The third piece to the thrilling Jack Ryan trilogy, Clear and Present Danger brings back all the familiar faces and all the unforgettable intrigue. Placing conspiracy and backstabbing in the heart of the government (where it belongs), Jack Ryan’s ventures this time around are just as intense and twice as complex. A worthy continuation of Tom Clancy’s patriotic hero saga, Clear and Present Danger doesn’t miss a beat when delivering both labyrinthine mystery and machinegun-powered action.

The Coast Guard recovers a boat stocked with dead bodies, blood and ties to a Columbian drug cartel. The victims, including a man named Hardin, were personal friends of the president of the United States, and in his attempt to reap vengeance, collateral damage is inevitable. Unofficially, a group of military specialists, including under-the-table operative Clark (Willem Dafoe) and covert missions captain Ramirez (Benjamin Bratt) are assigned to assassinate the leaders of the cartel associated with the deaths of Hardin and his family.

CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) takes over for Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones) as the Deputy Director of Intelligence, and begins to uncover the president’s revenge mission. His research deciphers that Hardin was laundering money for the Cali Cartel, and his investigation takes him to Columbia and into the realm of Felix Cortez, an informant who plays both sides for profit and power. But as Ryan disrupts operations, unearths secrets and digs deeper, the odds that no one will like what he finds becomes lethally more apparent.

Donald Moffat portrays President Bennett, who is perhaps the only piece of the film that doesn’t feel authentic. His lines sound generic and his actions are detestable, which work perfectly for the type of character he needs to be - but audiences may question his overwhelming control. Showing a loathsome side of the presidency the public is typically unaware of is possibly too realistic to be believable. With his desire to teach the cartels a lesson, the president must use unofficial means to gather hitmen against his enemies. The danger is present, but the real villains are anything but clear. Both the US intelligence and the drug cartel advisors struggle to decipher who’s really behind the constant assaults and casualties spawning from the death of Bennett’s friends.

The plot is fairly standard backstabbing and covert operations, but the details are massive. The twists and turns are already apparent to the audience, so we watch to see who will figure out the never-ending deceptions first. It’s Ryan versus the government this time around, and mysteries and conspiracies are necessities. Clear and Present Danger backs off its intensity from Patriot Games (earning it a PG-13 rating) and tacks on nearly half-an-hour more of complexities. An unforgettable ambush on the streets of Bogota (involving a convoy of Suburbans and plenty of bazookas) is the highlight of the film, and a riveting climax clinches the deal. Clear and Present Danger ups the ante on the scope of collusion that riddles the government, but slows in just enough spots that it can’t quite match the fervor of Patriot Games. It’s an excellent third chapter to the political adventures of Jack Ryan, and thanks to the first-rate performance by Harrison Ford, he is one of the screen’s greatest protagonists.

- Mike Massie