Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Clear and Present Danger'

Written by Scott Edwards

How far would you go to do something that you believe to be right? Would you break the law if that is what it takes? Or would you depend on the powers that be to take care of it? It is a hard question to ask if you have been wronged at any point and if you feel like the law has let you down when dispensing justice. Trying to determine what the right thing is could prove to be very costly in your life and if you are willing to accept the consequences, would you sacrifice your freedom to ensure that your opinion of justice is done?

C.I.A. analyst Jack Ryan is being thrown to the wolves on Capitol Hill once again. After a yacht has been seized by the Coast Guard belonging to one of the President’s best friends, Ryan has to determine the reason behind the family’s deaths. As Ryan shares his findings on why the travesty has happened, he is sent down to Columbia to take his investigation even further, but his heart is not in it when he loses friends in front of his very eyes. Wanting to expose one of the largest drug cartels in the region, Ryan is thrown into a political mess when he promises that the money the government has given his team will be used to stop the drug trafficking on the South American side, rather than starting a secret war.

John Clark has been given the keys to the kingdom when receiving word that he will be in charge of a secret task force to stop the drug trafficking in Columbia. Being able to recruit his team for the undocumented missions, John has his marks and takes every liberty to end them. But when his tactics are called into question, John knows that there will be more questions about what he is doing but will not stop until his job is completed. When his team is cut off from the resources of the United States government however, he needs to take things into his own hands to ensure that his men are being taken care of and will make it back to the states before they are all killed. Not knowing what kind of man Ryan actually is, John is forced to find out first hand and is pleased with the results. 

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The Escobedo drug cartel has been thriving for many years without a hiccup. Ernesto Escobedo has been very happy with his partnership with Felix Cortez, his main advisor, but things are slowly starting to diminish between the two. Felix has a focus of his own that Ernesto has not found out about yet and with a mole in the United States government, Felix is privy to much more information than he is willing to let out. Knowing that the Americans have made their way into Columbia to battle his boss' drug trade, Felix is able to install fear into Ernesto, causing him to make mistakes, but when he finds out that the drug kingpin has made a deal with those that are hunting him, Felix has to take matters into his own hands to ensure his survival, along with the survival of the business.

Clear and Present Danger follows three different stories as you get to see Jack Ryan trying to do what he thinks is best for the country, John Clark as he tries to do what he is being directed to do and Ernesto Escobedo as he is trying to protect what is in his best interest. All three storylines intersect in Columbia where the drugs are being produced and while some are making it out of the country, most are being seized by the American government. Ryan is on his own as his mentor has fallen ill and Ryan is forced to be in the middle of a war that he has funded but is not aware of. With so much anarchy around him, Ryan is forced to come back home, but when he finds out what is really happening in Columbia, he makes himself go back and finish what he started. With enemies on both sides of the fence, Ryan does not know who he can trust, but with his beliefs coming into play, he will do what he thinks is right, no matter the cost.

With the third installment of the Jack Ryan saga, you get to see more of a darker side when it comes how the government may actually work. With so many things being said, without being said, it is hard to follow who the bad guy really is. As the movie progresses you are able to side with the people you think are doing the right thing, but with a President at the helm that does not want to be held accountable for his actions, it might seem to be a more of a fact-based story than you really want to believe. It may be hard to believe that there are secret missions going on in the world that nobody will admit to, but with all of the blacked out pages the government releases to the public, would you really be surprised? This is a great story of one man’s revenge, while there are several others being held in the crossfire when only doing the job they have been assigned to do. Next up, The Sum of All Fears. Happy Viewing.

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