My Rating: 3.64/4 (aka Great for the holidays)

One line summary: A Jack Ryan doubleheader led by the great Harrison Ford.

The Deets: After a rare back to back throwback holiday weekend watch of these two classic 1990s movies, I was reminded of Harrison Ford’s uniqueness as leading man and how much action movies have changed in 30 years. These two, faithfully adapted from Tom Clancy’s novels and both directed by Phillip Noyce, are reliable, predictable, and still entertaining three decades later. Perhaps that shouldn’t surprise me, but I recognized that today’s version of these would probably be 30 minutes shorter (each clock in at 2+ hours), and their scenes would be faster, and with many more jump cuts. Throwback to the late James Earl Jones, as well as early Sam Jackson and Willem Dafoe (and a very early Thora Birch). Ford shines as Ryan, his trademark scared/brave look, which he recreates in “The Fugitive” (a much better script). These are perfect for the holiday season when you just want something easy. I especially love the ending of “Patriot Games.”

Perfect for: When you want some classic Harrison Ford being courageously wonderful.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime has them both for rent, make it a double feature!

Food pairing: Go with some pancakes (or toast), or another comfort food of choice.