Jack Ryan - Watch Order: Original Trilogy

Other Watch Orders:
1990 - 19943 Films6h 33m4 Average

This watch order focuses on the three connected Jack Ryan films that form a cohesive narrative arc from 1990 to 1994. Despite the lead actor change from Alec Baldwin to Harrison Ford, these films maintain story continuity through recurring characters like Admiral Greer.

The trilogy captures the essence of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan character during the twilight of the Cold War era, offering a more focused viewing experience without the timeline confusion of the later reboots.

1
The Hunt for Red October poster

The Hunt for Red October

19902h 15m4.4
Director: John McTiernan
Cast: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones

A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius. The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. Lone CIA analyst Jack Ryan has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it - because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find Ramius, too. The hunt is on!

ActionAdventureThriller
2
Patriot Games poster

Patriot Games

19921h 57m3.8
Director: Phillip Noyce
Cast: Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, Thora Birch, Sean Bean, Patrick Bergin

When CIA Analyst Jack Ryan interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets Jack and his family as revenge.

DramaActionThrillerCrime
3
Clear and Present Danger poster

Clear and Present Danger

19942h 21m3.8
Director: Phillip Noyce
Cast: Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Joaquim de Almeida, Henry Czerny, Harris Yulin

Agent Jack Ryan becomes acting Deputy Director of Intelligence for the CIA when Admiral Greer is diagnosed with cancer. When an American businessman, and friend of the president, is murdered on his yacht, Ryan starts discovering links between the man and drug dealers. As former CIA agent John Clark is sent to Colombia to kill drug cartel kingpins in retaliation, Ryan must fight through multiple cover-ups to figure out what happened and who's responsible.

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