Clear and Present Danger

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2:32

Clear and Present Danger

PG-13

1994

2h 21m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

74%

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50,000+ Ratings

Agent Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) becomes acting deputy director of the CIA when Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones) is diagnosed with cancer. When an American businessman, and friend of the president, is murdered on a yacht, Ryan starts discovering links between the man and drug dealers. As CIA agent John Clark (Willem Dafoe) is sent to Colombia to kill drug kingpins in retaliation, Ryan must fight through multiple cover-ups to figure out what happened and who's responsible.

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Critics Consensus

Perfecting the formula established in earlier installments, Clear and Present Danger reunites its predecessor's creative core to solidly entertaining effect.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

Feb 1, 2024

The story is satisfyingly complex and the characters have been developed beyond the two-dimensional ciphers that usually serve in this kind of movie.

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Tom Tunney

Sight & Sound

Feb 6, 2020

In both novel and film, Ryan is the moral centre, but the film jettisons the book's range of supporting characters whose differing values help define his position.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Jan 13, 2010

This is the third movie with Jack as its hero, so he is a known quantity -- a humanist spook with an overdeveloped moral sense -- but Ford, playing the part for the second time, knows how to keep his earnestness fresh.

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Jan 25, 2024

3/5

Harrison Ford is on commanding form for his second outing as CIA troubleshooter Jack Ryan and director Phillip Noyce makes a much better job of this than he did of The Saint.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Jun 14, 2023

3.5/4

...a methodically-paced yet mostly gripping political thriller...

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James Croot

The Post NZ

Dec 14, 2022

4/5

With Ford leading the way, Clear and Present Danger is still by far the most consistently entertaining and engaging take on Clancy’s beloved literary character.

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Jacob W

@RT17896586 Oct 26, 2026

While this has good performances most notably from DH. This is not original as it’s very similar to an Al P film called a Dogs Day Afternoon in which like JT in this he holds up a bank.

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revolver.0 8

@Revolver08 Oct 26, 2026

the level of stupidity in this one is obsolete, something in between naked gun and hot shots!

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Romas M

@Romas Sep 27, 2026

Greetings from Lithuania. "Clear and Present Danger" (1994) ranks for me as one of the two best film they have made about Jack Ryan - this and "Hunt for Red October". Revisiting this film in 2026 on 4K UHD reminded me of how great movie is. The story here is way more complex then in previous movies, but it is so much more realistic as well. The storytelling is amazing - at running time 2h 20 min this film grabbed my attention from an opening scene till titles started to roll. As predictable this may sound - they just don't make movies like this no more. Overall, "Clear and Present Danger" is a very smart, highly involving, realist tale about political games, drug cartel influences, spy games and realistic and spectacular action in between. This is a great movie on all accounts.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 9, 2026

Clear and Present Danger = A *4* star Movie

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bruce C

@bruce999 Aug 3, 2026

nicely done , believable movie. nice special effects suspenseful don't pass it by

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JoeR D.

@Daisan Jun 7, 2026

Expertly woven story of political intrigue and plenty of action. The acting is superb and the director makes sure you feel the intensity in all the right ways, at just the right times. Great movie!

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Phillip Noyce

Director

Harrison Ford

Jack Ryan

Willem Dafoe

John Clark

Anne Archer

Cathy Muller Ryan

Joaquim de Almeida

Col. Felix Cortez

Henry Czerny

Robert Ritter

Clear and Present Danger: Official Clip - Motorcade Ambush

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Clear and Present Danger: Official Clip - Bombing the Cartel

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Clear and Present Danger: Official Clip - If I Go Down You're Going With Me!

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Clear and Present Danger: Official Clip - You Gave Your Word

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Clear and Present Danger: Official Clip - Presidential Cover-up

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Synopsis

Agent Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) becomes acting deputy director of the CIA when Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones) is diagnosed with cancer. When an American businessman, and friend of the president, is murdered on a yacht, Ryan starts discovering links between the man and drug dealers. As CIA agent John Clark (Willem Dafoe) is sent to Colombia to kill drug kingpins in retaliation, Ryan must fight through multiple cover-ups to figure out what happened and who's responsible.

Director: Phillip Noyce
Producer: Mace Neufeld, Robert Rehme
Screenwriter: Donald Stewart, Steven Zaillian, John Milius
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 3, 1994, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 2, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $121.5M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS

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