Based on the novel by Tom Clancy, Patriot Games explores the relationship between terror and justice in a primarily Western European setting. Patriot Games is the story of an American hero and ex-marine Jack Ryan (played by Harrison Ford) who saves his family and many others from a revenge-seeking terrorist member of the Irish Republican Army, Sean Miller (Sean Bean).
Although it is true that the IRA used fear and violence in the late twentieth century, the portrayal of the IRA in the film depicts an exaggerated version of the IRA, a version that seeks no proper goal besides causing mayhem in the British government. Instead of seeking to benefit the cause of the Irish Republic, director Phillip Noyce chooses to represent the IRA as a blood-thirsty group of terrorists set on crippling an entire nation.
This use of the IRA serves only one purpose in the grand scheme of the film; to make money. The more villainous and savage that Noyce made the IRA, the more profit it would yield for those involved. American audiences nationwide are well known for their affinity towards action and violence in movies, as those movies tend to gross the most amount of money. Using the prejudice towards violence, Noyce throws away the legitimacy of the IRA and their cause in order put more money in his pocket.
The goal of this project is to examine the representation of the IRA in Patriot Games, and determine whether or not director Phillip Noyce correctly depicted the all-important Irish Republic group in the late 20th century.
Patriot Games (1992) Portrayal of the IRA
Based on the classic Tom Clancy novel, Patriot Games explores the relationship between fear and perseverance.
.Although Hollywood is universally known for its profits, extravaganza, and glory when it comes to movie making, many Hollywood films are also known for exaggerating aspects of their plot in order to appeal to the wider American culture. In many cases, directors and producers of the industry will simplify certain actions of groups, such as the IRA, in order to achieve a more a more thrilling plot. Patriot Games is a great example of how Hollywood, and director Phillip Noyce, boil down the agenda of the IRA into a mission of revenge in order to create a more diabolical antagonist.
When comparing the IRA portrayal in the Patriot Games to the IRA in the Irish Republic, it is important to note that these are not two completely different versions of the IRA. Instead, Patriot Games drains the story of the IRA of any meaningful historical context to the point that it becomes a generic terrorist trope. The forgotten history and purpose of the IRA was used by director Phillip Noyce to create a more vicious villain for his story. With no sense of purpose, the IRA become dehumanized creatures, with only a sense of violence as their cause. This dehumanization is common in Irish depiction by the British, and my fellow group member Dowon explains the connection between the Patriot Games IRA and “A King Of Shanty”.
In the first video above, entitled Patriot Games (1992) Example of IRA Terrorism, viewers are subject to see an attack on London by the IRA from a Patriot Games perspective. An attack in which first involves Harrison Ford’s character, Jack Ryan, whom witnesses and attempts to stop the killing. In this video, we see the IRA plant and detonate a car bomb in a public square, while also opening fire on the police force and citizens in the proximity.
In the second video above, entitled Manchester Bombing (1996), viewers witness the very real dangers of the IRA during the Manchester bombing in 1996, a bombing in which the IRA injured and killed many innocent civilians in order to achieve their goals. Although both incidents, the attack on London and the Manchester bombing, were malicious and caused much pain, IRA representation does not stay consistent across both lines.
In Patriot Games, the IRA were depicted as revenge-seeking killers, caring little about their own lives and only seeking retribution on Jack Ryan for halting their attack on London. This method yields little preparation, and represents a very simple view of the IRA. Although the IRA should not not be applauded for their disgraceful actions that have led to the deaths of many innocent civilians, they had more of a political agenda than the film would have you believe.
Although we feel feel as if Noyce oversimplified the agenda of the IRA in order to mold them into a classic American villain, it is important to note the terror that the IRA has done in over the past half century. The IRA tried to legitimize their motives through political agendas, and claiming innocence when one of their bomb warnings go amiss. Although they tried to defend their actions with purpose, unlike the revenge-clouded IRA in the film, the terrors caused by the IRA damper a proud Irish history.
Although it is true that the IRA used fear and violence in order to get their point across, Patriot Games, as depicted by Patriot Games (1992) Example of IRA Terrorism, depicted the members of the IRA as simple killers, with nothing on their agenda besides raising hell.
Patriot Games (1992) Example of an IRA Prisoner Escaping
Another prime example of IRA misrepresentation in the film Patriot Games comes when the IRA breaks Sean Miller (Sean Bean) free from the police escort. In the first video above, Patriot Games (1992) Example of an IRA Prisoner Escaping, audiences witness a full scale operation in which Miller’s fellow IRA members, once again, use brute force in order to accomplish their goals. Similarly to the example above, the attack on London, the IRA threw caution to the wind once again in order to achieve their desired outcome, terror. This escape plays right into the hands of the American audiences, whose affinity towards violence and action lead Noyce to depict the IRA escape as explosive.
However, in the second video above, it is clear that IRA prisoners escaping are never quite as grand as depicted in the film. In this example, entitled Real IRA Prison Escape from Brixton, poor financial status and security disasters on the part of the British government allowed two IRA prisoners escape from Brixton prison. This sort of escape, due to the poor conditions of many London prisons, is the more realistic escape route for IRA convicts. In this scenario, only one person was injured, and the IRA, as a whole, was not involved in the escape. The lack of involvement from the IRA correlates to the first example as well, as their careful and premeditated planning allows the organization to put themselves out of harms way as much as possible.
To compare the two IRA’s, the organization portrayed in the film and the real organization, is unfair to do. The film simplifies the actions taken by the IRA in order to ensure a fun and dramatic film that will gross the most amount of money from American audiences. Although it is true that the IRA uses means of terror in order to get their point across, the lack of agenda and purpose in the film shows a very simplistic portrayal of the Irish Republican Army.
The misrepresentation of the IRA in Patriot Games only furthers the ravaged legitimacy of the IRA and their actions in the late 20th century. With act of terror accounting for thousands of lives lost, the regard that some people held for the IRA has slowly dwindled away.
