Butcher - Families in Patriot Games

There are several families, both nuclear and organizational, that are present in Patriot Games. One could argue that families are, in fact, the central theme that the whole movie revolves around. The action that takes place is all action that threatens the family. Some of the “families” represented in the film are: the Ryan family, Miller’s family, the Royal family, the IRA, the CIA, and the Naval Academy.

The IRA is an interesting family to observe in this film. On the one hand, we see the Irish as incredibly loyal to each other. The spokesman for the IRA refuses to give Jack Ryan any information on his fellow Irishmen, claiming that he would never betray his people. This is a very important point that reverberates throughout the film. Because of the conflict between the British and the Irish, many Irish were seen as betraying their people for pledging allegiance to the crown, in some way or another. When Jack Ryan approaches the IRA spokesman in the Irish bar, he scoffs Ryan in his attempt, announcing this publicly to the rest of the bar patrons.

On the other hand, the splinter groups of the IRA will kill their own if that means that they will become closer to achieving their ends. Any man, Irish or not, that threats their goals will be taken down. We see this when Miller’s sect of the IRA kills off “Jimmy boy.” Their sect focuses on violent actions that send a message. Toward the end of the film, it is clear that Sean’s motives are different from the group, and when they intervene with him, Sean will kill them.

Sean Miller’s family, consisting of his brother and himself, is broken when Jack interferes and accidentally shoots his brother. This is the inciting incident that sets Patriot Games into motion. From that point forward, Sean’s motivation to seek revenge for his brother death pushes the plot forward. Act II of the film begins when Sean threatens the lives of Jack Ryan’s wife and daughter, chasing them on the highway till their car crashes. Miller continues to pursue the Ryan family till the very end of the film, which ends in a daring boat chase between Jack and Sean.

Jack Ryan is extremely protective of his family. After his pregnant wife and daughter careen into a highway divider, Ryan does everything in his power to bring justice to the situation. Always a man of action, Ryan becomes completely involved in the case when he re-joins the CIA, hoping to contribute to their search for Miller and the rest of his IRA group. Even his wife, Dr. Ryan, who had resented his former place in the CIA, supports him in his efforts to hunt Miller down. At the end of the film, Jack puts his own life on the line to ensure the safety of his family, and the Royal family.

It seems as though familial relationships are central to the plot of Patriot Games, and these relationships function within the device of political tension. The violence that Miller's IRA splinter group inflicts affects all the characters within the film. People find the need to create close ties with one another, and when the lives of family members are threatened, tension is created. This tension is what engages the audience and makes them anxious. We start to imagine what we would do if our family and friends were in danger. Harrison Ford, acts as the hero that we would all wish to be if encountered with this situation.