Ranking Every Jack Ryan Film Worst To Best

Jack Ryan's big-screen debut in The Hunt for Red October remains his finest outing, and while there's a solid argument to be made that Harrison Ford's played the better version of the character, Alec Baldwin still starred in the better movie.

Baldwin's Ryan is frequently caught hopelessly out of his depth as the machinations of the plot continue to unfold, but he's more than happy to admit it, which made for a refreshing change from the standard action heroes of the time who grabbed things by the scruff of the neck and resolved things single-handedly without any issues.

He's more than happy to use his mind instead of his fists, especially when faced with an adversary as wily as Sean Connery's Captain Ramius, the suspiciously Scottish-sounding Russian who may or may not be planning on defecting at the height of the Cold War.

In the wrong hands, The Hunt for Red October's political overtones and contained locations could have resulted in a dry and uninvolving thriller, but Predator and Die Hard director John McTiernan lived up to his billing as Hollywood's premiere action maestro by wringing every ounce of tension and drama out of the concept, backed by a likeable hero and his charismatic opposite number.