Starting with the 1990 movie The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy the franchise films took on subjects that were very hot to handle, the United States vs the Soviet Union, Colombian Cartels, terrorism and more. While the movies that include Patriot Games 1992, Clear and Present Danger 1994, The Sum of All Fears 2002 and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit 2014 are a work of fiction, they tie into true events. The cerebral action thrillers each have their own storyline, but the main character is the catalyst and the meat of each story.
Now on 4K for the first time, the UHD 2160p films are pristine and throw the image on the 4k screen as if it were theater quality. All 5 films come in a collection with accompanying Blu-ray of each and Digital HD codes. Even if you have seen all five, this presentation should outweigh anything that has been released on home video in the past. Nicely contained in a flip-box, this quintet should fit nicely into your library for quick reference and enjoyment.
What’s cool about the films is the aging of the actors who played the leads in the 5 titles. It’s a look in the past at fine performances by actors who have gone on to be household names. In The Hunt for Red October, a Russian atomic submarine intellectual thriller, we find the aging Sean Connery as the Russian Captain Marko Ramius caught up in a decision to defect. In this film we catch up with the young Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan, a CIA Analyst, going head to head with Ramius. Both give decent performances in the lead roles. The one downside that Connery brings to the show is his Scottish accent. The brogue detracts a bit from the tough persona that would be expected from a Russian Captain.
Two years later Patriot Games gets released with Raiders of the Lost Ark star young Harrison Ford in the role of Jack Ryan. Already a seasoned CIA Analyst, Ryan finds himself at the center of a plot by the Irish Revolutionary Army to assassinate British Parliament officials. When Ryan foils an attack following his speech at the Royal Naval Academy, it becomes a race for his life as the IRA targets him and his family. Two years later Harrison Ford returns as Jack Ryan in Clear and Present Danger. Still looking chipper he makes the role work with a sterling performance that turns the film into a winner. In this one Ryan temporarily makes CIA Director of Intelligence and has to deal with Colombian drug cartels who attack the family of a friend of the US President.
It’s not until 2002, some eight years later that The Sum of All Fears comes to the big screen. Harrison Ford has aged out and has moved on to films like K-19: The Widowmaker. (That is actually a fun movie). In his place as Jack Ryan enters Ben Affleck, who has been increasing his worth with films like Pearl Harbor. It’s a big break for Affleck who still has his youth to play the energetic Ryan. While his performance doesn’t get him any awards, it does put him in the running for some good movies that followed in his career. In this film a nuclear bomb has accidentally dropped in a terrorist nation in 1973 during a mission and doesn’t explode. During an excavation project the bomb gets discovered and sold to an arms dealer. When the terrorists use it to make it look like the Russians are attacking Chechnya, Ryan is sent to investigate. It’s a fun film with performances by the young Morgan Freeman and James Cromwell.
It isn’t until twelve years later that the franchise gets rebooted with upcoming star Chris Pine as Jack Ryan in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. He had just completed two Star Trek films and has garnered a lot of attention from film studios. He has amassed 25 film and TV credits to his name. The youthful star takes on the role making it his icon and turning it into more of an action film than an analytical thriller. The film tells the story of Lt. Jack Ryan’s “beginning” and shows how he was injured in the Marines during a Helicopter crash, tended by a nurse that becomes his future wife, gets recruited into the CIA and then gets involved in a major plot to discredit the United States by Russia. This in my estimation is the best of the five and should be watched first if you haven’t seen all of the collection.
There you have it, a tough to beat collection of one of the best writer’s in the business. But, there’s more as the discs have bonus features;
The Hunt for Red October:
“Commentary by Director John McTiernan”
“Beneath the Surface” McTiernan, Alec Baldwin, screenwriter Larry Ferguson, actor James Earl Jones and more talk about the making of the film.
Patriot Games:
“Patriot Games up Close” A making of feature with Harrison Ford and Director Phillip Noyce
Clear and Present Danger:
“Behind the Danger” the making of features the cast, and Director Phillip Noyce.
The Sum of All Fears:
“Commentary by Director Phil Alden Robinson and Cinematographer John Lindsey”
“Commentary by Director Phil Alden Robinson and Novelist Tom Clancy”
“The Making of The Sum of All Fears” with Robinson, crew and cast
“Creating Reality: the Visual Effects of The Sum of All Fears” featuring the FX crew
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit:
“Commentary by Director Kenneth Branagh and Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura”
“Jack Ryan: The Smartest Guy in the Room” a good look at the CIA Analyst
“Sir Kenneth Branagh: The Tsar of Shadow Recruit” Branagh’s stellar directing is explored
“Jack Ryan: A Thinking Man of Action” more about Jack
“Old Enemies Return” interesting retrospect
“Deleted and Extended Scenes”
The clarity, sound and scope is exciting, very realistic looking and in some cases gorgeous on the 4K system of 4K player and 4k television. The rich vivid colors pop and the depth of field look almost like 3D. The sound is wall to wall using my extended sound system bar and in some cases you can even hear the snapping of glass, ripping of elements in an explosion and much, much more. Except in a very few cases there was now grain and unless it is intentional the films were in sharp focus.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good collection of films that are worthy of any library. (5 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
MOVIES: The Hunt for Red October (Action Adventure Thriller 135 min.), Patriot Games (Action Thriller 116 min.), Clear and Present Danger (Action Crime Drama 141 min.), The Sum of All Fears (Action Drama Thriller 123 min.), and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Action Drama thriller 105 min.)
Novels by: Tom Clancy
Video Release Date: August 21, 2018
Language: English, English Descriptive Audio, plus foreign selections
Reviewed Format: 4K, Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio
Video: 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray
Subtitles: English, English SDH, plus foreign selections
Number of Discs: 10 discs
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Released in: 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, Digital HD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
