Clear and Present Danger

Synopsis: Jack Ryan is back and this time the bad guys are in his own government. When Admiral James Greer becomes sick with cancer, Ryan is appointed acting CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. Almost before he can draw a breath in his new position, one of the president's closest friends and his family are murdered in their sleep by what appears to by drug cartels. Ryan is called in to investigate, but unknown to him the CIA has already sent a secret field operative to lead an illegal paramilitary force in Colombia against cartels. Things get even more complicated when his team is set up and he loses an agent in the field and a friend of his wife's, who was the murdered agent's secretary, is murdered that same day. Ryan must then risk not only his career, but his life to expose the truth behind the mystery.
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Director(s): Phillip Noyce
Production: Paramount Home Video
  Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.9
Metacritic:
74
Rotten Tomatoes:
80%
PG-13
Year:
1994
141 min
3,471 Views


Target bearing 020.

Contact 020.

- Range 20,000.

- Range 20,000 yards.

- Course 255.

- Course 255 true.

- Speed 13.

- Speed 13 knots.

Cowboys.

"Enchanter, Mobile."

Well, we're a long way from home.

Wake 'em up!

It's the Navy!

Quick, put out the flag!

Enchanter!

This is the United States

Coast Guard.

Heave to

and prepare to be boarded.

Enchanter, you are a US-flag ship,

and we are going to board you.

Heave to now.

Muster your crew on the bow.

You two, go forward.

Randall, come with me.

- Stay where you are.

- Kneel down.

Captain. Captain?

Go ahead, Senior Chief.

It's a bad one. I think you'd better

send over the video camera.

Jack, come on in.

- How high is the pile on your desk?

- About this high.

- Now it's this high.

- What have you got?

You heard about that business in the

South Caribbean? I need the details.

- By when?

- As soon as you can.

- OK.

- Jack? Be discreet.

- What do you mean?

- You'll find out.

Mysterious...

I love a mystery.

- Ryan, John P.

- Let him through.

- Here you go.

- Thank you.

- You know where you're going?

- Yes. Thank you.

- Where do I park?

- Right over there.

Main passageway, going forward.

Master stateroom,

blood on the deck...

19 cartridges were recovered,

as well as the two weapons

that fired them.

Blood samples taken were

consistent with the crew, Hardin

and his wife

and his son and daughter.

I got blood on the sheets and pillow

on both starboard and portside racks.

There's blood there, too.

They were killed in their staterooms

apparently as they slept.

Dragged topside

and thrown overboard.

The two men in custody surrendered

after a brief attempt to escape.

What do we know about them?

The men in custody?

Half a dozen arrests for drug

trafficking in Bogota, Mr President.

Drugs.

Suspected ties to the Cali cartel,

not Medellin...

- You alright, James?

...according to DEA.

- Why?

- Nothing exotic, sir.

Straight piracy and murder.

It's not the first time.

It's the first time

it was a friend of mine.

Yes, sir.

- What was that? You alright?

- Yeah.

I haven't slept in 36 hours.

Did I make any sense?

What did you say?

Just kidding. Good job.

- You should give diplomacy lessons.

- To call it as I see it is myjob.

- And he's yours.

- Wait for me.

Shut the door.

I promised the American people I'd

do something about the drug problem.

You are.

You support the Colombians' efforts

against the cartels...

And accomplish nothing. Do these

drug dealers think we're powerless?

That they can keep doing this kind of

thing, and there's no response ever?

Are you suggesting

a course of action, sir?

The course of action I'd suggest is

a course of action I can't suggest.

I'm... not sure

where that leaves us.

These drug cartels represent

a clear and present danger

to the national security

of the United States.

Do you know what you've done?

I killed a thief,

a thief who was stealing...

...from me!

And his wife, and his son,

and his daughter,

apparently with no thought

of the consequences.

Should I let his children avenge their

father's death when I least expect it?

He was a good friend

and a political ally

of the President of the United States.

That doesn't surprise me.

- It should concern you.

- What can they do?

Come after me? Arrest me?

You're scaring me.

Will you stop long enough for me

to tell you something important?

Thank you.

Listen. You pay me to counsel you,

and I am counselling you.

I'm keeping you alive

with information.

If you disregard my counsel

and keep running your business

the way you have been,

with your balls and not your head,

two things will happen.

I'll quit, and you'll get killed.

You forgot to tell me

about your scouting trip.

- No, I didn't.

- You made another contact. Who?

Castro always asked me

about my sources.

- I always gave him the same answer.

- Castro didn't pay you what I pay.

This one will cost you nothing.

Awoman.

You're using a woman.

It won't float.

- John, what do you want? Toast?

- Waffles!

- No time for waffles.

- Anybody seen my keys?

Either on the front hall table

or in your pocket.

- Where aremykeys?

- Pancakes!

- Toast, please.

- Thank you.

Bye, Dad.

- Bye, pal.

- It won't float!

It's not supposed to float, it's

a submarine. It goes under water.

Jack.

Hello?

When?

I thought I had the flu.

I'd still think so if they weren't

telling me otherwise.

What are they telling you?

Pancreatic cancer of an aggressive

nature, if I heard them right.

Well, what does it mean?

I guess it means I'm in big trouble.

- I mean, can they operate, or?

- Maybe.

That's what they said, "maybe", which

sounds suspiciously like "no" to me.

There's one of them now.

I'm not dead yet.

I am in a hospital, which means

that I'm not in my office,

which means

I don't know what's going on.

- I need you there.

- Where?

- In my office, doing my job.

- Wait a minute...

I hate not knowing

what's going on, you know that.

I wouldn't know

how to do your job, sir.

You've been around.

You've been to the White House.

- Once. I hated it.

- No, you didn't.

Want to know about politics

in Washington? Four words.

"Watch your back, Jack."

Bobby, you should be the first

to know, or the third or fourth.

Ryan is to be

Acting Deputy Director, Intelligence.

It will be a provisional appointment,

of course, until James recovers.

Get him up to speed

on our aid programme to Colombia.

He must talk the Oversight Committee

out of another $75 million.

And not make a complete fool

out of himself.

What about the Hardin murders?

I'm on it. The President's calling

for a full-court press.

So, you guys are going to be

working together hand in hand.

That's great.

Margaret, why don't we

leave all his things?

OK, yeah.

Ryan. I can't believe itl

He's not a team player,

is thatwhat you're saying?

He's a Boy Scout.

A goddamn Boy Scout. Believes in

loyalty, cleanliness and knot-tying.

So leave him out of it.

He's the Deputy Director of

Intelligence. That will be tricky.

What does he need to know?

Nothing. He needs to know nothing.

He's going to know nothing.

I want a copy

of the President's authorisation

of this new action

against the cartels.

- You want what?

- You heard me.

He doesn't know about it.

Let me explain it to you very simply.

This is your deal, not mine.

Unless I have written authorisation,

this thing is over before it begins.

I'm not going to be the only one left

without a chair when the music stops.

"Reciprocity."

That's a clever name for it.

Revenge is a very, very, very

dangerous motivation.

Are you able to handle this operation

or not? I'm looking for a yes or no.

You're looking for a political mess.

- Yes or no?

- Is that what they want?

They want what every first-term

administration wants. A second term.

I don't imagine the boys on the Hill

have approved this.

Have they?

Is that a "no"?

Sh*t.

I want the money in my account

Rate this script:5.0 / 2 votes

Donald E. Stewart

Donald E. Stewart (24 January 1930 – 28 April 1999) was an American-born screenwriter, best known for his screenplay for Missing, which won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America Award, the London Film Critics' Circle award, a Christopher Award, (www.christophers.org) and the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay, all shared with the film's director, Costa-Gavras. The screenplay for Missing is used in film schools for instruction in structure and development. He also wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for the Tom Clancy-trilogy of Jack Ryan films The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. more…

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