<img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=116147&d=1217185995"hspace="12"align="left">
<b>The Review at a Glance: </b> (max score: 5 )

<b>Film:</b> <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699">

<b>Extras:</b> <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109942&d=1210373647">

<b> Audio/Video total rating:</b>
<p> ( Max score: 100 )
<font color=green><b><h2>81</h2></b></font>
<br><br><br>
<b>Studio and Year:</b> Paramount - 1994
<b>MPAA Rating:</b> PG-13
<b>Feature running time:</b> 141 Minutes
<b>Genre:</b> Drama/Action

<b>Disc Format:</b> BD-50
<b>Encoding:</b> MPEG-4 (AVC)
<b>Video Aspect:</b> 2.35:1
<b>Resolution:</b> 1080p/24
<br>
<b>Audio Format(s):</b> English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
<b>Subtitles:</b> English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
<b>Starring:</b> Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, Willem Dafoe, James Earl Jones, Donald Moffatt, Henry Czerny
<b>Directed by:</b>Phillip Noyce
<b>Music by:</b> James Horner
<b>Written by:</b> Donald Stewart, Steven Zaillian, John Milius
<b>Region Code:</b> A

<b>Blu-ray Disc release Date:</b> July 29, 2008

<br><BR><BR><BR><BR>
<center><font color=Green><b><h2>"Watch your back Jack"</h2></b></font></center>

<h4>Film Synopsis:</h4></b></font><p>This is the third film based on Tom Clancy's high-tech espionage potboilers starring CIA deputy director Jack Ryan. Harrison Ford, returning to the Ryan role after his first go-round in 1992's Patriot Games, is assigned to a delicate anti-drug investigation after a close friend of the President (a Reaganesque Donald Moffat) is murdered by a Colombian drug cartel. When Ryan discovers that the President's wealthy friend was in league with the cartel, the President's devious national security adviser (Harris Yulin) and an ambitious CIA deputy director (Henry Czerny) send a secret paramilitary force into Colombia to wipe out the drug lords. The force is captured and then abandoned by the President's lackeys. It falls to Ryan to enter Colombia and rescue them, aided only by a renegade operative named Clark (Willem Dafoe), with both his life and career on the line.</p>




<h4>My Take:</h4></b></font><p><I>Clear and present danger </I> was the first film in the series that I saw and it remains my favorite. I love its blend of drama, action, suspense, strong characters and superb casting. The tangled political web that the story weaves is right on the money. There are several bad guys on both sides of the equation which I found appealing. Ernesto Escobedo is certainly a drug lord that deserves what he gets but I found myself rooting for him during the film. I think this was mainly due to Cortez’ treachery and I wanted to see him get his comeuppance. Henry Czerny plays Ritter’s cold, steely eyed, self indulgent “I call them as I see them” demeanor to pure perfection and is my favorite “bad guy” in the film. The film’s action based sequences such as the entire rescue from the Lindo Coffee factory and ambush of the motorcade in Columbia are great. The loss of Admiral Greer, the weak political leadership, and the cat and mouse played between the Ritter/Cutter/Clark, Jack and Cortez/Escobedo all contributed to the films dramatic elements. When I think of Jack Ryan, Harrison Ford is immediately who comes to mind. That is not meant to be a slight to anyone else who has portrayed the character but is strictly my opinion. I enjoyed all of the films in series but this is the one that I reach for first.</p>


<h4>Parental Guide:</h4></b></font><p>The rating is for intense action, violence and language. There is no graphic violence or language.</p>



<br><b>AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
</b><font color=DarkOrange><b>REFERENCE</b></font> = 92-100 / </b><font color=teal><b>EXCELLENT</b></font> = 83-91 / </b><font color=green><b>GOOD</b></font> = 74-82 / </b><font color=yellowgreen><b>AVERAGE</b></font> = 65-73 / </b><font color=red><b>BELOW AVERAGE</b></font> = under 65 </b>

<em>**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**</em>


<b>(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)</b>

<font color=green><b><h4>Audio: 82</h4></b></font>
<b><ul>
<li>Dynamics: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Low frequency extension: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109945&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Surround Sound presentation: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Clarity/Detail: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Dialogue Reproduction: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699">
</b></li></ul>


<font color=green><b><h4>Video: 80</h4></b></font>
<b>(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)</b>

<b><ul>
<li>Resolution/Clarity: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109944&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Black level/Shadow detail: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Color reproduction: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Fleshtones: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Compression: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373692"</b></li></ul><p><b><I>Clear and present danger</I> comes to Blu-ray Disc featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 31 mbps and lossless Dolby TrueHD audio that has an average bitrate of 3.4 mbps.</b></p><p> I had high hopes for this video presentation because I have only ever seen it on letter boxed non-anamorphic DVD which looked atrocious. I am happy to report that it looks considerably better than my old DVD but not quite as pristine as I had hoped. Contrast is up which gives the video a dynamic overtone in bright scenes. Black levels are deep enough that scenes containing mixed content look well balanced with good dynamic range in dark areas. Detail in shadows provides good visibility of shapes and textures in backgrounds. Color reproduction was solid and didn’t exhibit over saturation or smearing. Flesh tones were right on the money with nice variation and natural tonality. Detail and sharpness was sort of a mixed bag. At times I felt that resolution didn’t have the definitive clarity and fine articulation of good high definition. This was especially true of close up shots. Longer panning and distant sequences appeared better resolved but still lacked the three dimensional quality of the better HD video I have seen. To my eyes the video had an overly processed look that might be consistent with artificial sharpening but I didn‘t notice halos around objects. This tended to obscure fine detail within the image and gave it a slightly duller appearance. On the flip side there were many instances where the video exhibited better vibrancy and cleaner elements that gave it more “pop”. I had a hard time evaluating this one because it had the potential to look very good at times and just okay at others. Grain was visible in fine layers and appeared to be well preserved. I saw no signs of compression artifacts and with the high bitrate encoding bit starvation was no problem. The end result was that this is the best that I have seen this film look.</p><p>The audio presentation was quite good and seemed to preserve and enhance the strengths that made the lossy Dolby Digital sound mix desirable. Dynamics were solid which increased the potency of gunfire, explosions, and sound effects. The sound field bristled with a blend of both discrete and ambient sounds which made it easy to get caught up in films captivating moments. The rescue sequence at the coffee factory had a little bit of everything and sounded excellent. Dialogue through the center channel sounded clearly defined with discernible variety and good intonation. Imaging across the front three channels had distinctive separation with seamless pans and open sound staging. Low frequencies had above average impact with palpable room penetration that seemed to blend well with the rest of the system. This lossless audio mix had stronger dynamic presence and improved clarity over its Dolby Digital counterpart.</p>

<h4><b>Bonus Features:</b></h4></font>

<p>The bonus supplements offered here featured a 26 minute making of documentary with cast/crew interviews and behind the scenes footage which was pretty informative. A Director’s audio commentary track and theatrical trailer (in high definition) rounded things out with little fanfare. </p>

<ul>
<li>Behind The Danger - Cast and Crew interviews </li>
<li> <b>(HD)</b> Theatrical Trailer</li></ul>



<h4>Final Thoughts:</h4></b></font>

<p> <I>Clear and present danger</I> is one of my favorite Harrison Ford films. Its great story, excellent thematic components and superb cast sets it apart in my book from the other Clancy/Ryan films. Paramount has brought it to high definition Blu-ray Disc featuring good (not stellar) video and very good audio quality. This is far and away superior to the standard definition DVD version which makes it a must have for fans of the film. </p>





<img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109949&d=1210373731" align=left>
<br><br><br><br>
<br><b>Ralph Potts</b>
<em>AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews</em>



<br><br><b>Reference Review System:</b>

<strong>
JVC DLA-RS1x 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen
Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player
Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor
Outlaw Audio Model 7700 seven channel amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 seven Channel amplifier
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
</strong>

Ralph,

Nice review but I suggest reading the book, which is one of my favorite Clancy novels.

David

Ralph,

Nice review but I suggest reading the book, which is one of my favorite Clancy novels.

David

Greetings,

I have always meant to Dave but just have never done it.


Cheers,

Tom Clancy has been one of my favorite writers since the beginning of his career. I agree that as good as some of the movies based on his books have been, they can't hold a candle to the originals. It's a shame that it has been so long since Clancy has published a new novel. I also agree that CaPD is one of his best Jack Ryan books.

I watched the movie version of the story on Bravo HD this morning and it was a lot of fun. It both looked and sounded very good. This movie should be a good choice for anyone's Blu-ray disk collection

For me Alec Baldwin was and still is the best Jack Ryan.....I like Harrison as an actor but i thought Baldwin had a certain edginess to him which enhanced the character ( not having read the books )

This film was a step up from Patriot Games but i personally think The Hunt For Red October was the best in the Jack Ryan series of films presently made.

FoxyMulder,

I agree with you completely! As much as I loathe Alec Baldwin as a man due to his boisterous political messages and his much publicized phone conversation with his daughter, he nailed the role perfectly from an age standpoint as well as the edginess you referred to.

Harrison Ford is one of my favorite actors, but he just doesn't "fit" the role from the standpoint of the novels (and don't get me started on Ben Affleck).

Of all the movies, Red October is my favorite by far (just finished watching it about 5 minutes ago on Blu-ray), and is the best adaptation from the book. It isn't as in depth, but it captures the spirit of the story and the casting was first-rate.

All of the others are fun cinema, but pale in comparison to the books.

As for Clancy, he said "The Teeth of the Tiger" was his last novel with Jack Ryan and he is concentrating on more non-fiction works. I miss his novels a lot, but I still will read one of his books at least once per year, even though I've read them all multiple times.

FoxyMulder and Dave -- I agree on all counts. The Hunt for Red October was both the first and the best of the Jack Ryan movies, just as, in my opinion anyway, the book on which it was based was the best of the "Ryanverse" books.

Baldwin was simply terrific in HfRO, just he has been terrific in a lot of other stuff. Despite Baldwin's well publicized shortcomings as a human being, he is a great actor with remarkable range. I can't think of many other current actors who have the ability to both make your blood run cold and laugh uproariously.

I ordered a Blu-ray player last week and it is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. This thread encourages me to watch HfRO again, this time on Blu-ray.

A note about Clancy's other work. Virtually all of his other stuff,such as the Op-Center books, was written by others. I don't know about the non-fiction stuff, though.

I have never seen any of the Jack Ryan movies. I guess I should start from the beginning?

Also, it's good to see both Paramount and Universal going with TrueHD over DTS:MA. My player can't decode DTS:MA tracks.

I have never seen any of the Jack Ryan movies. I guess I should start from the beginning?

Also, it's good to see both Paramount and Universal going with TrueHD over DTS:MA. My player can't decode DTS:MA tracks.
Although there is some disagreement, most folks who have read the Ryanverse books and seen the movies agree that the order in which you approach them makes little difference in your enjoyment of the stories. After all, the chronological order of the stories differs from the year of publication of each:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_clancy

Anyway, enjoy!

Howdy, I'm new here...

Just some thoughts on Ralph's review--it is spot on. My only complaint aside from the fact that I would have liked to see a better transfer here (but it is a big step up from the DVD), is new bonus material in addition to the material ported over from the early DVD edition.

FoxyMulder and Dave -- I agree on all counts. The Hunt for Red October was both the first and the best of the Jack Ryan movies, just as, in my opinion anyway, the book on which it was based was the best of the "Ryanverse" books.

Baldwin was simply terrific in HfRO, just he has been terrific in a lot of other stuff. Despite Baldwin's well publicized shortcomings as a human being, he is a great actor with remarkable range. I can't think of many other current actors who have the ability to both make your blood run cold and laugh uproariously.


Add one more person who feels the same as you three. I have all the Harrison Ford Ryan movies, as well as Red October on Laserdisc. (For completeness I got TSOAF on DVD.)

In fact HfRO is my most-often played laserdisc.

Based on Ralph's review I'll pick it up on Blu-ray. I may double-dip on this one, too.

Nice review Ralph and thanks a ton for saving my $$$.

Still prefer Hunt For Red October and I must say I preferred the movie to the book.

I have this one in DVD and really liked the movie. But after reading the review I guess I will wait for the update..

Ralph,

How do you like the RS1?

I have this one in DVD and really liked the movie. But after reading the review I guess I will wait for the update..

Ralph,

How do you like the RS1?

Greetings,

Chris, which update are you referring to?

I am very happy with the RS1x. I miss the electronic focus on the Sony as well as its blanking feature. The JVC has a masking feature that has only two adjustments for overscan (2.5 % and 5 %) but it places a border around the entire image. There are only two HD networks where I see any signal end garbage so its really not much of an issue.

On the plus side the unit is not any louder, has incredible contrast/blacks, is brighter and slightly sharper.

Cheers,

Hi Ralph,

What I meant is that if in the future there is a new release of the movie I will probably jump in.. Given the rating that you gave I think that I will stick with the DVD for now..

Your RS1UX looks good.. I have the old RS1 and I am quite happy with it... Right now what I am thinking on upgrading is the Panasonic BD30... I am thinking on the Pioneer 51 FD, the Sony S350 or something else...

Hi Ralph,

What I meant is that if in the future there is a new release of the movie I will probably jump in.. Given the rating that you gave I think that I will stick with the DVD for now..

Your RS1UX looks good.. I have the old RS1 and I am quite happy with it... Right now what I am thinking on upgrading is the Panasonic BD30... I am thinking on the Pioneer 51 FD, the Sony S350 or something else...

Greetings,

Chris, I would say that another release may not be in the cards. This is a significant upgrade over the DVD as it is.


Regards,

I just watched this movie last night and defintely looks better than Patriot Games...
Hunt for the red october I guess that it needs some sort Lowry's treatment..It looks kind of old and there are some parts that it just looks so grainy and other with a lot of DNRs...
I agree with your review Ralph...
Tonight I will be watching the Sum of All Fears.

I just watched this movie last night and defintely looks better than Patriot Games...
Hunt for the red october I guess that it needs some sort Lowry's treatment..It looks kind of old and there are some parts that it just looks so grainy and other with a lot of DNRs...
I agree with your review Ralph...
Tonight I will be watching the Sum of All Fears.

Greetings,

Thanks for sharing your impressions Chris...:)

Regards,

The image quality on this disc is very strange. There are scenes where it looks great, and others where it is simply distracting due to blatant block artifacts. Sometimes I swear it looks like I'm watching a Youtube video.

Taking a look at any area where there is a repeating pattern (or a out of focus background) I clearly saw blocks, usually with a repeating "comb-like" pattern (which tends to really catch my attention). Sorry, I don't know any of the technical lingo to better describe this aberration. I suppose this is due to some kind of digital "enhancement".

I am projecting onto a 92" screen in 1080p, 24 fps. I have not seen this effect in any other Blu-ray so far. Would anyone be interested in an up-close screen shot?