Tom Clancy movies have been a great success in adapting the work of the popular American author, but the best order in which to watch them can be a little confusing. Clancy wrote plenty of stories throughout his extensive career, and while they’re not all connected to each other, some of his characters and stories cross over throughout different series, so it can be beneficial to follow the movies in similar fashion. Clancy’s works have also been adapted into several TV series, video games, and even comic books.
The author’s most famous character is Jack Ryan, a former U.S. Marine and stockbroker who later joins the CIA and leads some hugely important international missions. On streaming, the Jack Ryan TV series ran for four seasons with John Krasinski in the titular role. However, in the several movie adaptations of Tom Clancy’s works, there have been a handful of actors who have portrayed Jack Ryan. In addition to that franchise, two movies based on Tom Clancy novels do not feature or connect to the Jack Ryan character at all.
The Hunt For Red October (1990)
Jack Ryan Searches For A Missing Russian Submarine
The film adaptation of The Hunt for Red October was the first instance of Tom Clancy’s novels being adapted into a movie, and for the most part, it worked surprisingly well. The story follows Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) as he attempts to track down an approaching Soviet submarine before it’s given the opportunity to attack. The film perfectly captures the tension of Clancy’s novels, using this Cold War setting to maintain a level of intensity that never goes away, even in the movie’s quietest moments.
The Hunt for Red October is the perfect place to start for any newcomer to Tom Clancy’s works, as it introduces the character of Jack Ryan without assuming any prior knowledge. It gives all the necessary insight into his past, displaying exactly how he has become the person that he is now, and Alec Baldwin’s performance as the character is among the best there has ever been.
The moment Ryan works out what this commander is truly up to is a thrilling moment that makes Ramius a fascinating character to follow while adding new stakes to the adventure.
While Ryan is the hero most Clancy readers will know best, Sean Connery steals the show as the noble Russian commander Marko Ramius who is at the center of all of the intrigue. The moment Ryan works out what this commander is truly up to is a thrilling moment that makes Ramius a fascinating character to follow while adding new stakes to the adventure. In the hands of veteran action director John McTiernan (Die Hard, Predator), The Hunt for Red October is a slick yet intelligent thriller.
Patriot Games (1992)
Jack Ryan And His Family Are Targeted By Irish Terrorists
Patriot Games is a very simple adaptation of one of Tom Clancy’s works, and while it’s not perfect, it’s a fairly basic story that’s easy to understand without much knowledge of the Jack Ryan character. Directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Harrison Ford as Ryan, the thriller chronicles the character’s successful interference in an attempted IRA assassination, which leads to a renegade faction targeting his family as revenge.
It’s high-stakes and high-intensity, but it’s much less philosophical and thematic than movies like The Hunt For Red October. The revenge plot is not overly intelligent, but Sean Bean makes for an effective villain as the man who wants Ryan dead. There are also some solid supporting turns from Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Harris as Robby Jackson and Paddy O’Neil, respectively.
It is a more action-heavy take on Ryan than The Hunt for Red October, and it feels like a much different movie when it builds to a standard good-guy vs. bad-guy fight in the end, but the gripping thrills leading up to that are effective. It’s a nice palette-cleanser that allows audiences to get used to Ryan’s character before engaging with the more fascinating stories.
Clear And Present Danger (1994)
Jack Ryan Is In The Center Of An Illegal CIA Operation
Clear and Present Danger was the first direct on-screen sequel to a Jack Ryan movie, and it’s for that reason that it works so well. With Harrison Ford returning to the role, the movie doesn’t have to spend any time introducing the character. It dives straight into the story and maintains that intensity throughout. It’s a simple premise, with Ryan finding himself caught up in a war between the U.S. government and a Colombian drug cartel, but it’s filled with twists and turns that are synonymous with Tom Clancy’s stories.
Clear and Present Danger follows directly from Patriot Games, which helps with the momentum of the story since audiences are already familiar with all the characters and their complex relationships. The film’s powerful lead performance also proves why Harrison Ford is the best of the actors to play Jack Ryan, constantly pushing the story forward and maintaining a much-needed sense of charm and wit.
The movie also introduces another popular Clancy hero into the mix with Willem Dafoe making a memorable turn as CIA operative John Clark. Clear and Present Danger is a smart thriller that dives into the seedy side of politics more than any of the other Tom Clancy movies, giving it a well-earned and effective cynical edge. However, it also delivers on the action, especially in the excellent sequence in which Ryan’s convoy is ambushed.
NetForce (1999)
A Stand-Alone Thriller Of The FBI Taking On Cyber Crime
NetForce was the first of Tom Clancy’s film adaptations that don’t draw from his Jack Ryan works but rather focus on a completely different story with a separate roster of characters. The plot of NetForce follows a division of the FBI dedicated to investigating cyber crimes, which sets out to prevent a dangerous millionaire from taking control of the entire internet.
Not surprisingly, some of the elements of the story are very dated, but it is interesting to explore the concept of cyber crimes and the unknown factor of them decades before they became more of an issue.
It’s very different from Clancy’s other adaptations, not just because it’s disconnected from the rest, but in its themes and genre too. It lacks the gritty realism of Jack Ryan’s stories, sacrificing this element for a more futuristic take on large-scale crime. Not surprisingly, some of the elements of the story are very dated, but it is interesting to explore the concept of cyber crimes and the unknown factor of them decades before they became more of an issue.
The Sum Of All Fears (2002)
Jack Ryan Fights To Prevent A Nuclear War
The Sum of All Fears sees Ben Affleck take over the role of Jack Ryan, who is thrust into a high-stakes political game when tensions begin to rise between the United States and Russia. The combative nature of these two nations is being influenced by a neo-Nazi group that is creating a nuclear weapon that they plan to use to ignite a full-blown war. This leads to a terrific twist at the end of the second act which sets up a thrilling climax.
This movie isn’t directly connected to Patriot Games or Clear and Present Danger, as it serves as a standalone adventure that essentially exists in a rebooted universe. The Sum of All Fears brought a whole new wave of popularity to the Jack Ryan movies, giving them a distinct style that no longer rooted them so firmly in the ‘90s, and opened the door for new adventures. Affleck makes for a solid everyman hero and is backed by a supporting cast that includes Morgan Freeman and Liev Schreiber.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
An Origin Story Of Jack Ryan’s First CIA Mission
It was over a decade before Jack Ryan returned to screens again — this time in another rebooted universe with Chris Pine as the titular character. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit tells the story of the CIA analyst’s attempts to prevent a deadly terrorist attack that’s set to happen within the next few days and crash the U.S. economy. Similar to The Sum of All Fears, this is meant to be an origin story for the iconic hero.
It’s a fairly simple and formulaic story that differs strongly from the ‘90s adventures while remaining true to the spirit of Tom Clancy’s iconic character. The movie didn’t live up to expectations given the popularity of Ford and Affleck’s films, but it effectively introduced the character to a new generation. Pine is effective as Ryan while Keira Knightley brings more depth to Cathy, his future wife, than the franchise has ever allowed.
Without Remorse (2021)
John Kelly Goes On A Mission Of Revenge
Without Remorse is another Tom Clancy movie that doesn’t take place in the Jack Ryan universe, though it involves many of the same themes. This movie follows an elite Navy SEAL named John Kelly (Michael B. Jordan), who uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking revenge for the deaths of his wife and unborn child. His relentless mission leads him to uncover a vast conspiracy where he discovers his enemies are harder to spot than he thought.
Jordan also doesn’t get to shine as he usually does, as he’s playing a fairly by-the-numbers action movie character.
Like NetForce, Without Remorse lacks the political intrigue and character development of Jack Ryan’s stories, leaving it comparatively flat. It’s completely separate from the rest of the Tom Clancy movies, though it could have benefited from some connection to stories that audiences already know and love — especially since Without Remorse differs from the book anyway. Jordan also doesn’t get to shine as he usually does, as he’s playing a fairly by-the-numbers action movie character.
The Future Of Tom Clancy Movies
While there has not been a new Tom Clancy movie since 2021, his work and his characters remain enduring more than a decade after his death. Most recently, the series Jack Ryan ended its four-season run with John Krasinski playing Ryan. That show also set up a spinoff series that could potentially star Michael Peña as Clancy’s character Domingo “Ding” Chavez which would theoretically be a Rainbow Six series. Rainbow Six was a book that follows an elite counterterrorism team which was also adapted into a video game series.
However, there is competition to bring Rainbow Six to the screen as Without Remorse also set up a movie version of the story with Michael B. Jordan’s John Kelly leading the team. There have also been rumors that Rainbow Six could include Harrison Ford’s version of Jack Ryan which would make for an exciting culmination of the Tom Clancy movie universe. While there has been little talk of the movie recently, it remains an exciting prospect for Clancy fans.
Which Tom Clancy Movie Is The Best?
It is impressive that the Tom Clancy movies have had so many satisfying and successful entries, despite the complicated canon of the Jack Ryan movies and the ever-changing actors. While the movies outside of the Jack Ryan franchise are not quite as good, each of the films with the famous Clancy character succeeds to various degrees. However, when it comes to which is the best, it is hard to top the first movie, The Hunt for Red October.
The Hunt for Red October understands what makes his novel work is excitement and intelligence.
It is no coincidence that The Hunt for Red October is also Clancy’s best book, as it is the sharpest and most exciting story he has written. The brilliant setup of Cold War tensions mixed with the race-against-the-clock pace of the movie makes for something thrilling. The intensity is also expertly enhanced by director John McTiernan. While it is not as action-packed as McTiernan’s other movies, The Hunt for Red October is a terrific showcase of his ability to keep great pace in his films.
While it may not be a shoot-em-up action movie, The Hunt for Red October never relents in the thrills and intrigue. That is part of what makes Jack Ryan the ideal hero for the story. Alec Baldwin terrifically plays him as an intellectual hero rather than James Bond. It makes him exceptional compared to the other characters, but also makes him an underdog in the dangerous mission. Add to that, Sean Connery is in pure movie star mode as the layered character of Ramius.
While other adaptations of Tom Clancy’s work felt the need to make it more of a blockbuster, The Hunt for Red October understands what makes his novel work is excitement and intelligence.
