Tom Clancyis one of the most popular authors of espionage fiction in the 20th century,and the character of “Jack Ryan” has proven to be the greatest hero in his bibliography. Unlike other spy characters like James Bond or Jason Bourne, Ryan is a grounded hero who simply wants to see the values of his nation represented. Many of the best entries in Clancy’s original string of novelsinspired five relatively successful films, as well as a very popular streaming series starringJohn Krasinskithat ran for four seasons on Amazon Prime Video.
Those who enjoyed the realistic depiction of spycraft inJack Ryanmay appreciateother thriller and spy filmsthat explore real world issues like international terrorism, vigilante justice, judicial corruption, civil conspiracies, and military strategic procedures. Here are ten movies to watch if you loveJack Ryan.
10‘The Falcon and the Snowman’ (1985)
Directed by John Schlesinger
The Falcon and the Snowmanis avery dark look at the “American dream,”as it centers on two young Americans who get involved with the smuggling of weapons. The excellent performances byTimothy HuttonandSean Pennare what elevatesThe Falcon and the Snowmanother military-themed spy thrillers; both Academy Award winning actors show the extent to which being involved in such a dangerous profession forces them to reflect on what their values really are.
The Falcon and the Snowmanessentially looks at the dark side of what a Ryan-esque character could look like, as its protagonists are not patriotic in the slightest, and do not feel any obligations to act in the better interests of others. The excellent direction from industry legendJohn Schlesingerensures that all the details regarding arms details are as accurate as possible.
Watch on Prime Video
9‘Presumed Innocent’ (1990)
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Presumed Innocentis a thrilling courtroom dramathat explores the flaws of the justice system whena morally conflicted lawyer (Harrison Ford)is forced to defend himself after being falsely accused for the murder of a woman that he had been having a sexual relationship with. The Ryan films often call American military leaders out for the destructive (and at times corrupt) practices that they follow, andPresumed Innocentdevotes a similar amount of attention to the judiciary branch.
Presumed Innocentis worth seeking out because of the unique performance by Ford, whose work in the film couldn’t be more different than the version of Ryan that he portrayed inPatriot GamesandClear and Present Danger.It’s yet another reminder that while Ford is one of the most famous movie stars of all-time, he is also one of the most versatile actors.
Presumed Innocent
Rent on Amazon
8‘The Russia House’ (1990)
Directed by Fred Schepisi
The Russia Houseexploredmany of the Cold War tensionsthat were very present in the original Clancy novels, as they were written and released at a time in which the United States and the Soviet Union were constantly monitoring each other’s military developments to ensure that they were prepared for a potential war to break out. Although most audiences would have known him best for playing James Bond in seven different films over the years,Sean Connerysucceeds in giving a grounded performance as a regretful, older spy who begins to reflect on what a lifetime of working in espionage has actually done for him.
The Russia Housedoes include a lot of action-packed stunt pieces or extended chases, but it does examine the hallmarks of patriotism in a way that may be appealing to those that enjoy Clancy’s work.
The Russia House
7‘The Informant!’ (2009)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
The Informant!is an unusual espionage thriller in which an unlikely hero is selected to be a spy;this is a premise that manyJack Ryanfans may be familiar with, as at the beginning of the Amazon Prime series, Krasinski’s version of the character claimed to be an analyst with no knowledge of (or interest in) field missions that would place him in the middle of danger.
The Informant!starsMatt Damon in one of his most underrated performancesas Mike Whitacre, a whistleblower on the ASM price fixing scandal who was recruited to sell out his former employers, and ended up embezzling millions of dollars for himself. As with any film directed bySteven Soderbergh,The Informant!Has an extraordinary attention-to-detail, and breaks down some very nuanced topics in a manner that actually makes sense to those who are not experts.
The Informant!
The Informant! is a 2009 film directed by Steven Soderbergh, based on the true story of corporate whistleblower Mark Whitacre. Matt Damon stars as Whitacre, an executive at Archer Daniels Midland who exposes the company’s price-fixing scheme while battling his own corporate and personal challenges. The film blends elements of dark comedy and crime drama, exploring themes of deception and morality within the corporate world.
Watch on Max
6‘Jack Reacher’ (2012)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Jack Reacheris a character and franchise that is often compared toJack Ryan, as they are both morally upstanding spies who often come into conflict with figures of authority that they feel have overstepped their duties. WhileLee Child’s novels were eventually adapted into another popular Amazon Prime spy streaming series,the firstJack Reacherfilm adaptation starringTom Cruisestill managed to capture the spirit of the source material.
Jack Reachershows Cruise at his most primal and incisive;his version of Reacher is an experienced military contractor who is brought into solving cases relating to a national tragedy. Cruise may be far shorter than Reacher is described as being in the novels, but it doesn’t take very long intoJack Reacherfor him to sell the idea that he has advanced military training,and could easily take down his opponents.
Jack Reacher
A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.
Watch on Netflix
5‘Argo’ (2012)
Directed by Ben Affleck
Argoexplores the creative problem techniques that spies use to save livesin situations that could potentially start international tensions, a theme that is very present throughout theJack Reacherfranchise.Loosely based on a true story,Argocenters on the CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), who puts together the crew for a fake movie in order to go undercover in Iran to rescue hostages that were taken captive during a political uprising.
Argomarked a major step forward for Affleck, who both gave an empathetic performance as an unlikely hero, and proved that as a filmmaker he was capable of creating prolonged moments of suspense and intrigue. It certainly served as a redemption for the disappointing version of Ryan that he portrayed in the 2002 prequel filmThe Sum of All Fears, which didn’t quite crack the tone of Clancy’s novels.
Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.
4‘Zero Dark Thirty’ (2012)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Zero Dark Thirtyisa psychological war thrillerthat examines many of the same manhunt and espionage techniques that are seen throughout theJack Ryanfranchise; the only major difference is thatZero Dark Thirtyis based on real events, asKathryn Bigelow’s Best Picture nominated masterpiece focused on the real CIA director (Jessica Chastain) who helped locate, identify, and eventually execute Osama bin Laden.
Bigelow goes deep in her exploration of the tactics that the CIA used, and certainly elicited some controversy when it came to the way in which the film seemed to lionize the use of torture. Regardless of how viewers interpret the political statements that it was trying to make,Zero Dark Thirtyis excellently put together by one of the greatest living directors in the action genre, and is worth watching purely for its visceral qualities.
Zero Dark Thirty
A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.
Watch on Hulu
3‘13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi’ (2016)
Directed by Michael Bay
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghaziwas the first project that proved that Krasinski had a more serious side to him, as previously viewers would have most closely associated him with his performance as Jim in the American version ofThe Office.13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghaziisbased on the real, controversial Benghazi crisis, and allowed Krasinski to show depth with his performance as a real American hero who risked his life to defend the outpost he was assigned to protect.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghaziserved as a major comeback for Michael Bay, who many critics seemed to feel had lost his way after spending too much of his career dedicated to makingTransformerssequels. If nothing else,13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghaziproved that Bay was capable of telling more mature stories.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a biographical action movie based on a Mitchell Zuckoff book of the same name. Its narrative centers around six Annex Security Team members who defended an American diplomatic compound in Libya from waves of militant attacks in September of 2012. attacks The movie had a budget of around $50m and was filmed predominantly in Malta and Morocco.
2‘War Dogs’ (2016)
Directed by Todd Phillips
War Dogsexplores many of the themes about international terrorism and weapons traffickingthat are addressed in theJack Ryanseries, but is told from the perspective of the dealers and suppliers that seek to benefit from the violent situation.Based on a wild true story,War DogsstarsMiles TellerandJonah Hillas two childhood friends who begin scoring major contracts to supply guns to the United States military during the conflicts in the Middle East.
War Dogswas able to take an interesting perspective on international conflict, as it showed how harmful American ignorance could be when those in power refused to hold themselves accountable. If there was ever a film that needed Ryan to come in and save the day by uprooting the conspiracy and finding a peaceful solution to the conflict, it would beWar Dogs.
Loosely based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a three hundred million dollar contract from the Pentagon to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan.
1‘Allied’ (2016)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Alliedis an old-fashioned World War II dramathat has no qualms about paying homage tothe “Golden Age of Cinema;”while the Ryan films and show feel somewhat nostalgic for a classical sense of espionage,Alliedis a throwback to an even older generation of World War II adventure and thrillers that were made in the aftermath of the conflict’s actual conclusion in 1945.
Alliedexamines many of the moral quandaries that the Ryan films do, as it focuses on an American spy (Brad Pitt) who questions his loyalties when the woman (Marion Cotillard) that he fell in love with is accused of potentially being a Nazi spy.Like the Ryan films,Alliedis smart, thrilling, and occasionally quite emotional entertainment aimed at adults, and it is odd that it feels like such an oddity when compared to the other projects that Hollywood seems to have no issues churning out on a yearly basis.
