CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER - DVD review

In my review of the "Patriot Games" Special Collector's Edition DVD, I wrote that the second Jack Ryan film was a considerable step back for the franchise after the intelligent and engrossing "The Hunt for Red October". "Clear and Present Danger" is neither a step back nor a step forward for the series--it follows in the second film's indolent, complacent existence. Harrison Ford is a major contributing factor when it comes to the middling achievements of "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger". He's a Hollywood heavyweight, so he can often dictate the tone and story developments of movies in which he appears. However, his ideas aren't necessarily the best to employ, especially when they serve to make him look good rather than to improve the overall project. (Also, if Ford was really that good at making judgment calls, then why isn't he a director or a screenwriter?) Also, I tire of the actor's "confused middle-aged man" routine that he uses for almost every film.

In "Clear and Present Danger", Jack Ryan (Ford) finds himself promoted to the office of Deputy Director of Intelligence at the CIA when his friend Admiral James Greer (James Earl Jones) falls ill with cancer. Ryan has to investigate the brutal murder of a businessman with ties to South American drug cartels. Since this businessman was a close friend of the President of the United States, top executives in the administration authorize a covert military operation--the kind that has been declared illegal by international law as well as by the United States Congress. Ryan's been left out of the loop, so he doesn't know anything about American soldiers being left to fend for themselves in hostile territory. Also, Ryan looks like he could be set up as the fall guy should word of American military involvement in Colombia be leaked to the public.

"Clear and Present Danger" was competently and professionally made. However, it features the kinds of clichés, routine explosions, and not-so-intriguing conspiracies that make discerning viewers yawn. We're supposed to accept the Jack Ryan character as a hero just because he has a nice wife and two cute kids. We're supposed to believe that the President and his advisors are the bad guys because they are fighting a secret war against drugs. I realize that movies use shortcuts to avoid lengthy expository dialogue, but the script for "Clear and Present Danger" insults viewers' intelligence. The truth of the matter is that if real life situations were that simple, we wouldn't be facing the kinds of problems that plague us.

In addition to the same old tricks, we get Harrison Ford playing a near-blank. "Patriot Games" begins with Ford huffing-and-puffing in slow motion as he runs towards his family across a town square. In "Clear and Present Danger", he huffs-and-puffs in slow motion, running away from vehicular wreckage after terrorists ambush a convoy of American SUVs. The best moment involving Jack Ryan in this movie occurs late in the film when the character cheekily requests an audience with a drug lord with his CIA business card. However, this is a scripted moment rather than an actor's moment, so credit for this comic grace note goes to something other than Ford's acting chops.

There are two excellent film adaptations of Tom Clancy's novels. Neither Harrison Ford nor director Philip Noyce had anything to do with them. If you like smart thrillers, go with "The Hunt for Red October" or "The Sum of All Fears".

Video:
Although it was released in 1994, "Clear and Present Danger" looks as if had been shot in 2002. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen boasts vivid colors, natural fleshtones, great shadow detail, and controlled lighting conditions that give the video image a sharp look. Aside from a few specks that dot the source print, this transfer is just about perfect.

Audio:
While loud and thunderously bass-y at times, the Dolby Digital 5.1 English track also features muddy effects work. There are some bullet pings and zings, but they are rather indistinct when it comes to directionality. James Horner composed an undistinguished music score for this film, so I can't really recommend the DVD as a good listen.

Paramount saw fit to include a DTS 5.1 English track and a DD 2.0 surround French track. Optional English and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
"Behind the Danger" is a nearly-thirty-minute featurette that offers interviews with members of the cast and crew. However, it's a rather lightweight piece. Since most of the featurette is retrospective in nature, you don't get a lot of promotional fluff from the interviewees. However, when everyone is talking about how "dedicated" and "professional" and "talented" everyone else is, you don't really want to stick around for the end of the wax job.

The only other extra on the DVD is a theatrical trailer for the film.

--Miscellaneous--
A glossy insert provides chapter listings.

Film Value:
Once again, I had to review a DVD billed as a "Special Collector's Edition" that clearly does not deserve to be called a special edition in today's world of multi-disc sets. The extras on the "Clear and Present Danger" DVD are the kind of bonuses that you find on VHS tapes with "added-value materials". While it's a welcome sight to see Paramount re-doing some of its earliest DVD efforts, I hope that the studio won't resort to calling any re-issue a "Special Collector's Edition" just because it has an added DTS track and a making-of featurette.