Getting a Little Clancy

When I was younger my older brother had a favorite movie. I always thought it was boring, tedious, dragged out, obnoxious.... you get my drift.

Well, fast forward years later it has become one of my favorite films to watch. No only because Sam Neil was in it, or Tim Curry, or Alec Baldwin. Not even because of Sean Connery (though if I was vain enough, I would say that it definitely was a factor in me watching it the first time).

The film was titled, The Hung for Red October.

I didn't know it at the time, but it was based upon a book by Tom Clancy. A book that's based upon a series featuring a CIA analyst by the name of Jack Ryan.

The basic plot: Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) is asked to brief the Sectary of State about a Russian submarine captain, Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) after he sets sail in an new submarine equipped with Stealth technology. When it heads for America both sides are in a rush to reach the sub before the other.

Did I mention that James Earl Jones also plays in it?

Trust me, it is far better than I'm writing it out to be.

After watching this on Netflix last year, I learned there were a few other Jack Ryan movies on Netflix. Such as: Clear and Present Danger (Harrison Ford as Ryan) and The Sum of All Fears (Ben Affleck as Ryan).

Tom Clancy is an expert writer on the CIA and other government back stories. Most of these were based in some truth - although no one will confirm it.

If you're looking for a read I would highly recommend any one of his novels. Maybe even check out the entire Jack Ryan series (it's up to you if you want to read it chronologically or by publication) - for the sake of this list, it's by publication:


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)
The Bear and the Dragon (2000)
Red Rabbit (2002)
The Teeth of the Tiger (2003)
Dead or Alive (2010)
Locked On (2011)
Threat Vector (2012)
Command Authority (2013)
Full Force and Effect (2014)
Under Fire (2015)
Commander-in-Chief (2015)
Duty and Honor (2016


Right now I think it's safe to say that we will have Mr. Ryan around for quite a bit longer.



Who is your favorite serial hero?

Also - if you take a chance on the movies, leave a comment below.