All 5 Jack Ryan Movies In Order: Full Series In Release Order

Jack Ryan’s Character was introduced to the world in the 1984 Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October. Ryan appeared in five of Clancy’s novels till the author’s death in 2013. The character has also been featured in movies and TV shows.

Despite inconsistency with its lead actors and crew members, the series has been distributed by Paramount Pictures. Mace Neufeld has produced every film in the series except for Shadow Recruit.

Jack Ryan is a popular fictional character created by author Tom Clancy. He has been featured in several books and films over the years. The character was first introduced in the 1984 novel “The Hunt for Red October.” Five books featuring Jack Ryan have been released since then.

The character has also been portrayed on the big screen by actors Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine.

List of All Jack Ryan Movies in Order of Release

1. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
2. Patriot Games (1992)
3. Clear and Present Danger (1994)
4. The Sum of All Fears (2002)
5. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Director: John McTiernan | Writers: Larry Ferguson, Donald Stewart | Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Sam Neill | Country of origin: the United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 2 hours and 17 minutes. | Release Date: March 2, 1990 | Language: The languages are English and Russian. | Genres: The movie genres are action, adventure, and thriller. | Filming Locations: Lake James, Burke County, North Carolina, USA | Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Mace Neufeld Productions, Nina Saxon Film Design | Budget: The budget for the movie was $30 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $200 million.

The first movie was released in 1990 and is titled The Hunt for Red October. In November 1984, the Soviet Union’s best submarine captain violated orders in a new undetectable sub and headed for the U.S. coast. Is he planning to defect or start a war? Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), a young CIA analyst, is thrust into the middle of the crisis. He has to find out what the captain’s next move is and stop him before he causes any international incidents.

The movie was directed by John McTiernan and written by Larry Ferguson and Donald Stewart. It starred Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, and Sam Neill. The movie was a box office success, grossing over $200 million worldwide with a budget of $30 million. It received positive reviews from critics, with many praising Connery’s performance.

A Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius, commander of the nuclear missile submarine Red October, releases false information that he plans to defect to the United States. He actually wants to sail his sub to American waters, launch a nuclear attack and trigger a war between the two superpowers. The U.S. government sends Jack Ryan of the CIA to meet with Ramius and try to stop him before it’s too late.

Jack Ryan briefs the government about the threats of Red October and hypothesizes about Ramius’ intentions. CIA Director William Cabot sends Ryan to observe Ramius and gather more information before they make their move. 

Meanwhile, the Caterpillar drive malfunctions and starts to flood the submarine, making it lose depth. This could trigger a nuclear meltdown if they don’t fix it soon. The crew starts to panic as their situation becomes dire.

Red October surfaces near the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier group. They launch a nuclear missile at Washington D.C., but Ryan is able to stop it in mid-air. He then boards the submarine and arrests Ramius.

Patriot Games (1992)

Director: Phillip Noyce | Writers: W. Peter Iliff, Patrick Sheane Duncan, Donald E. Stewart | Stars: Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Anne Archer, Patrick Bergin, Thora Birch, James Fox | Country of origin: the United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 1 hour and 57 minutes. | Release Date: June 5, 1992 | Language: The language is English. | Genres: The movie genres are action, crime, and thriller. | Filming Locations: CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, USA | Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Mace Neufeld Productions, Kennedy Miller Productions | Budget: The budget for the movie was $45 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $178 million.

The second movie in the series, Patriot Games, was released in 1992. It is based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) has to stop a group of terrorists who are planning to assassinate a member of the British Royal family.

The movie was directed by Phillip Noyce and written by W. Peter Iliff, Patrick Sheane Duncan, and Donald E. Stewart. It starred Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Anne Archer, Patrick Bergin, Thora Birch, and James Fox. The movie was a box office success, grossing over $178 million worldwide with a budget of $45 million.

Jack and his Family are Enjoying their vacation in London while he is also giving a speech. Jack Ryan’s family is attacked by a group of terrorists known as the Ulster Liberation Army. His wife and daughter are injured in the attack, but his son is kidnapped. The ULA demands the release of their imprisoned leader in exchange for Jack’s son. 

The British government refuses to negotiate with terrorists, so Jack takes matters into his own hands. He rescues his son and kills the leader of the ULA.

The ULF retaliate by bombing a London subway station, killing dozens of innocent people. They also kidnap Jack’s wife and threaten to kill her if he doesn’t turn himself in.

Jack decides to go after the ULF on his own. He tracks them down to their hideout and rescues his wife. He then kills the leader of the ULF, putting an end to their terrorist activities.

Clear and Present Danger (1994)

Director: Phillip Noyce | Writers: Donald E. Stewart, Steven Zaillian, John Milius | Stars: Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer, Joaquim de Almeida, Henry Czerny, James Earl Jones | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 2 hours and 21 minutes. | Release Date: August 3, 1994 | Language: The languages are English and Spanish. | Genres: The movie genres are action, crime, drama, and thriller. | Filming Locations: Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico | Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Mace Neufeld Productions, Silver Pictures | Budget: The budget for the movie was $63 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $215 million.

The third movie in the series, Clear and Present Danger, was released in 1994. It is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) has to stop a group of Colombian drug lords who are threatening to kill a U.S. senator.

The movie was directed by Phillip Noyce and written by Donald E. Stewart, Steven Zaillian, and John Milius. It starred Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer, Joaquim de Almeida, Henry Czerny, and James Earl Jones. The movie was a box office success, grossing over $215 million worldwide with a budget of $63 million.

The movie starts with the murder of an American Businessman who has connections with the Colombian Drug Cartels. Jack Ryan is sent to Colombia to investigate the murder and collect intelligence on the drug cartels. 

He quickly discovers that the Colombian government is corrupt and the drug cartels have a stranglehold on the country. The U.S. government decides to take action against the cartels, but they need Jack’s help to do it.

Jack assembles a team of mercenaries to help him take down the cartels. They start by attacking a drug lord’s compound and destroying his cocaine laboratory. This sets off a war between the cartels and the Colombian government.

The U.S. government then sends in the military to help Jack and his team, but the cartels quickly overpower them. The situation looks hopeless until Jack comes up with a plan to destroy the cartel’s main cocaine laboratory. The plan is successful, and the cartels are finally defeated.

The Sum of All Fears (2002)

Director: Phil Alden Robinson | Writers: Paul Attanasio, Daniel Pyne | Stars: Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ian Mongrain, Russell Bobbitt, James Cromwell, Liev Schreiber, Catherine McCormack, Bridget Moynahan | Country of origin: United States, Germany, Canada | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 2 hours and 4 minutes. | Release Date: May 31, 2002, | Language: The languages are English, Russian, Ukrainian, German and Arabic. | Genres: The movie genres are action, drama, thriller, and war. | Filming Locations: Carp, Ontario, Canada | Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Mace Neufeld Productions, MFP Munich Film Partners GmbH & Company 1, Productions KG | Budget: The budget for the movie was $68 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $193 million.

The fourth movie in the series, The Sum of All Fears, was released in 2002. It is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) has to stop a group of terrorists who are planning to detonate a nuclear bomb at the Super Bowl.

The movie was directed by Phil Alden Robinson and written by Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne. It starred Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ian Mongrain, Russell Bobbitt, James Cromwell, Liev Schreiber, Catherine McCormack, and Bridget Moynahan. The movie was a box office success, grossing over $193 million worldwide with a budget of $68 million.

Jack and Cabot go to Moscow to meet President Nemerov and brief him about the current situation in the Balkans. They also discuss the possibility of a nuclear war between the United States and Russia.

While in Moscow, a terrorist group known as The Sword of Allah detonates a nuclear bomb, killing President Nemerov and many other high-ranking officials. The U.S. government believes that Russia is behind the attack, and they start to prepare for war.

Jack is sent to investigate the attack and quickly discovers that The Sword of Allah is responsible for it. He also finds out they plan to launch another attack on the United States. Jack races against time to stop the terrorists before they can carry out their plan.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Director: Kenneth Branagh | Writers: Adam Cozad, David Koepp | Stars: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Nonso Anozie, Colm Feore, Peter Andersson | Country of origin: United States, Russia | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 1 hour and 45 minutes. | Release Date: January 17, 2014, | Language: The languages are English, Russian and Japanese. | Genres: The movie genres are action, drama, and thriller. | Filming Locations: Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK | Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Mace Neufeld Productions, OddLot Entertainment | Budget: The budget for the movie was $60 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $135 million.

The fifth movie in the series, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, was released in 2014. It is based on the character of Jack Ryan, created by Tom Clancy. Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) has to stop a group of terrorists who are planning to attack New York City with a nuclear bomb.

The movie was directed by Kenneth Branagh and written by Adam Cozad and David Koepp. It starred Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Nonso Anozie, Colm Feore, and Peter Andersson. The movie was a box office success, grossing over $135 million worldwide with a budget of $60 million.

This movie is a prequel movie, and it is set in the present day. Jack Ryan is working as a financial analyst when he discovers that a terrorist group called The Shop is planning to attack the United States. 

He starts to investigate The Shop and its plans. He also discovers that they are planning to launch a major attack on Wall Street. Jack races against time to stop the terrorists before they can carry out their plan.

Ryan heads back to New York City to Track Aleksandr, who is the lead terrorist. Ryan manages to find him, and Aleksandr tells him that they have a nuclear bomb and will detonate it in Times Square. Ryan then kills Aleksandr, and the nuclear bomb is disarmed.

Movies in Order by IMDB Rating

Movies	Rating on IMDB
The Hunt for Red October	7.6/10
Patriot Games	6.9/10
Clear and Present Danger	6.9/10
The Sum of All Fears	6.4/10
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit	6.2/10

Jack Ryan Movies In Chronological Order

There is not much difference between the Chronological and release order of the series if you wish to watch them in the order of the events that occur. 

Here is the list of all Jack Ryan movies in chronological order:

• Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
• The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Patriot Games (1992)
• Clear and Present Danger (1994)
• The Sum of All Fears (2002)

Jack Ryan Franchise: Jack Ryan All Movies and Tv Shows in Release Order

Besides five mainly full-length movies, A television series is also made on the same franchise and has two seasons. Here is the list of complete Jack Ryan Movies and Tv Shows in order of their release:

• The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Patriot Games (1992)
• Clear and Present Danger (1994)
• The Sum of All Fears (2002)
• Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
• Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 1 (2018)
• Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 (2019)

Other Popular Action Movie Series

If you enjoyed the Jack Ryan movies, you might also enjoy other popular action movie series such as:

• Mission: Impossible
• The Bourne Identity
• Die Hard
• The Fast and the Furious
• Taken
• The Expendables

FAQs

Conclusion

The Jack Ryan series is a huge hit, with each movie grossing over $100 million at the box office. The series is full of action and suspense and keeps you entertained from start to finish. Whether you watch the movies in release or chronological order, you will surely enjoy them.

This article provides you with a list of all the Jack Ryan movies in both release and chronological order. We have also answered some frequently asked questions about the series. So, what are you waiting for? Go watch the Jack Ryan movies today!