Cheap Patriot Games [Region 2] (DVD) (Phillip Noyce) Price

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Customer Reviews of Patriot Games [Region 2]

Great Adaptation of Clancy Bestseller
Patriot Games was the second in a series of adaptations of Tom Clancy's bestselling novels featuring heroic CIA analyst Jack Ryan. However, Alec Baldwin, who played Ryan in "The Hunt For Red October," ended up not appearing in this film. But no worries. Ryan is played by stalwart leading man Harrison Ford, who plays Ryan to a tee, as a brave, cerebral man of action. <
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>Ryan is on vacation in England when he interferes with an IRA assassination attempt on a member of the British royal family. He kills one of the terrorists, and his brother, played by Sean Bean, vows revenge. Now, Ryan and his family are threatened by a rogue group of Provos, having to rely on their own wits, and the protection of fellow intelligence officer Samuel L. Jackson, to survive. <
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>This is a crackling good thriller with a great script and taut direction by Phillip Noyce. Ford would go on to play Ryan again in "Clear and Present Danger." This is an excellent adaptation of a popular novel, which doesn't happen very often.

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Tepid Formalism that could've been great
"Patriot Games" is a film that could strive to do something important with the thriller genre, but instead ends up being an obvious, humdrum, and stale thriller film that deflates most of its sentiment. The film, based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name, features that good `ole Jack Ryan character, in a fight for his family and his own survival against renegade members of the IRA, led by the underused Sean Bean; and what could have been a timely, think piece statement on this conflict, ends up being a rather tepid suspense film, that keeps most of its oomph! for the end, in an instrumental, but mostly satisfying action-oriented conclusion. <
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>Harrison Ford only half tries in the film-- playing the central character that kills the Bean's brother in his botched assination attempt of a member of the British royalty--giving his tough-as-nails, but compassionate character a sort of narrowness that is oddly buoyed by his sense of restraint, and never letting his performance go over the top, but rather keeping his cool-and-calm collective all the way through the film: basically he is a man's man, a guy who can kick arse like Rambo, be James Bondish smooth, yet Sherlock Homes smart. The character is a collection of these traits, and Ford, who usually seems to play this typecast role of "Hero" with a pretty boy attitude, can get away with a performing like he just awoke from a nap, and that's why Ford is oddly appealing as an actor. <
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>The rest of the cast is good, with big-name actors like Samuel L. Jackson, and James Earl Jones, yet aren't given much to work with, especially in the case of Bean, who seems like he has to mumble his lines, stare off into space with an angry look, or just grimace. Special notice, however, goes to the sweety Thora Birch, who would later show up in such films as American Beauty; Birch gives her child character a charm and sincerity with her playful smile and cutesy look, and even if her character has far and few lines, its novel having her in this film in the "before they were stars" sort of way. <
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>Patriot Games is polished like a big budget blockbuster: the photography is sharp, as well, and the camera captures some great picturesque moments of the scenery, especially in the nighttime scenes. There's also some moments of directorial style here, as the camera seems to maturely know when to show or tell in the violent scenes; such as in one when the camera recoils back outside the house after one henchmen gets shoot through a door, while the other two IRA members fight it out with another; in this scene all the viewer sees and hears is a few gunshots going off inside the house. Though it is admittedly an usual scene in action films, it is effective in its minimalism. <
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>Yet despite its pricey look, and some decent enough performances, Patriot Games is seriously lacking in most other departments. The story is rather meek, for one, is rather haphazardly put together, and lacks sentiment. Typical action clichés pop up: the not-working mobile phone, during which the hero tries to save the day; the black-and-white, good and bad characters, and unprofessional side characters who are always meant to die or just be dumb, while the hero wades through the pool of lies and deceit to find the "bad" character posing as a protagonist; these, and other awkward steps make Patriot Games a typical, and jivey film. <
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>Though Patriot Games could have been excellent, had it been given an injection of life. There is some suspense but not much, and you know how it will turn out for the characters; there's just not much here to warrant a good time, aside from some cheap thrills. That's too bad too, because the film could of went into better characterizations with its themes of the conflict in Ireland. Bean's character and the rest of the main-supporting antagonists could have been given a voice, feeling, and depth, as it is often the villains that are more interesting than the hero, since their diabolical motivations are more resonant in the audience's mind. <
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>Patriot Games is an under whelming venture into action-thrillers. Despite some decent enough scenes in the final act, and another good nail-biting freeway chase, there is nothing to warrant something more than a relaxing watch, as it is certainly not an absorbing one. If you like your plots simplistic, and full of clichés, I recommend this film. Yet, if not, and if you can let your mind relax, it will still be nothing more than average. <
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>** ½ (Out of 5)

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Patriot Games (Special Edition)
A really great movie with a superior cast. If you like Tom Clancy inspired movies,this is a must have!