Jack Ryan Movies: All 5 Movies In Chronological Order

Jack Ryan is a character in a novel which is written by Tom Clancy. The author published a series of books based on this character before Ryan was featured in several films. In the past few years, there have been actors such as Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine and Harrison Ford playing the Jack Ryan role. Although Alec Baldwin is known as the original Ryan, also ford played with the most physical activity.

Tom Clancy has created a character called Jack Ryan, a famous fictional detective. Clancy featured Ryan in his ryanverse novel. This book series has consistently topped the bestseller books list in the New York Times for over 30 years. Five movies are inspired by Tom Clancy’s books.

So, if you are a die heart fan of Jack Ryan and want to watch all movies of this character in order then here is the list of all his movies in order of release date and storyline.

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So let’s begin with the first movie of Tom clancy’s jack Ryan which is a must-watch for all jack Ryan fans.

all Jack Ryan Movies

All 5 Jack Ryan Movies By Their Release Year

  1. The Hunt for Red October

    Director: John McTiernan

    Writers: Tom Clancy, Larry Ferguson, Donald E. Stewart

    Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn

    Genres: Action, Adventure, Thriller

     The Hunt for Red October (1990) on IMDb

    The hunt for red October was the first installment of Jack Ryan’s film series. It was released in 1990 featuring the protagonist Jack Ryan. This movie was based on a novel written by Tom Clancy in 1984 of the same name.

    The story of this movie is set in 1984 and features the late Cold War era. It also involves a rogue Soviet naval captain Marko Ramius, wishing to defect to the US with his most advanced ballistic missile submarine and officers. Moreover, you will see Alec Baldwin playing the role of Jack Ryan who is a central intelligence agency analyst.

    After knowing their intentions of Marko, Jack briefs the government and warns them about the danger of the Red October mission. To find out the actual plans of Ramius, Jack sets to the middle Atlantic in a plane to start the mission by carrying a warship with him.

  2. Patriot Games

    Director: Phillip Noyce

    Writers: Tom Clancy, W. Peter Iliff, Donald E. Stewart

    Stars: Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Anne Archer

    Genres: Action, Thriller

     Patriot Games (1992) on IMDb

    Patriot Games is the second Ryan adventure film directed by Phillip Noyce. This film was released in 1992 and is based on the novel written by Tom Clancy. In this movie, Harrison Ford plays the role of Ryan, Dr. Cathy who is jack’s wife played by Anne archer, and Sean Bean plays the role of a vengeful Irish terrorist.

    The storyline of this movie is based on the aftermath of the murder of a person. He was close to the United States president. At the beginning of the film, you will see jack Ryan saving the assassination of Northern Ireland’s minister of state. Jack Ryan killed some attractors to prevent the state.

    Also, some part of the movie covers how Ryan attempts to protect his family from an attacker. The attacker wants revenge on Ryan as he killed his brother.

  3. Clear and Present Danger

    Director: Phillip Noyce

    Writers: Tom Clancy, Donald E. Stewart, Steven Zaillian

    Stars: Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer

    Genres: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

     Clear and Present Danger (1994) on IMDb

    The clear and present danger is the third installment of Jack Ryan movies based on the Tom Clancy novel. At the beginning of the movie, you will see the homicide of a businessman. He has associations with the street pharmacist. The president of the country, named Bennett, orders James Shaper, who is in public safety counsel, about the absolute risk to the US linked with the association of medication.

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    In this movie, Jack Ryan is in obscurity and working as a head agent of the CIA. After the order of the President, James Shaper tells Jack Ryan to begin a mission called correspondence. Jack Ryan takes the lead in bringing down the medication cartel. He goes to Columbia to find out and investigate the association of street pharmacists with American businessman Hardin.

  4. The Sum of All Fears

    Director: Phil Alden Robinson

    Writers: Tom Clancy, Paul Attanasio, Daniel Pyne

    Stars: Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ian Mongrain

    Genres: Action, Drama, Thriller, War

     The Sum of All Fears (2002) on IMDb

    The sum of all fears is the fourth Jack Ryan movie, and famous actor Ben Affleck played the role of Jack Ryan. In this movie, Jack Ryan and Cabot travel to Moscow to meet president Nemerov. Ryan sees the shortfall of 3 researchers while explaining the atomic weapon, As they are recorded in his office’s list.

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    To find the researchers, Cabot ordered a specialist named John Clark. He tracks and investigates the missing researcher. He then finds they have worked in a Soviet military office in Ukraine. The investigator also discovers they are planning to build a mysterious atomic weapon. To reveal what is going on and what they are planning, Ryan begins to investigate.

  5. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

    Director: Kenneth Branagh

    Writers: Adam Cozad, David Koepp, Tom Clancy

    Stars: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley

    Genres: Action, Drama, Thriller

     Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) on IMDb

    Shadow recruit is the fifth film in the Jack Ryan series and the second reboot. In this movie, Chris Pine plays the role of Jack Ryan. This movie was released in 2014 and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The cast of this movie includes Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, and Kenneth Branagh.

    Jack Ryan is serving the CIA in this movie and discovers that billions of dollars have vanished. To find out the truth, Jack goes to Moscow and infiltrates Chervin’s office. He finds out about the arranged plan to crash the United state economy.

    In short, this is a great watchable action thriller movie about Jack Ryan. In this movie, Chris Pine looks incredibly handsome and appealing, attracting a younger audience. Also, the drug-addicted, psychotic Russian villain gave a standout performance.

Are the Jack Ryan Movies Connected?

After the success of Tom Clancy’s novel series, the producer started Jack Ryan’s movies. The first instalment was published three decades ago in 1990. After the huge success of the first instalment named Red October, the franchise introduced two more movies based on Jack Ryan featuring Alec Baldwin in the role of Jack Ryan.

The fourth instalment known as the sum of all fears is a reboot movie and features Ben Affleck playing the Jack Ryan character. After a positive response from the audience, the publisher released Ryan. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit in 2014 as the fifth instalment. In this part, Chris Pine played Jack Ryan. Also, the fifth instalment is based on an original story unlike other previous ones based on Tom Clancy’s novel series.

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The first three instalments are based on novels written by Tom Clancy and the fourth one is the reboot. The fifth movie is based on the original story, hence the first three parts are connected in terms of story and character. However, the last two movies are stand-alone.

Everything You Need to Know About the Jack Ryan Web Series

Apart from five super hit movies of Jack Ryan, a television series is also running currently. If you are a die heart fan of Jack Ryan and want more content about this character then you can stream his show on amazon prime.

The first season of the Jack Ryan web series aired in 2018. This was the first series that offered Dolby Vision and Dolby atmos on the Amazon platform. The second season was aired in 2019. 

As the audience loved both seasons, now they are waiting for season 3. Thankfully the wait is going to be over soon. The producers have announced the season 3 release date. The fans can stream the Jack Ryan web series from 21 December 2022.

FAQ

Where to Watch the Jack Ryan Series in Order of Storyline?

Jack Ryan is a fictional character introduced by author Tom Clancy in his novel series. Based on his novel, the director has produced many American action thriller instalments featuring Jack Ryan. If you are looking to watch all the Jack Ryan movies in order then you can rent them on Amazon Prime. You can also purchase the Jack Ryan series on Amazon Prime. You may also rent and buy this series on Vudu.

Is Jack Ryan movie on Netflix?

Unfortunately, the Jack Ryan movie is not currently available on Netflix.

Is Jack Ryan series based on a true story?

While the character of Jack Ryan is entirely fictional, the Tom Clancy thrillers that he appears in are often inspired by real-world events. Some elements have been exaggerated or completely made up for the sake of entertainment.

Who Wrote the Jack Ryan Series?

The Jack Ryan series is a series of novels written by Tom Clancy. After Clancy’s death in 2013, four other authors continued franchise and its other connecting series. With the approval of the Clancy family: Mark Greaney, Grant Blackwood, Mike Maden, and Marc Cameron have written fourteen additional Jack Ryan novels to date.

When is Next Jack Ryan Series Out?

Amazon Prime Video released the first trailer for Jack Ryan Season 3 on October 27, 2022, and announced that the premiere date would be December 21, 2022. That’s over three years between seasons. While there’s not unusual for a long wait between TV seasons, it is unusual for such a long wait between trailers.

In what order should I watch the Jack Ryan movies?

If you want to watch them chronologically, then you should start with “The Hunt for Red October” and end with “The Sum of All Fears.” However, if you’re interested in watching the films in order of release, then you should begin with “The Hunt for Red October” and end with “Clear and Present Danger.” Whichever order you choose, you’re sure to enjoy these action-packed thrillers.

Conclusion

All of these movies are based on the Clancy best-seller novels. The main character of this series, Jack Ryan, is a CIA analyst. This fictional character has also worked in the United States Marine. All of these Jack Ryan movies feature how Jack Ryan protects America by using his skills in difficult situations.

In the previous era, all these Jack Ryan movies were huge hits. However, it lacks in some places because of poor character continuity. You will see different actors in each movie playing Jack Ryan. Hope this article helps you to watch all the Jack Ryan movies in order of their release.

Kierra Rowsey
Kierra Rowsey

Kierra Rowsey is a freelance TV, Film and anime critic for over 12 years, living in Arkansas with her husband and three kids. She graduated from NYU College of Arts & Science in 2008.

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