Patriot Games (1992) - Lacking story fundamentals mar Ford's first Ryan performance

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A crisp and suspense-driven design collects this enticing poster for Phillip Noyce's Patriot Games

CIA agent Jack Ryan intervenes at a London terrorist attack and kills the brother of an IRA terrorist, who later swears revenge.

 

Patriot Games is written by W. Peter Iliff (Varsity Blues (1999)) and Donald E. Stewart (Deathsport (1978)), adapting the same-titled 1987 novel by Tom Clancy (The Sum of All Fears (1991)), and directed by Phillip Noyce (God Knows Why, But It Works (1976)). It is the 2nd adaptation of a Clancy novel, coming after John McTiernan's successful The Hunt for Red October (1990), which starred Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin.

Handsome action here, and Harrison Ford (The Devil's Own (1997)) doing well in the Ryan part taken over from Baldwin, as well as the ideal James Earl Jones (The Big Bang Theory (2014, TV-series)) back as his CIA boss. But despite these qualities, Patriot Games falls through the floor with its unlikely plot about the CIA seriously being threatened by the IRA.

The story is fundamentally unsexy and lacking in credibility, and the premise is light on suspense. Later world famous villain actor Sean Bean's (The Storyteller (1988, TV-series)) participation as a crook here doesn't work against the yawns.

 

Related posts:

 

Jack Ryan franchise: The Hunt for Red October (1990) - A stellar cast shines in the first and best Clancy adaptation

Phillip Noyce: Salt (2010) - Engaged Jolie in Noyce's lacking actioner

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 42-45 mil. $ (different reports)

Box office: 178 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 4.09 times its cost)

[Patriot Games was released 5 June (North America) and runs 117 minutes. Clancy was paid 2.5 mil. $ for the rights to Patriot Games and the following novel, Clear and Present Danger. Despite this high sum, Clancy uttered disapproval of the script and other aspects of the film in the time up until its release, at which point a studio head was able to break peace with the influential author. Ford was paid 9 mil. $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from November 1991 - February 1992 in Virginia, Maryland, California and in London, UK. The budget ballooned from 28 mil. $ during production, and the ending was reshot to the tune of millions of dollars. Another approximately 20 mil. $ was used to market the film. It opened #1 to a 18.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another weekend at #1 and then another 2 in the top 5 (#3-#5), grossing 83.3 mil. $ (46.8 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave it a 2.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Jack Ryan returned in Ford's guise with Noyce back at the helm in Clear and Present Danger (1994). Noyce first returned with Sliver (1993). Ford first returned in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993, TV-series) and theatrically in The Fugitive (1993). Patriot Games is fresh at 72 % with a 6.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Patriot Games?

Salt (2010) - Engaged Jolie in Noyce's lacking actioner

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Star Angelina Jolie poses with a gun and makes 'sexy face' on this poster for Phillip Noyce's Salt

CIA agent Evelyn Salt is accused by a defected Russian spy of being a Russian agent...!

Salt is written by Kurt Wimmer (Relative Fear (1994)) and directed by Phillip Noyce (Good Afternoon (1971)).
It is a simple cat-and-mouse type action chase thriller, made with clear role-models in the James Bond and Mission: Impossible franchises. But it has neither the fun and exciting characters nor the seriously wild action of those films.
Angelina Jolie (Beyond Borders (2003)) does well in the physically demanding title role, but the plot is thin and not spectacular enough. Salt is a film that thunders away to regrettably little effect.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 110 mil. $
Box office: 293.5 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 2.66 times its cost)
[Salt premiered 19 July (Hollywood, California) and runs 104 minutes. The script was in the works since 2002, with Tom Cruise in mind to star since 2007. He turned down the offer, as the role was thought too similar to his M:I character Ethan Hunt. The script was rewritten to suit Jolie, who did a mass of stunts for the film shortly after having birthed twins. Shooting took place in New York, Washington DC and in Russia from March - June 2009, with reshoots from December - January 2010. The film opened #2, behind holdover hit Inception, to a 36 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for another 2 weeks (#3-#4) and grossed 118.3 mil. $ (40.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 23.5 mil. $ (8 %) and South Korea with 18.2 mil. $ (6.2 %). The film was nominated for the Best Sound Mixing Oscar, lost to Inception. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to 4 notches better than this one. Despite the film's success, sequel plans have not come together. Noyce returned with 5 TV credits and a short before his next theatrical feature The Giver (2014). Jolie returned in Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010, short) and theatrically in The Tourist (2010). Salt is fresh at 62 % with a 5.99/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Salt?