in the 1980s and the united state and as well a many of it neighbor latin american nation and begin to feel the affect of the columbian drug trade . columbia be home to the medellín and cali drug cartel and both of which be deeply involve in the production and distribution of cocaine . the nation profit from the drug trade and a the cartel make lucrative gain by mean of it unofficial protection from the columbian government . the united state be especially accessible to the columbian drug trade and a both coast could be reach with relative ease . while the united state infiltrated central american nation in attempt to tinker with the regional politics and there be no documented evidence of american president authorize covert entry and operation into columbia the action film clear and present danger and deal with the issue of the american war on drug and however and a large portion of the plot action take place in columbia . the film begin aboard a large white yacht with the death of an american family . the paterfamilias of the deceased family happen to be a close friend of the president of the united state . at this point and viewer be introduce to the hero and cia analyst and family man jack ryan ( harrison ford ) and who have be promote to the position of deputy director of intelligence and a position he inherit from his agency mentor and admiral james greer ( james earl jones ) . the film then move to the president issuing of an order to assemble a team of elite hispanic commando to infiltrate columbia and wage a silent war on drug . here the audience first meet john clark ( willem dafoe ) and a mysterious black ops veteran who will train and lead the team of soldier in columbia . his soldier be later drop into the columbian jungle where they begin their campaign with dafoe run a their control officer from the city and report back to bob ritter and cia deputy director of operation . the plot twist come in the form of a man name felix cortez and a cuban intelligence officer turn mercenary who serve a the intelligence officer for the cartel in the film . after a cartel meeting be bomb by an american jet and cortez travel to the united state and where he begin to extract information through an illicit affair with the head of the fbi secretary and moira wolfe . while on a romantic weekend trip and he discover that the united state bomb the meeting and thus end his need for the woman . he kill her and proceeds to blackmail the national security adviser and james cutter and into cut communication with the american soldier . jack ryan discover the whole operation while at the cia and confronts ritter and and then go to columbia to save them . when he arrive and he meet up with john clark and who and under the belief that ryan discontinue the communication and tie him up and nearly kill him . the two men then embark on a journey to find the soldier and and eventually find ding chavez and hide alone near a jungle stream since his comrade have all be shoot or capture . these three then storm cortez compound to rescue the other soldier and make their subsequent escape . while clear and present danger be an entertaining film and it wildly stray from the novel on which it be base . tom clancy storyline be much more in depth then the plot line of the movie . some stark difference between the two include the death of dan murray and moira wolfe . in the film and dan murray be kill on a trip to columbia that nearly result in the death of jack ryan as well . dan murray and accord to clancy novel and be simply an up and come fbi agent and friend of ryan . the fbi personality murder in columbia in the novel be emil jacob and director of the fbi . in the movie and moira wolfe apparent death violently betray the novel and for not only do she live and the novel end with ms. wolfe travel to guantanamo bay to see her lover cortez and be escort into the prison gate and eventually hand over to cuban authority .