Fraction Action Movie Reviews

This is a really great prison film that truly shows what really goes on inside those dark prison walls across the US. The casting and storyline made the film. We were lucky to recruit incredible Eric Roberts,Martin Cove,Matthew Ansara and introducing our Producer, Tommy Lee Thomas who stars and of course, moi as "Jeanette" co-starring with Eric Roberts who plays Officer Hopkins. Definitely rent, buy and let it sweep you off into the world of action and intrigue............

There is an error in this DVD, and other folks here have also spotted it. The advertised Spanish subtitles do not work. French comes out instead. When you select English, the words are in English. When you select French, the words are in French. And when you select Spanish, the words are again in French.

I had bought this DVD specifically for its Spanish subtitles since I have family that doesn't understand English very well. Que pena.

this is a fantastic film. i want to be david lightman. he does that joke about "your wife". i have spent TIME in school and always wanted to come out with something so good. and that def-con 1 stuff. legend!

This 1983 film starts with a scene inside the NORAD missile launch center. The message received is to launch the missiles! But a captain requests human confirmation of the computer order. This test is followed by an investigation of the results. The question is still: how far can we trust any mechanical device? Or any human?

A student is interested in computers; he has an IMSAI to access the school computer and can change grades. By accident he accesses a secret site, and begins to play a game. The students visit a computer room to gain advice. They are told of a "back door" installed in systems to allow access. "People sometimes make mistakes." They also make computer programs, and politics. David's game playing sets off a missile alert - eight incoming MIRVs! But their game is interrupted just in time. They assume they are safe.

But David is arrested by the FBI, and taken in for questioning. "He fits the profile for a Soviet agent" we are told. The computer game is still in play. David discovers Professor Falken is alive, and finds him. Falken claims it is all a game, nuclear war is unwinnable because of all the casualties. (No mention of nuclear winter.)

Back at NORAD the alarms go off - DEFCON 1! A full scale Soviet strike is on! David, Jennifer, and Falken enter the NORAD base just in time. (What's a movie without a car chase?) Falken advises the general to ignore the alarms - "its all a game". "Don't act like a machine" he says. The simulated attack is defeated by doing nothing. But now the computer runs berserk in generating launch codes to create an attack. All entry codes were destroyed to prevent changes. But the computer has one "back door" that allows them to gain access, and trick the computer to prevent the attack. Recurring simulations of nuclear war follow; no winner results. And the film has a happy ending, even if you critique both the story and the technical details. The message of this movie is very clear. [Did the last launch code contain a secret message?]

You can by them separate for almost 20 dollars less. so just do that.

This boxed set contains three of the greatest movies based on the CIA. But the boxed set lacks special features that make buying DVD's great. But a great addition to your DVD collection because you do not get the same picture and sound quality from a VHS.

This is a great box set. If you like Tom Clancy, then you will like these movies. It is also a great deal to buy them all together, much cheaper then the local store.

In short, you can't go wrong.

Paramount now owened by the Viacom Company has put out one bad movie after another and have tried to pass them off as great film making which they are not. Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum Of All Fears all have bad scripts under use of better actors, and gun fire and numbing violence to pass along as cinema. Really patheic. Only The Hunt For Red October is good. That was a movie that depends more on the strength of the screenplay and the actors to move the story along and they did not need gore flying all over the place. But then again, that was made at an earlier time when Paramount was still interested in making good movies.

These movies are just testosterone paydirt!

What a great set to own altogether. Fabulous movies and all in one set. This one is a "gotta have" ASAP.

...Start with Alec Baldwin as a young Jack Ryan, and Sean Connery as a Russian commander in `Hunt For Red October' in one of the greatest submarine movies since Das Boot!

Then you have Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan in `Patriot Games' in a tense drama about the IRA and terrorism (such a beautiful performance by the late Richard Harris as the IRA contact). And then `A Clear and Present Danger' with Jack Ryan uncovering government conspiracies that reach to the Presidential Office.

`Sum of All Fears' has Ben Affleck as the `new' Jack Ryan difusing a war scenario between Russia and the USA after a nuke is exploded in Baltimore.

All these films are seat-grippers in their own right, but I have to say the Harrison Ford films are the best. Like the Connery 007 flicks, they are top notch in cinematography and screenplay writing. Ford is the only Jack Ryan I will remember with detail. Affleck was better in `Daredevil' and `Pearl Harbor' (I believe Pearl Harbor will be the highpoint in his career especially after the horrible `Gigli'...)

This is a guys' set of flicks. You've seen them all on TBS (owns everthing now including `Field Of Dreams'...), BUT, this is a set of movies you want to watch one after the other with a pizza and a surround system.

As with The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger, the production values of this film are outstanding. While visiting London with his family, Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) unexpectedly becomes involved with a failed attempt by renegade Irish terrorists to assassinate Lord Holmes (James Fox). Ryan is wounded while intervening, killing one of the assassins whose brother Sean (played by Sean Bean) is arrested, imprisoned, tried, and convicted. After he escapes during an ambush of the police van in which he is being transported, he vows to kill Ryan. After that, the plot stumbles and staggers through various disjointed episodes, some of which are visually stunning but few of which make much sense. For example, especially after the first attack on the World Trade Center and extensive violence in Northern Ireland in 1991, there is an almost total absence of appropriate security precautions throughout this film. How ludicrous, given the numerous and quite serious dangers in which Ryan and his family find themselves after Sean Miller's escape. Lord Holmes remains a high priority candidate for assassination whose safety is presumably of some interest to British and American authorities. Nonetheless, near the end of the film when he (one of the most visible of "The Royals") visits the United States and joins the Ryans for dinner in their home, he and they are essentially defenseless to terrorists who months ago vowed to kill them. The events which follow are even less plausible.

This film has a few effective moments but, on balance, is a disappointment. I would have preferred Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and regret the waste of Anne Archer's talents. (Most of her time on screen as Dr. Cathy Ryan. she is either beaming with approval or wincing with apprehension.) The car chase and attempt on her life -- on a limited-access highway during rush hour! -- seem gratuitous, indeed strategically irrational, as does the earlier attempt on Ryan's life on a street in Annapolis. (Of course, he is alone and unprotected, thus vulnerable to everyone else on the same street as well as to passing cars. Dumb.) Surely more could be done with Ryan's friend and U.S. Naval Academy colleague Robby Freeman (Samuel L. Jackson). As for Richard Harris, he does the best he can with what is essentially a cartoon character, Paddy O'Neil. James Earl Jones reprises his role as Admiral James Greer, spending much of his time entering and leaving rooms. Whoever is responsible for such waste should be charged with criminal neglect.

To sum up, this film is consistently pleasant to look at. However, the plot seldom makes sense and the overall quality of acting is mediocre. Nonetheless, it has been a cash cow for Paramount and its producers so apparently others have a much higher regard for it than I do. Fair enough.

Harrison Ford is the perfect Jack Ryan as he goes out to protect his family from IRA teorrist

Harrison Ford was a great choice to take over the role of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games. Ford has that everyman quality that works really well when he finds himself and his family (wife Anne Archer and daughter Thora Birch) thrust into international events when they witness an assassination attempt on a British royal. Ford thwarts the attempt, which makes his family revenge targets. The assassins, an Irish militant group, counts amongst its members, a hotheaded Sean Bean who makes it his mission to kill Ford, Archer, and Birch. But needless to say, Ford has other ideas!

Patriot Games is a well-crafted thriller from director Philip Noyce. He keeps the tension going from the beginning, mixing periodic bits of action into the drama that drive the film to its' climax. There's also a good mix of gadgetry and politics to spice the plot up as well.

Ford does a great job portraying the hero as a family man out to protect his loved ones. Archer is an ideal, classy wife, and Birch isn't the typically annoying or cute movie kid ... she's very likeable. Samuel L. Jackson is wasted in a smaller role as Ford's buddy, while Bean and Patrick Bergin make the most of their bad guy roles.

I've seen a lot of action films that have the heart stopping chases and intrigue, but Patriot Games is a step above them. It's a great combination of cast, director, story, and action, and it holds up to repeated viewings.

As with The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger, the production values of this film are outstanding. While visiting London with his family, Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) unexpectedly becomes involved with a failed attempt by renegade Irish terrorists to assassinate Lord Holmes (James Fox). Ryan is wounded while intervening, killing one of the assassins whose brother Sean (played by Sean Bean) is arrested, imprisoned, tried, and convicted. After he escapes during an ambush of the police van in which he is being transported, he vows to kill Ryan. After that, the plot stumbles and staggers through various disjointed episodes, some of which are visually stunning but few of which make much sense. For example, especially after the first attack on the World Trade Center and extensive violence in Northern Ireland in 1991, there is an almost total absence of appropriate security precautions throughout this film. How ludicrous, given the numerous and quite serious dangers in which Ryan and his family find themselves after Sean Miller's escape. Lord Holmes remains a high priority candidate for assassination whose safety is presumably of some interest to British and American authorities. Nonetheless, near the end of the film when he (one of the most visible of "The Royals") visits the United States and joins the Ryans for dinner in their home, he and they are essentially defenseless to terrorists who months ago vowed to kill them. The events which follow are even less plausible.

This film has a few effective moments but, on balance, is a disappointment. I would have preferred Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and regret the waste of Anne Archer's talents. (Most of her time on screen as Dr. Cathy Ryan. she is either beaming with approval or wincing with apprehension.) The car chase and attempt on her life -- on a limited-access highway during rush hour! -- seem gratuitous, indeed strategically irrational, as does the earlier attempt on Ryan's life on a street in Annapolis. (Of course, he is alone and unprotected, thus vulnerable to everyone else on the same street as well as to passing cars. Dumb.) Surely more could be done with Ryan's friend and U.S. Naval Academy colleague Robby Freeman (Samuel L. Jackson). As for Richard Harris, he does the best he can with what is essentially a cartoon character, Paddy O'Neil. James Earl Jones reprises his role as Admiral James Greer, spending much of his time entering and leaving rooms. Whoever is responsible for such waste should be charged with criminal neglect.

To sum up, this film is consistently pleasant to look at. However, the plot seldom makes sense and the overall quality of acting is mediocre. Nonetheless, it has been a cash cow for Paramount and its producers so apparently others have a much higher regard for it than I do. Fair enough.

Harrison Ford is the perfect Jack Ryan as he goes out to protect his family from IRA teorrist

Harrison Ford was a great choice to take over the role of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games. Ford has that everyman quality that works really well when he finds himself and his family (wife Anne Archer and daughter Thora Birch) thrust into international events when they witness an assassination attempt on a British royal. Ford thwarts the attempt, which makes his family revenge targets. The assassins, an Irish militant group, counts amongst its members, a hotheaded Sean Bean who makes it his mission to kill Ford, Archer, and Birch. But needless to say, Ford has other ideas!

Patriot Games is a well-crafted thriller from director Philip Noyce. He keeps the tension going from the beginning, mixing periodic bits of action into the drama that drive the film to its' climax. There's also a good mix of gadgetry and politics to spice the plot up as well.

Ford does a great job portraying the hero as a family man out to protect his loved ones. Archer is an ideal, classy wife, and Birch isn't the typically annoying or cute movie kid ... she's very likeable. Samuel L. Jackson is wasted in a smaller role as Ford's buddy, while Bean and Patrick Bergin make the most of their bad guy roles.

I've seen a lot of action films that have the heart stopping chases and intrigue, but Patriot Games is a step above them. It's a great combination of cast, director, story, and action, and it holds up to repeated viewings.

Ok I see I'm in the minority here but I didn't like this movie. I like scary movies and I really liked Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween her best Scream Queen flick and I like Stacy Keach I used to watch him in a TV show when I was a teenager but sorry I just didn't like Road Games and I wonder why Jamie Lee Curtis and Stacy Keach agreed to be in it. Sorry, just a personal opinion and I'm not saying that you fans of this movie should't like it. To each their own I guess!

I saw this in fangoria magazine,picked it up and have watched it about 10 times now.The tone of the movie is up my alley,kinda like a road movie mixed with a slasher flick mixed with a pinch of The road warrior.I have never realized how great stacy keach can act until I saw this.besides, who wouldnt like a movie about a truck driver and his dingo hauling pigs across australia VS. a psycho killing hitchhikers? My mistake,just because he drives a truck it does not make him a truck driver.

[...] It is very much in the Hitchcock tradition, with a twisting plot line in which Stacey Keach finds himself the primary suspect in a string of murders of young women. There is a lot of humor, and some very unusual scenery to enjoy along the way. You get a view of some spectacular Australian countryside as Keach drives from Sydney to Perth. It's a fun movie, deftly made, and I'm happy to see it finally reach DVD.

The script is clever i admit, but when it becomes a movie, it makes me fall asleep. Jacob is wooden; i do like her but she can play limited roles, very limited. (Although, actually in this movie, this is not important completely.)

Max (Bruno Kirby) is a conniving entrepreneur. He tries to make a deal with a Russian by copying and selling a painting, stolen from Russians that stole it from Nazis that stole it from France. Instead he is given the job of delivering a tape to people in Helsinki. He must pose as a "Reindeer condom" distributor.
It turns out that the tape on the surface is a porn tape which sees a lot of mileage in this movie, which is somehow embedded with a coded message. The CIA wants to be sure it does not reach KGB hands.
Of course the cold war is supposed to be over but enter Harry Howe (Bill Pullman) CIA, and Natasha Scriabina (Irène Jacob) KGB, supposed lovers. Toss in Dave, a renegade CIA agent and you have a strange mix.
Everyone is out for them selves and still has to be civil. A substitute video is produces and we get to watch. Will Harry and Natasha get over their different backgrounds? Will Max ever make a profit? Someone is bound to be shot. The real question is, is Louise Hodges (Porn Woman) now an actress?

see a silly fun movie...irene is funny in this ...bill pullman and her skiny dip in cold waters ...bill is a lucky man ....RED the DVD were is it? i am waiting.

This is one of the worst films of its time. I cannot believe Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, and Charlize Theron have this stinker on their resumes.... it must be an embarrassment for all three of them. The plot is completely implausible from the word go, Affleck's character has about a billion things he could do to escape that we're supposed to believe just never cross his mind, the plot twists are NOT clever (just stupid), there are gun mistakes in the film (guy firing with Uzi, the scene cuts away from him for a second, then cuts back to him and now he has a Mac-10, crap like that), and if you actually make it all the way to the end of the film (I wish to God I hadn't), the ending is so stupid you're like "I cannot believe I suffered through this entire piece of crap for THAT." Skip it...... trust me.

This movie is bad, boring, and confusing. There is one scene, near the end, where the plot is explained to us by a surprise guest. After explaining the plot the "hero" says, words to the effect, "you have to be kidding me!" I agree. What happened here? With some good stars and interesting effects, I am going to have to blame the director 1'st and the story second. For those of you not discouraged, read on.

The basic plot of the movie involves a car thief who gets out of prison after a two years stint. His good friend, who is to be released the same day as him, gets stabbed in jail. So, instead of them both being released on the same day, he goes home and his friend, presumably, goes to the morgue.

One problem, his friend's girlfriend, doesn't know about his death. She is waiting outside the prison for him after writing letters to him for 2 years. She has never seen him, she has only written letters to him after having gotten his name from some type of jail house support group. So the "hero" of this film, pretends to be his friend, hooks up with the girl and takes advantage of her. Sorta of. There are a few twists and turns here which are suppose to keep you interested, but they don't. Ben Afflect, who plays the "hero" is not very believable as a despicable con. He is acting and it shows. If you believed in his character, you almost wished something bad would happen to him. Well, something bad does so I guess the movie does give the audience a little bit of what it wants, but not much.

The only interesting thing is the acting of Gary Sinse. I think he did a great job, as normal. I first saw him in "The Stand" portraying a hero and leader of a small community fighting an evil demon. Here he is the evil demon, only he is a human being who is psychotic. In either role, we believe in the person who he creates even if we don't believe in the universe that we find him. Unfortunately no matter how good he does in this movie, the movie is not good enough to recommend. Save your money, and time, and skip to a different film.

This supposed thriller, released in 2000, has a few good moments. One is the way that its stars Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron couple soon after they first meet. Ben Affleck just been released from prison, you see. And she's there to meet him. She's been writing letters to his cellmate, Nick, who has just been knifed. Ben Affleck tells her he's Nick. Then things get complicated. Very complicated.

Gary Sinise enters the scene as the bad guy. And there's a bunch of bad-guy thugs backing him up. They want to force Ben Affleck to help them commit a crime. It gets more and more complicated. Eventually there are five criminals all dressed up like Santa Claus with the intention of robbing a casino.

The plot moved swiftly. It wasn't hard to follow. Especially since the characters all took turns holding a gun to Ben Affleck's head and explaining how our supposed hero was set-up yet again. Then, the plot would deepen. And deepen. There were a few violent scenes and some bloodshed. And then even more explanations.

I kept watching Ben Affleck's facial expressions, which never seemed to change no matter what happened to him. Charlize
Theron is pretty and never missed a chance to show off her body but her acting ability is on a par with Affleck's. Gary Sinise was better; he's a good actor and this part called for overacting. And so what we got was a villain who was just too bad to be true.

This sounds like a comedy. Right?

Wrong. It was supposed to be serious. Give me a break!

I did find it mildly entertaining however.

This is one of the worst films of its time. I cannot believe Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, and Charlize Theron have this stinker on their resumes.... it must be an embarrassment for all three of them. The plot is completely implausible from the word go, Affleck's character has about a billion things he could do to escape that we're supposed to believe just never cross his mind, the plot twists are NOT clever (just stupid), there are gun mistakes in the film (guy firing with Uzi, the scene cuts away from him for a second, then cuts back to him and now he has a Mac-10, crap like that), and if you actually make it all the way to the end of the film (I wish to God I hadn't), the ending is so stupid you're like "I cannot believe I suffered through this entire piece of crap for THAT." Skip it...... trust me.

This movie is bad, boring, and confusing. There is one scene, near the end, where the plot is explained to us by a surprise guest. After explaining the plot the "hero" says, words to the effect, "you have to be kidding me!" I agree. What happened here? With some good stars and interesting effects, I am going to have to blame the director 1'st and the story second. For those of you not discouraged, read on.

The basic plot of the movie involves a car thief who gets out of prison after a two years stint. His good friend, who is to be released the same day as him, gets stabbed in jail. So, instead of them both being released on the same day, he goes home and his friend, presumably, goes to the morgue.

One problem, his friend's girlfriend, doesn't know about his death. She is waiting outside the prison for him after writing letters to him for 2 years. She has never seen him, she has only written letters to him after having gotten his name from some type of jail house support group. So the "hero" of this film, pretends to be his friend, hooks up with the girl and takes advantage of her. Sorta of. There are a few twists and turns here which are suppose to keep you interested, but they don't. Ben Afflect, who plays the "hero" is not very believable as a despicable con. He is acting and it shows. If you believed in his character, you almost wished something bad would happen to him. Well, something bad does so I guess the movie does give the audience a little bit of what it wants, but not much.

The only interesting thing is the acting of Gary Sinse. I think he did a great job, as normal. I first saw him in "The Stand" portraying a hero and leader of a small community fighting an evil demon. Here he is the evil demon, only he is a human being who is psychotic. In either role, we believe in the person who he creates even if we don't believe in the universe that we find him. Unfortunately no matter how good he does in this movie, the movie is not good enough to recommend. Save your money, and time, and skip to a different film.

This supposed thriller, released in 2000, has a few good moments. One is the way that its stars Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron couple soon after they first meet. Ben Affleck just been released from prison, you see. And she's there to meet him. She's been writing letters to his cellmate, Nick, who has just been knifed. Ben Affleck tells her he's Nick. Then things get complicated. Very complicated.

Gary Sinise enters the scene as the bad guy. And there's a bunch of bad-guy thugs backing him up. They want to force Ben Affleck to help them commit a crime. It gets more and more complicated. Eventually there are five criminals all dressed up like Santa Claus with the intention of robbing a casino.

The plot moved swiftly. It wasn't hard to follow. Especially since the characters all took turns holding a gun to Ben Affleck's head and explaining how our supposed hero was set-up yet again. Then, the plot would deepen. And deepen. There were a few violent scenes and some bloodshed. And then even more explanations.

I kept watching Ben Affleck's facial expressions, which never seemed to change no matter what happened to him. Charlize
Theron is pretty and never missed a chance to show off her body but her acting ability is on a par with Affleck's. Gary Sinise was better; he's a good actor and this part called for overacting. And so what we got was a villain who was just too bad to be true.

This sounds like a comedy. Right?

Wrong. It was supposed to be serious. Give me a break!

I did find it mildly entertaining however.