It had been a long time since I read this book, and the movie (although old itself) was on my mind for some reason. Wow, the book is so much different than the movie. Amazing! And it really reinforced my revulsion at having William Dafoe act as John Clark. I hated that casting!
The book, by itself, stands on very solid ground. You do not need to read the others, but they certainly make the Clancy saga entertaining. I like the book a lot. And now I like the movie a lot less.
What is great about the book is that you get the author's own thoughts mixed in, posing as thoughts of the characters. Obviously, movies do not have time (nor inclination) for such an indulgence. You get a sneak peek into Clancy's thoughts on war and politics. He asks great questions, in the form of Jack Ryan's questing for "What is Right". And there is so much detail. Obviously, duh! *grin*
The movie... well, what can I say? Harrison Ford is no Jack Ryan. Ford is an awesome actor, but he is a square peg in the round hole of Jack Ryan. Ben Affleck might be a better Jack Ryan; it is hard to say since his only movie so far as Jack Ryan was not all that great either. =)
And will someone PLEASE remaster the Clear and Present Danger movie to eradicate William Dafoe!!!
