Das Kartell (1994)

Das Kartell: Directed by Phillip Noyce. With Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer, Joaquim de Almeida. CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel.

“The third outing for Tom Clancyu0026#39;s Jack Ryan – and the second with Harrison Ford in the lead – is a tightly constructed political thriller. Condensing Clancyu0026#39;s door stoppers is no easy task, but the makers here, headed by director Phillip Noyce, have manged to keep the pic brisk and intelligent for entertainment worth.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePlot essentially boils down to Americau0026#39;s war on drugs and the Colombian cartel at the helm of such operations. Naturally all is a bit suspect in the American corridors of power, leading to corruption and abuse of power that puts Jack Ryan firmly at the front to sift and destroy the bad eggs staining the American Star Spangled Banner.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis very much plays out for those who like a bit of politico subterfuge, whist being ok with long passages of like minded chatter is also a requisite. That we have a fine cast playing out the screenplay (Donald E. Stewart, Steven Zaillian and John Milius) is a big plus that gives credibility to the shifty machinations.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThereu0026#39;s a nagging annoyance throughout that this still should be a better film, especially given the overstretched run time of 2 hours 20 minutes, and the computer sections are dubious and the finale is something of a damp squib. However, we are in the company of great pros, both in front of and behind the camera – and also on the page (Clancyu0026#39;s brain superlative). With that in mind itu0026#39;s reasons to seek this out and enjoy if this splinter of political thriller is your bag. 7/10”