Skip to main content

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), PG-13, 2.5 stars

Chris Pine as Jack Ryan.
Jack Ryan. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he is a fictional character from the Jack Ryan series written by the late author, Tom Clancy. His books were, and still are, popular that Paramount decided to make a series of movies with this character: The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears. I really liked Red October and Clear and Present Danger, thought Sum was ok, and Patriot Games was flawed despite convincing performances and a good score. However, I felt like that this latest installment is over-plotted with a lack of imaginative drive despite some skillful action sequences and solid performances.

In a weird flaw in the time continuum, the movie takes place after 9/11 where Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) drops out of the London School of Economics to enlist in the Marines to become a lieutenant. However, he is in a horrific helicopter crash where he is placed in rehab under the care of his future wife, Dr. Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley). He also attracts the attention of Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner), a CIA official. The CIA hires Ryan because of his skill to recognize complex patterns under the condition that he finishes completing his degree at London.

Years later, Jack is working at Wall Street as a compliance officer and as a CIA analyst looking for transactions that might pinpoint any criminal or terrorist activity. Trillions of dollars are held by Russian organizations and are out of view. The U.S. economy is vulnerable to track down the funds because they are controlled by Viktor Cheverin (Kenneth Branagh), a veteran who participated in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Chevin and some key Russian politicians are seeking revenge for what the United States has done. Ryan goes down to visit Moscow and investigate the inaccessible accounts since Ryan's employer does business with Cheverin.

Cheverin (Kenneth Branagh) is ticked and kills someone.
The suspense, adrenaline and action are basically in the second half of the movie while in the first half, it is just Jack Ryan investigating the funds and looking around for suspicious activity regarding funds. I know it's just a build-up, but it looks like the movie is finding the pieces of the puzzle of the plot. And while all the pieces are found, the plot is just overridden with problems, debt, and a skeptical affair. The affair basically came out of nowhere for me. When the plot centering Cheverin is staged, then, the movie becomes enjoyable.

Chris Pine is very convincing as the popular title character. He makes us believe when anything is about to happen and when something is beginning to make sense. Kevin Costner is quietly solid as the CIA official and I thought that this was one of his performances in a long time. Keira Knightley was a bit underwhelming at first, but when she is involved in the action, then, she redeems herself. Kenneth Branagh is wry as the Russian villain.

Branagh, also the director of this movie, is precise in the spy genre with covert operational details and suspense, especially in the second half of the movie. However, the movie does not bring new ground to the spy genre and to the Jack Ryan series that makes the reboot a successful one. It is a well-made action spy thriller with bracing style and tension. But, it is not as memorable as I thought but it is a January release. So, it is a better movie than usual in this terrible month for the movies and I commend Branagh and Pine for their efforts. It's a movie I'd watch on TNT or HBO once in a while. So, a mixed review on Shadow Recruit.

This movie was dedicated to Tom Clancy.

**1/2

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2015 Documentaries

I have only seen 6 documentaries this year which also includes Amy and I Am Chris Farley . But, I have to be honest, this has not been a particularly strong year for documentaries except for onethat got me emotionally and mentally as what I examine for when they uncover the truth or some facts from the people involved in these documentaries. But, here are the four I have seen this year: Listen To Me Marlon, Unrated, 4 stars This is the most insightful documentary of the year as we only hear Marlon Brando narrating his life and experiences what he has gone through regarding his family, his private life and his film experiences regarding The Godfather , Apocalypse Now , Last Tango in Paris , etc. It is like Marlon Brando came out of his grave to give us another profoundly moving movie only we hear his voice and scenery and nothing else. The Look of Silence, R, 3.5 stars Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up documentary is a light-hearted but still-disturbing film regarding a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Daddy's Home 2 (2017), PG-13, ★1/2

The first Daddy's Home was surprisingly a financial success as I thought it was not as bad as many people thought. I thought it was a solid cable watch because it had enough laughs for that sort of mixed recommendation. I was not craving for a sequel for this movie because again, comedy sequels have a very bad record, however, the only difference is that it is not too late since the first movie came out a few years ago. But, this sequel is a reminder as to why we do not need a sequel to a hit comedy because this is a pretty much forgettable comedy, especially a holiday comedy...which I hade a guilty pleasure for. This did not work for me. Brad and Dusty (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) have become friends after the events of the first film and they set up a co-dad system where their two children, Megan and Dylan, spending time at each father's home. Dusty has re-married to writer Karen (Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio) and he is step-dad to Adrianna, Karen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), R, 4 stars

The stockbrokers worshipping Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) like a god. Wall Street. The clients, the adrenaline, the stocks, the money, the power, and the decadence. The former three pertains to the man's job, but the latter three pertains what any stockbroker wants in order to have the freedom to do whatever they want with the client's money. As Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) would say, "The name of the game is: move the money from your client's pocket into your pocket." We basically spend three hours seeing all of these Wall-Street scumbags steal the clients' money into their own pockets and spend it on booze, drugs, women, and other insane things in more insane activities. I have witnessed here is a great movie that I would not watch repetitively. The movie starts with Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) blowing cocaine onto a hooker's butt and he and his brokers throwing a little person onto a board with a dollar sign in the center. It'...
Post a Comment
Read more