Lazo - Patriot Games

Families drive everything in Patriot Games. The story is set into motion as Sean Miller leads his group of IRA terrorists in an assassination attempt on Lord Holmes, a member of the British Royal Family. The plan is foiled when Jack Ryan interferes, saving the Royal Family, but killing Patrick Miller, Sean's brother. Miller's rage at Ryan and his family leads him to make attempts on their lives to avenge the life of his brother. Ryan's reaction is to rejoin the CIA and help lead the search for Miller and his crew.

Ryan's chief family is his own traditional family: his wife Caroline and their daughter Sally. The film opens with the three of them on vacation having a family game night. It is clear that they are very close and very happy together. It is Ryan's protective instincts of his family that drive his actions. After the first attempt on his life outside the Naval Academy, he wastes no time on himself. He ignores any attempt for others to help him, and he immediately tries to contact his wife to make sure she and Sally are safe. Once the shock of these assaults is over, Ryan is back in the CIA, determined to stop Miller for the safety of his family. Later, when Miller launches a home invasion of Ryan's house (itself a representation of how this ordeal has impacted the Ryan family) Ryan again ensures the safety of his family first. He leads them safely out of the house, and keeps them out of harm's way by luring the terrorists into the open water while his family escapes on shore. Like Presumed Innocent, this film features a sort of bookend device, when it ends with another scene depicting a happy Ryan family; they're preparing to welcome another baby.


Sean Miller and the IRA are a much different sort of family. Throughout the film, several members and leaders of the IRA refer to their "countrymen" and "fellow Irishmen" as though they were all one big family. Miller himself seemed to reflect this mentality in the beginning of the film with his crew, and his crew seemed confident that Miller would not betray them. The trouble with the IRA as a family is how prone to self-destruction they are, despite their claims of loyalty to fellow Irishmen. Faction leaders order the execution of those who fled after the initial attack failed. They are a goal-oriented family, with little concern for the people in it. Miller, however, places his traditional family (his brother) above the cause. He is hellbent on destroying Ryan's life through his family. He is driven to avenge the memory of his brother. While chasing Ryan's boat through a storm, his comrades order that they turn around; Holmes is their mission, and he is on shore. Miller shouts, "He is not my mission!" and kills his two partners, making it clear once and for all that all of his actions have been fueled by an undying thirst for vengeance. He has betrayed the only family he has left by jeopardizing the mission for his own needs.