Unclear and Present Danger

By Jamelle Bouie and John Ganz

New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie and freelance writer John Ganz delve into the world of 90s post-Cold War thrillers with Unclear and Present Danger, a podcast that explores America in an age

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4.7

574574 ratings

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FAQs about Unclear and Present Danger:

How many episodes does Unclear and Present Danger have?

The podcast currently has 95 episodes available.

Unclear and Present Danger episodes:

May 14, 2022 Sneakers (feat. Mike Duncan)
On episode 15 of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John are joined by Mike Duncan (Revolutions podcast, “Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution”) to discuss the delightful 1992 thriller Sneakers. It’s a movie about a tech mogul who hopes to stage an information revolution and, not surprisingly, John, Jamelle and Mike discuss the internet, social revolutions, and the challenge of building something out of nothing.
Our logo, as always, is courtesy of the great Rachel Eck, who you can find on Instagram.
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John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Mike Duncan
Links from the episode!
New York Times front-page for September 11, 1992
Sneakers Computer Press Kit
“Marxism and Politics” by Ralph Miliband
...more
1h 13min
April 30, 2022 JFK (feat. Alexis Coe)
It’s episode 14 of Unclear and Present Danger and we’re talking Oliver Stone’s ridiculous yet incredibly-compelling conspiracy thriller, JFK. Jamelle and John are joined by the historian Alexis Coe to discuss the film, as well as the real John F. Kennedy, his life and legacy. This is a long and fruitful conversation, that covers everything from the Boomer wish-fulfillment which animates the movie to the political consequences of conspiracy-thinking.
Once again, our new logo is courtesy of the great Rachel Eck! You can find her on Instagram.
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John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Alexis Coe
Links from the episode!
New York Times front-page for December 20, 1991
Oliver Stone’s New York Times op-ed defending the film.
Miller Center of Public Affairs page on the Kennedy presidency.
Politico Magazine on John F. Kennedy and Margaret Coit
Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath by Mimi Alford

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1h 22min
April 16, 2022 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (feat. Sam Adler-Bell)
Is a Star Trek movie a political and military thriller? We think so! Which is why, for this thirteenth episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John (and their guest, Sam Adler-Bell of the “Know Your Enemy” podcast) discussed Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. They talked about the nature of Star Trek’s utopianism, questioned whether the Federation is actually a good thing, and gave a close reading of the film’s Cold War allegory.
Our new logo is courtesy of the great Rachel Eck! You can find her on Instagram.
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John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Sam Adler-Bell
Links from the episode!
New York Times front-page for December 6, 1991
IMDB page for Nicholas Meyer
The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years

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1h 14min
April 01, 2022 Company Business
On episode 12 of Unclear and Present and Danger, Jamelle and John talk about, and puzzle over, the 1991 action comedy (comedic thriller?) “Company Business.” They have an extended discussion of Gene Hackman’s career, talk Mikhail Gorbachev and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and think about the surge of populism that struck American politics in the early 1990s.
Our new logo is courtesy of the great Rachel Eck! You can find her on Instagram.
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John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Links from the episode!
New York Times front-page for September 6, 1991
Martin Chilton’s 2020 profile of Gene Hackman
“Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union” by Vladislav M. Zubok
...more
1h 16min
March 18, 2022 Flight of the Intruder (feat. Jonathan Katz)
On this 11th episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John are joined by the journalist and author Jonathan Katz to talk John Milius' 1991 Vietnam drama, “Flight of the Intruder.” Among many other things, they talk Milius' work and career, the place of Vietnam in American’s historical memory, the political impact of the Gulf War, and the search for meaning through conflict.
Our logo is courtesy of the great Rachel Eck! You can find her on Instagram.
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John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Jonathan Katz
Links from the episode!
New York Times front-page for January 18, 1991
Roger Ebert’s review
The American Conservative on John Milius
...more
1h 19min
March 04, 2022 Going Under
In this tenth episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John talk a little about this week’s movie, the 1991 submarine farce “Going Under,” but devote most of the episode to discussing the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia, and the way the world has underestimated the power of democracy.
Also, you might notice that we have a new logo. That is courtesy of the great Rachel Eck! You can find her on Instagram.
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John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Links from the episode!
New York Times for Friday, August 23, 1991
A comprehensive explainer of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at Jewish Currents magazine.
Wikipedia entry for the French Revolutionary Army
Wikipedia entry for the United States Colored Troops
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1h 6min
February 19, 2022 The Russia House
On this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John talk the 1990 John Le Carré adaptation “The Russia House,” starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer. They discuss the social base for intelligence work during the Cold War, the period of glasnost and perestroika in the Soviet Union, the politics of nostalgia and the film’s excellent wardrobe. You can rent “The Russia House” on iTunes or on Amazon.
Also, you might notice that we have a new logo. That is courtesy of the great Rachel Eck! You can find her on Instagram.
Contact us!
Follow us on Twitter!
John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Links from the episode!
The New York Times for December 25, 1990
Wikipedia article for glasnost and perestroika
John D. Skrentny’s “The Minority Rights Revolution” on the impact of the Cold War on liberal reforms in the United States.
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1h 6min
February 04, 2022 Hidden Agenda
In this week’s episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John tackle yet another movie about the Troubles, the 1990 film “Hidden Agenda.” This one, however, is more concerned with British politics than the well-being of the Irish people. They discuss Margaret Thatcher, talk a little about colonialism and the intra-European origins of racism, and complain about the dearth of well-made political thrillers. You can watch “Hidden Agenda” for free on Tubi.
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John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Links from the episode!
The New York Times for Wednesday November 21, 1990.
Cedric Robinson’s “Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition”
Alan J. Pakula’s 1974 film “The Parallax View.”

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1h 7min
January 22, 2022 By Dawn’s Early Light
In this episode of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John discuss the 1990 made-for-TV movie “By Dawn’s Early Light.” Their conversation centers on the politics of nuclear weapons, what they mean for constitutional democracy, and how fear of nuclear weapons has been a potent political tool since the end of the Second World War.
“By Dawn’s Early Light” is available to stream for free on Amazon and YouTube, and is available for rent on iTunes.
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John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Links from the episode!
New York Times frontpage for Saturday May 19, 1990.
Trailer for “The Day After”
Trailer for “Threads”
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1h 2min
January 07, 2022 The Fourth War
In the sixth episode of Unclear and Present Danger, John and Jamelle discuss “The Fourth War,” a late-period John Frankenheimer film about two crusty bastards who almost start the third world war over a personal grudge match. It looks like a TV movie and it’s not that interesting, but it was good fodder for a fruitful and fascinating conversation. Jamelle brings some 19th century American political history to the table, and John uses Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History” to get at some of the ideas in the film.
Contact us!
Follow us on Twitter!
John Ganz
Jamelle Bouie
Links from the episode!
New York Times front page for Friday, March 23, 1990
Janet Maslin’s New York Times review
Roger Ebert’s Chicago Sun-Times review
“The End of History?” by Francis Fukuyama, published in the Summer 1989 edition of The National Interest.
A book worth reading: The Slave Power: The Free North and Southern Domination, 1780–1860
...more
1h 5min

FAQs about Unclear and Present Danger:

How many episodes does Unclear and Present Danger have?

The podcast currently has 95 episodes available.

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