Tom Clancy FAQ - Movie Plot Summary

The Hunt for Red October

Patriot Games

Clear and Present Danger

Tom Clancy's Op-Center

Tom Clancy's Net Force

The Sum of All Fears

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When CIA analyst Jack Ryan is unable to identify the purpose of some doors appearing on the newest Soviet Typhoon class ballistic missile nuclear submarine, named the Red October, he heads to Washington DC to find help. In the meantime, the Red October, under the command of Captain Marko Ramius, puts to sea on its maiden voyage. It is immediately detected, and tracked by the USS Dallas, a US Los Angeles class fast attack nuclear submarine, commanded by Captain Bart Mancuso. When the Red October disappears from the Dallas' tracking systems, right in front it, the ripples of tension and alarm start spreading around the world. The captain of the Red October has mailed a mysterious letter to Admiral Yuri Padorin, Chairman of the Red Fleet Northern Political Directorate. The Hunt for Red October is on as US and Soviet forces race each other to see who can find the Red October first, with Jack Ryan caught in the middle.  Purchase this movie on VHS or DVD

Patriot Games

Jack Ryan is retired from the CIA. He teaches history at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. When he is invited to give a speech at the British Royal Naval Academy in London, his wife and daughter go along to make it a vacation. After his speech, Ryan walks to meet his family at a London park. As he joins them, members of the Ulster Liberation Army, an ultra-violent offshoot of the IRA, headed by Kevin O'Donnell, attack a car containing members of the Royal Family right in front of Ryan and his wife and daughter. Jack intervenes in the attack and foils their plan, killing two and capturing one of them. One of the two killed is the younger brother of Sean Miller, the man he captured. Miller vows revenge on Ryan and his family. But since he is going to Albany Prison on the Isle of Wight, the worst prison in Britain, the threat doesn't seem serious. In the meantime, the IRA, upset with O'Donnell's attack on the Royals, tries to kill him. The IRA and the ULA both claim to be motivated by patriotism, but they are fighting each other and the British are hunting both. Ryan returns to the US and the Academy and his adventure seems like a distant dream. But when O'Donnell and the ULA rescue Miller on his way to Albany Prison, the dream turns into a nightmare. Admiral Greer comes to Ryan and asks him to return to the CIA to help track down the terrorists. Greer wants Ryan back in the CIA. He too is motivated by patriotism and wants his best man back. As the tension mounts, Jack may have to re-join the CIA just to protect his wife and daughter. It is a race to find the ULA terrorists before Sean Miller and the ULA can attack him and his family. To Ryan, it's a matter of protecting his loved ones, while everyone around him is playing Patriot Games.  Purchase this movie on VHS or DVD

Clear and Present Danger

When a US Coast Guard Cutter stops and boards a yacht in the Caribbean, they discover that the owner and his family have been murdered. CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is assigned to find out what it was all about. When Ryan briefs the president on the facts of the murders, the president is upset. The murdered man was a personal friend of the president for many years. The president authorizes Operation Reciprocity, in a roundabout fashion, through Admiral Cutter, the National Security Advisor, by stating that the Cali Cartel is a Clear and Present Danger to the National Security of the United States. Reciprocity turns out to be a covert attack on the production facilities of the Cali Cartel. In the meantime, Admiral James Greer, Deputy Director of Intelligence, has become ill and enters the hospital. Ryan is appointed Acting Deputy Director of Intelligence until Greer recovers. He is the one who must brief the Congressional Oversight Committee on Reciprocity to get the money for it. Cutter and Robert Ritter decide not to tell Ryan what Reciprocity really is, claiming that it is aid to the Colombian government for their fight against the Cartel. Ryan briefs the committee and assures them that no US troops are involved. The money is granted. A small team of US Special Operations troopers are inserted into Colombia and Reciprocity begins. Ryan continues his investigation of the yacht murders and uncovers startling information. As a consequence, Ryan in is Bogota when the Cartel retaliates for the attacks. As each side escalates the undeclared and secret war, Jack Ryan is beginning to understand that he has been tricked into lying to Congress. The international situation heats up as Jack tries to discover what is really going on. As he gets closer and closer to the truth, Cutter and Ritter start covering up and shifting the operation. If Ryan finally discovers the truth, will he even be able to reveal it? And at what cost?  Purchase this movie on VHS or DVD

Tom Clancy's Op Center

The Cold War is over. The military and intelligence communities are cutting back many departments and operations. Admiral Troy Davis asks Paul Hood to take over the National Crisis Management Center. Hood has been Davis's front man for closing down many redundant or obsolete operations in the past. He takes on this closing as well, over the objections of his wife. But in the middle of his first day, meeting all of the people whose jobs he will be cutting, a crisis erupts. During the dismantling of former Soviet nuclear warheads in the Ukraine, a group of Russian KGB personnel have decided to go into business for themselves and have stolen three nuclear warheads. The US observer team on the site radios the news and confusion begins. The NSMC has never managed an actual international crisis before. All they've done for months is run simulations and scenarios. But no other governmental organization has the resources that the NSMC has. Can the novice director of the Op Center lead its inexperienced crew in a successful hunt for the missing warheads? Can the on the way out organization deal with this crisis in the midst of Washington politics? If they fail, how many will die?

Tom Clancy's Net Force

An ABC mini-series.  It is the year 2005 and the continuous advancement of technology has spawned a new breed of criminals whose unbridled power of the Internet is capable of devastating the entire universe. In response, the government created an elite FBI division called Netforce. When Netforce’s internal network is infiltrated, the trace is on to secure the world’s information system and stop the diabolical plot for control.  (summary by Jeff Marriott)

The Sum of All Fears

The next movie is now out.  The best information about the movie is found here (Internet Movie Database).  The movie bears little resemblance to the book.  For evidence, look at the National Security Advisor name and actor on the imdb.com page.  You can buy the DVD here.