---
title: "Clear and Present Danger: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/clear-and-present-danger/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/clear-and-present-danger"
critics_score: 67
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Clear and Present Danger (1994): what the critics said

Critics' score 67 from 7 reviews: 4 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics come down in favour, and the praise clusters in two places. The first is the plotting: reviewers describe an intricate, politically literate conspiracy that keeps its Washington and Colombian strands moving in parallel without losing the thread. The second is the Bogota ambush, which more than one review singles out as the standout set piece and the point where the film earns its length. Harrison Ford’s Jack Ryan is consistently well received, with Radio Times calling the performance commanding and Empire finding it compelling.

The reservations are about pace and payoff. Variety finds the excitement only intermittently thrilling and the final action scene flat and routine, while Radio Times thinks the film is slow to gather momentum before the political connections fall into place. The spread is fairly wide. The one outright dissent comes from Time Out, which finds this third Jack Ryan outing dispiriting, though the reasoning survives only in outline.

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 1994. 

Turan calls it the best and most tightly wound Tom Clancy adaptation, praising its intricately woven plot and nuanced characters. He especially singles out the convincing performances and dialogue about covert operations in Washington.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-03-ca-22891-story.html)

## Empire — Ian Freer

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Freer finds the film a politically complex, surefooted blockbuster that balances intelligent conspiracy plotting with action. He particularly praises the expertly orchestrated Bogota ambush and Harrison Ford’s compelling Jack Ryan.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/clear-present-danger-review/)

## Variety — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 1994. 

McCarthy finds the film an absorbing, politically relevant thriller, though its excitement only occasionally becomes genuinely thrilling. He praises the complex plot and morally ambiguous characters, while noting that the final action scene feels flat and routine.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/clear-and-present-danger-1200438316/)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 1994. 

The URL identifies a review of the matching film, but the page text is inaccessible. I can’t verify the critic’s verdict or what the review singles out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/03/movies/film-review-ryan-spies-again-this-time-as-cia-battles-drug-lords.html)

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 3/5. 

Parkinson finds the film slow to gather momentum but exciting once its political connections are established. He praises Harrison Ford’s commanding performance and Phillip Noyce’s direction.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-xpuy5h/clear-and-present-danger/)

## Time Out — TJ

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review presents the film as a dispiriting third outing for Jack Ryan. It singles out Ford’s rugged protagonist being promoted to Deputy Director, though the available text gives no further detail.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/clear-and-present-danger)

## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2022. 

The critic finds this a sophisticated, satisfying thriller that remains brisk despite its length. He particularly praises the Bogota convoy sequence and the film’s careful construction of parallel action and narrative elements.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/clear-and-present-danger-1994-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/clear-and-present-danger.md