FAQ

Clear and Present Danger is based on the 1989 novel of the same title by American author Tom Clancy. It is a sequel to two other films featuring Jack Ryan: À la poursuite d'Octobre Rouge (1990) (1990) and Jeux de guerre (1992) (1992). Yet another sequel, La somme de toutes les peurs (2002) was released in 2002. The novel was adapted for the movie by screenwriters Donald Stewart, Stephen Zailllian, and John Milius. A reboot of the franchise started with Jack Ryan: Recrue dans l'ombre (2014) in 2014.

No. Clear and Present Danger works as an independent story from all of the previous films. The only carryover question from Patriot Games is the gender of Jack (Harrison Ford) and Cathy (Anne Archer) Ryan's about-to-be-born child (a son).

In the film, when discussing the problem of the South American drug cartels in the U.S., President Bennett (Donald Moffat) says that they represent a "clear and present danger" to the national security of the United States. The phrase comes from a legal opinion by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and deals with the circumstances under which the government may legally regulate speech - see Schenck v. US, 249 US 47 (1919). Holmes offered the standard that speech can be regulated when it will create a situation which constitutes a "clear and present danger" that the government has an interest in preventing. The hypothetical example used by Holmes was falsely shouting "fire" in a crowded theater. Such a situation is punishable by the government since, in this case, the speech would present a clear (easily foreseeable) and present (imminent) danger that people in the theater would get hurt in an effort to flee a fictitious fire.

It should be noted, however, that the Supreme Court now relies on the "imminent lawless action" standard - see Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 US 444 (1969) - a much more strict level of scrutiny on government attempts to limit speech compared to "clear and present danger".

The flag was that of Panama. The reason why the Colombians put up the flag was to show that they were Panamanian and that the coast guard had no jurisdiction to stop them. However the US Coast Guard has agreements with many countries around the world such that they can stop any ship they feel is suspicious. The boat was registered to the US, so the Coast Guard had an incontrovertible reason to stop it.

Cortez (Joaquim de Almeida) killed Moira (Ann Magnuson) because she was a loose end who could potentially identify him if ever there was an investigation into who knew FBI director Emile Jacobs (Tom Tammi) was going to Colombia. Moira didn't know Cortez's real name, but she could have put a face to the file that the CIA/DEA already had for him. Moira was also a "honeypot" as she was unknowingly feeding Cortez detailed information through her intimate relationship with him.

Jack Ryan's real name is John Patrick Ryan. Jack is a nickname for John, just as Bob is a nick for Robert.

It's the Largo from the Symphony N°9 (aka New World Symphony) by Antonin Dvorák and commonly known as Going Home, a standard tune for pipe bands to play at funerals for police officers and military personnel.

So far, Clancy has written 12 novels that feature Jack Ryan. They are: The Hunt for Red October (1984), Patriot Games (1987), The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988), Clear and Present Danger (1989), The Sum of All Fears (1991), Without Remorse (1993), Debt of Honor (1994), Executive Orders (1996), Rainbow Six (1998) (mention only), The Bear and the Dragon (2000), Red Rabbit (2002), and The Teeth of the Tiger (2003). Of the 12 books in the Ryan-universe, five have so far been made into movies—À la poursuite d'Octobre Rouge (1990) (1990), Jeux de guerre (1992) (1992), Clear and Present Danger, La somme de toutes les peurs (2002) (2002), and Jack Ryan: Recrue dans l'ombre (2014) (2014). Sans aucun remords (2021) is currently in development without an expected release date.