It’s easily been a couple of decades since I last watched this techno-thriller with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. I have to say, in the current geo-political environment, it’s hard to see the Americans as the good guys, working against Russian and Eastern European interests. And it’s sad that I feel that way. A group…
Tag: techno-thriller
Raise the Titanic (1980) – Jerry Jameson
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed 1980’s Raise the Titanic, but that doesn’t mean it’s great. While it differs from the Clive Cussler novel on which it was based (the author hated the adaptation) and failed to launch hero Dirk Pitt (played by a bearded Richard Jordan) into a franchise I found…
Navy Seals (1990) – Lewis Teague
Navy Seals features a very recognizable cast, Micheal Biehn, Charlie Sheen, Dennis Haysbert, Rick Rossovich, Bill Paxton, Joanna Whalley. Unfortunately, the script is less than stellar, and Teague, while a capable director, has never been given a budget or script that has served him as well as they should. It’s a b-movie, with a solid…
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan – The Complete Series Blu-Ray Collection
John Krasinski returns for one final season as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and despite being introduced to the character decades ago, and then having a number of actors bring the character to life, Krasinski has become one of my favourite iterations. In fact, I love how Krasinski has settled into the role, something so different…
Patriot Games (1992) – Phillip Noyce
I remember when I was first introduced to the world of Tom Clancy. I was always the biggest reader in my class, I always had a book on the go. In Grade 9, my friend Michael Hay came into class (for some reason I believe it was our French class, and he had the book…
Topaz (1969) – Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock takes on Leon Uris’ novel Topaz in this film adaptation of the same name. It’s not quite on the level of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller, but the subject material, centring around the Cuban Missile Crisis and a Russian spy ring within the French intelligence community is pretty engaging stuff. Unfortunately, for me, it ended…
Jack Ryan: Season 2 – Blu-Ray Review
John Krasinski returns as the Tom Clancy created CIA analyst turned action hero, Jack Ryan in the second season of the addictive and smart series from Paramount Pictures. The blu-ray which arrives today is a two disc set that contains all eight episodes of the Amazon Prime aired show. Sleek, beautifully shot (stunning transferred to…
The Hunt For Red October – 30th Anniversary Edition
Somehow the film adaptation of Tom Clancy’s The Hunt For Red October is thirty years old and has garnered an anniversary Blu-ray 4K release from Paramount Pictures. That number just seems off, because thirty years seems like a fairly long time ago, and that doesn’t seem right. The original novel came out in 1984, and…
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – Kathyrn Bigelow
The multi-Oscar nominated Zero Dark Thirty (out of six nominations, it only took home Best Sound Editing) is the next title on the What Else to Watch list following my screening of The Battle of Algiers for DK Canada’s highly enjoyable The Movie Book. Kathryn Bigelow puts Jessica Chastain front and center as Maya, in…
Clear And Present Danger (1994) – Phillip Noyce
Jack Ryan in the person of Harrison Ford returns to the 101 Action Movies list along with Patriot Games director Phillip Noyce in this adaptation of the Tom Clancy techno-thriller. This time out Jack is serving as the acting Deputy Director of Intelligence for the CIA while his boss, Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones)…
The Mind Reels 