes
Sean Bean,
Patrick Bergin,
Thora Birch,
Samuel L. Jackson,
James Fox, and
Richard Harris.
The film premiered in theaters in the United States on June 5, 1992, and spent two weeks as the No. 1 film, grossing $178,051,587 worldwide at the box office. The film received a mixed reception from critics, with controversies due to changes from the source material and the film's portrayal of the
Northern Ireland conflict.
During production Clancy also repeatedly voiced his displeasure with the adaptation.
The following film in the
series, ''
Clear and Present Danger'' (1994), also starred Ford and Archer.
Plot
Former
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
analyst Jack Ryan now teaches history at the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
. In
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
with his physician wife, Cathy, and their young daughter Sally, Ryan witnesses and intervenes in a terrorist kidnapping attempt on Lord William Holmes, the British
Minister of State for Northern Ireland and a cousin to the Queen. Ryan is wounded but disarms one terrorist and fatally shoots two others, then subdues Sean Miller. Among those killed is Miller's younger brother. All belong to a radical
IRA splinter cell led by Kevin O'Donnell. Shortly after the incident, IRA operatives attempt and fail to assassinate O'Donnell, considering him and his followers too radical.
Miller is tried and convicted. As he is being transported to
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...
, O'Donnell and his comrades ambush the police convoy, killing the guards and freeing Miller. Fleeing to
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
, O'Donnell plans the next attempt on Lord Holmes. Miller vows to avenge his brother's death, and O'Donnell allows him, O'Donnell's lover, Annette, and several others to travel to the US to assassinate Ryan. Meanwhile,
British police
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most law enforcement is carried out by police officers serving in regional po ...
have determined that an
informant
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informant ...
has been tipping off the terrorists and are surveilling a book shop owner who is an IRA operative.
Back in the United States, Ryan is informed about Miller's escape. Soon after, he narrowly survives an assassination attempt by Miller's accomplices, while Miller simultaneously targets Cathy while she drives home to Anapolis on the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge, causing her car to crash into a highway divider, seriously injuring Sally, who has to have a
splenectomy. Ryan's former CIA superior, Vice Admiral James Greer, asks Ryan to rejoin the agency to help capture the terrorists. While investigating, Ryan recalls glimpsing a red-headed woman during the attacks on him and Lord Holmes. Ryan approaches
Sinn Fein representative Paddy O'Neil for information. O'Neil denies IRA involvement and denounces the attacks, but refuses to betray any fellow Irishmen. Ryan threatens to sabotage O'Neil's American fundraising efforts by showing images of his hospitalized daughter to the media. O'Neil eventually relents and identifies the red-haired female accomplice as an Englishwoman (Annette). Finding her will lead to Miller. Satellite analysis indicates that Miller and O'Donnell are at a terrorist training camp in
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
. The
Special Air Service raid the camp, killing everyone, though Miller, O'Donnell, and their cohorts have already fled to North America to coincide with Lord Holmes's visit there.
While Lord Holmes is at the Ryan residence to present Ryan's
KCVO medal, a severe thunderstorm apparently knocks out the house's power. Ryan notices the boat-house lights are still on, and he is unable to radio any
DSS agents or state troopers guarding the premises. He deduces the house's power was deliberately cut and fears an imminent attack. Ryan realizes that Holmes' assistant, Watkins, is the informant and forces him to reveal information. Outside, O'Donnell, Miller, and their team have killed all security personnel, then infiltrate the house. After Ryan and his Naval Academy associate, Lt. Commander Robby Jackson, eliminate several terrorists, Ryan lures O'Donnell, Miller, and Annette into pursuing him on open water in their waiting speed boats. Upon realizing it is a ruse, O'Donnell demands they return and complete their mission to abduct and ransom Holmes. Miller, crazed with revenge against Ryan, refuses, then fatally shoots O'Donnell and Annette. He leaps aboard Ryan's boat where a struggle ensues; Ryan kills Miller and jumps overboard just before the burning boat crashes into jutting rocks and explodes. An
FBI Hostage Rescue Team arrives, rescuing Ryan.
Cast
Production
Development and casting
Viacom tried to option the rights for an
ABC television adaptation of ''Patriot Games'' after the release of the novel in 1987. However, Tom Clancy got into a legal dispute over whether he had retained the character in his deal for the
U.S. Naval Institute to publish the previous novel in the series ''
The Hunt for Red October
''The Hunt for Red October'' is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cut ...
''. In 1988, during the pre-production of the film adaptation of ''The Hunt for Red October,''
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
issued another lawsuit claiming that it had purchased the rights to the character of Jack Ryan with its $455,000 contract to adapt ''The Hunt for Red October'' and that the ABC adaptation could not move forward. Although Tom Clancy’s attorney Robert Yodelman disputed Paramount’s claim to full character rights, the lawsuit led to the project’s cancellation. After the release of ''The Hunt for Red October'', Paramount Pictures paid $2.5 million for the rights to ''
Patriot Games'' and ''
Clear and Present Danger''.
The actors who played Jack and Caroline Ryan in ''The Hunt for Red October'',
Alec Baldwin and
Gates McFadden, did not appear in the film. Baldwin was in negotiations to reprise his role, but committed to perform in ''
A Streetcar Named Desire
''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...
'' on
Broadway after filming on ''Patriot Games'' was delayed by two months.
In 2011, Baldwin claimed the role was recast due to
David Kirkpatrick forcing him to choose between performing in ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' or agreeing to an open-ended clause relating to dates for the first sequel. Baldwin further claimed this occurred after a famous actor, widely believed to be the film's eventual star Harrison Ford, offered to play Ryan. Ford was favored by both the studio and the director
John McTiernan due to a large debt the studio owed to him from
Harold Becker's unproduced historical film ''Night Ride Down'', a film about the
Pullman strike which was cancelled due to the
early 1990's recession.
McTiernan had originally desired Ford in the role in the first film and confirmed that "there was a great deal of scheming that went on to push Alec out of that part." Kirkpatrick responded to Baldwin's claims by saying that negotiations with him to reprise the role had already broken due to his insistence on script approval.
Ford signed a $9 million three-picture contract to play Ryan after Baldwin's departure.
McTiernan initially wanted to follow ''The Hunt for Red October'' by directing an adaptation of ''Clear and Present Danger'' using a script written by
John Milius.
After the studio opted to adapt ''Patriot Games'', he declined to direct because of his
Irish-American background.
Walter Hill,
Kevin Reynolds, and
John Badham were considered to replace McTiernan. Badham was almost hired but asked for too high of a fee, and
Phillip Noyce was chosen instead. Donald Stewart returned from the first film to co-write the script with W. Peter Iliff.
In the original novel, the assassination attempt was made on the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...
and many members of the
British royal family appeared as important characters. As a result, they were replaced with fictitious characters in the screenplay, with Prince Charles being replaced by Lord Holmes, a nonexistent cousin of
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was th ...
.
Filming
Shooting began on November 2, 1991. The budget was initially $28 million, but was raised to $40 million by
Brandon Tartikoff. The movie was filmed on location in areas around London, at
Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and at
Pinewood Studios. Scenes were also filmed at the
U.S. Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is ...
in
Annapolis, Maryland. Jack Ryan's home was filmed on the
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
coast and made to look like it was in Maryland.
The scenes set at a terrorist camp in Libya were filmed in the desert near
Brawley, California. To make the attack on the camp appear as infrared footage, actors wearing black body suits were filmed from a helicopter and the resulting video images were reversed in post-production.
''Patriot Games'' was the first movie to be allowed to film at the
George Bush Center for Intelligence, CIA Headquarters.
Filming also took place at
Aldwych underground station for a sequence later in the film. Harrison Ford accidentally hit Sean Bean with a boat hook while shooting the final scene; Bean has a scar over his eye as a result.
Test audiences in April 1992 responded negatively to the original ending, which had Jack Ryan and Sean Miller fighting underwater. The ending was re-shot with a more explosive finale. The reshoots and marketing caused the film's budget to expand to $65 million.
The numerous changes between the film and the novel caused Clancy to distance himself from the film production. Clancy was unhappy with the script and Ford's portrayal of Ryan.
During production asked for his name to be taken off the film. He complained that the final attack scene was "unrealistic" and that he had not been shown any rushes. He said he was not sure a film would be made of ''
Clear and Present Danger'' "because I think ''Patriot Games'' will turn out so bad." However, Tartikoff later met Clancy to show him a rough cut of the film, and assuaged his concerns enough to guarantee that he would work with the studio again.
Music
On June 9, 1992, the original motion picture soundtrack was released by the
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
music label. The film's musical score was composed by
James Horner and contains musical references to works by
Aram Khachaturian (Adagio from "Gayane" Suite) and
Dmitri Shostakovich ''(Symphony No. 5, 3rd mvt.)''. A music video is shown in an early scene featuring
Clannad
Clannad () is an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal by siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Moya Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan. They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history, including ...
's song "
Theme from Harry's Game", originally made for an
ITV drama about
The Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
in 1982. All other vocal performances featured on the soundtrack were performed by
Maggie Boyle.
In 2013, a 2-disc expanded soundtrack album was released by La-La Land Records. Limited to 3000 copies, the album contains over 50 minutes of previously unreleased music (including cues by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and
John Philip Sousa).
Reception
Critical reception
Despite receiving generally positive reviews, the film garnered controversy during its release, from Tom Clancy disowning the film, to critics complaining it was too different from the book.
Nonetheless the film has earned a 74% "Fresh" rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
based on 42 reviews. The site's consensus states: "''Patriot Games'' doesn't win many points for verisimilitude, but some entertaining set pieces -- and Harrison Ford in the central role -- more than compensate for its flaws."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
calculated an average score of 64 out of 100 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
called it "absorbing" while also commenting that Harrison Ford "once again demonstrates what a solid, convincing actor he is".
Chris Hicks of the ''
Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
'' mentioned how director Noyce gave the film "flourish and tension" while star Harrison Ford injected "a commanding sense of decency and humanity to the role of CIA analyst Jack Ryan, making it his own."
Box office
The film was a financial success, debuting at the number one position for the weekend of June 5, 1992. During that weekend, the film grossed $18,511,191 in business showing at 2,365 locations.
The film's revenue dropped by 39.5% in its second week of release, earning $11,208,134. For that particular weekend, the film remained in 1st place with an increased theater count of 2,396. ''Patriot Games'' went on to top out domestically at $83,351,587 in ticket sales and $94,700,000 in foreign business for a worldwide total of $178,051,587 through an initial 9-week theatrical run.
For 1992 as a whole, the film would cumulatively rank at a box office performance position of 14.
References
External links
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{{Phillip Noyce
1990s English-language films
1990s American films
1992 films
1992 action thriller films
1990s political thriller films
1990s spy thriller films
American action thriller films
American films about revenge
American political thriller films
American sequel films
American spy thriller films
Films about assassinations
Films about murderers
Films about terrorism in Europe
Films about the Irish Republican Army
Films about The Troubles (Northern Ireland)
Films based on American novels
Films based on military novels
Films based on works by Tom Clancy
Films directed by Phillip Noyce
Films produced by Mace Neufeld
Films scored by James Horner
Films set in Libya
Films set in London
Films set in Maryland
Films set in Northern Ireland
Films shot at Pinewood Studios
Films shot in Maryland
Films shot in Washington, D.C.
Home invasions in film
Paramount Pictures films
Ryanverse films
Films shot in Virginia
Films set in Langley, Virginia
Films shot in London
Films shot in California