Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2013)

[baumer]

Discuss

[Deep Wang]

Crap.

[DeeCee]

Fantastic. I loved it.

[baumer]

I'm in the middle of "crap" and "loved it".

 

I found the updated Jack to be distracting.  I've read the first three novels and Jack is and has always been a product of the cold war.  Thrusting him into Afghanistan and then making him a field agent in Russia where he sneaks into people's offices and hacks their computer and chases down people in Moscow, it just didn't feel right.  In Patriot Games when he stops Sean Bean's brother from killing the royals, he looks like a reluctant hero.  In Clear and Present Danger, when there is hacking that has to be done, it is left up to a specialist.  When he has to go find Clark, he uses his wits and his smarts.  There's just something not quite right watching him here, as by the end of the movie he has become Jason Bourne and stopped a terrorist attack by single-handedly taking down a Russian bad guy in the middle of New York.  Maybe it's my fault for comparing him to what I know of the character from 20 years ago, but even the Ben Affleck Ryan wasn't this bad ass.  

 

I also didn't like how easy it was to find out the plan to blow up Wall Street.  In a well directed scene, but ridiculously written imo, in a matter of 10 minutes they figure out that the bad guy is at a barn in Pennsylvania.  They do this by bringing up signatures on documents, then Social Insurance Numbers, then bank statements, then phone records, then purchases and so on.  I realize they are the CIA, but is all that information really available in a click of a button in a matter of seconds?

 

Also distracting was Kiera Knightley.  She's a fine actress but casting her as an American doctor required her to speak with an American accent and there were times when her natural dialect would come and go.  The Russian villain was also a silly caricature.  He listens to opera in almost every scene he's in alone.  Do all evil, genius international bad guys enjoy opera?  It seems they do.

 

There are some good things about the film, mainly Chris Pine and Kevin Costner.  Pine plays Ryan as a reluctant hero and his subsequent reaction after making his first kill is very well done.  Costner is also good as the cold and perfunctory spook who is trained to kill and also trained to keep emotion out of the task at hand.  The action in the film is well directed by Kenneth Branagh.  The car chase through Moscow was good.

 

Shadow Recruit is a bit of a disappointment.  I wanted it to be so much better but ultimately it let me down.

 

6/10 

[MrPink]

It was serviceable. Competently made, competently acted, with a few plot contrivances made to make it work. Even though the dinner scene is probably the most tense of entire movie, it's ridiculous because the villain falls into near idiocy territory. Nonetheless, I enjoyed Branagh for his hammy ridiculousness, even if a (serious) caricature of international masterminds we've seen over many years. I don't think it's fair to the cast and crew involved that it was sent to die, but it is what it is. Also, I totally buy the 60m budget now, the movie is really low key save for maybe one or two sequences. Also, those hoping to see Analyst Jack Ryan will get to see it occasionally, but not quite enough to satiate fans I think, and while I don't think Ryan was nearly on the level of other operatives such as Bourne and Bond, there were a couple instances where he started going beyond what should have been his capabilities. B-

[Empire]

I enjoyed it, but it could have been better. Chris Pine was really good in it, I thought. Kostner and Branagh were good too.

 

Knightly however, was easily the week point of the film. Didn't really like her in it at all.

 

Oh, and Branagh's directing was fine, but nothing special.

 

I would give it a.......

 

B(86)

Edited January 18, 2014 by Empire

[Sam]

It was okay. I don't have any strong feelings in either direction. I like Chris Pine and Sir Ken in it, the rest I can do without. Kinda standard action movie without much substantial aspects that could make it stand out.C+/B-

[DeeCee]

Time for a more reflective review. I've read all the Jack Ryan books up to Red Rabbit which I didn't really like plus both of the John Clarke books so I've been a fan of the character since the early 90's. Red Rabbit did see me lose interest in the subsequent books. I love the first three films and considering the quiet detailed and intricate plotting of the novels they are very good and quiet thrilling adaptations. Alec Baldwin was good and closer to the character as he is in the books. Harrison Ford brought something different to the role and with direction from Phillip Noyce we got two really good spy thrillers with an increasing mix of Washington intrigue. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a reboot with an all new story. With mixed reports of the film and Paramount's dumping of the film in January I went in with low expectations but still had hope for a solid film with the involvement of Kenneth Branagh. It is in essence an origin story for Jack Ryan and the early scenes fill in Ryan's back story which has only been referenced in the books and occasionally mentioned on film. And the film had me from the beginning. It was great seeing this aspect of the story on the big screen although it doesn't play out exactly as it does in the books. However, this didn't bother me. From this point the movie is a solid, tight spy thriller. It moves at a good pace with the interesting semi-plausible premise of elements of the Russian government trying to crash the US economy. Costner is good as the world weary veteran bringing Ryan into the CIA. Knightley is fine in her role as Ryan's love interest and her involvement in the plot isn't as contrived as it could have been. Pine brings a very good Ryan to the screen. He has the right mix of confidence and skill as an analyst and vulnerability when things go "operational". On the whole a very enjoyable film and it is disappointing Paramount's terrible marketing and dumping of the film in January may mean we'll never see a continuation of the story. A-

[Deep Wang]

Just rewatched Red October, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears.  I have no idea what the hell they were thinking with Jack Ryan.  

 

Those are damn fine thrillers and Jack Ryan is a horrible mess from start to finish.  

[ecstasy]

Just rewatched Red October, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears.  I have no idea what the hell they were thinking with Jack Ryan.  

 

Those are damn fine thrillers and Jack Ryan is a horrible mess from start to finish.  

 

LOL I've never known you to completely hate a movie like this.

 

I do disagree with you though. It was a pretty decent flick. Could have been better. But I can see a fan of Tom Clancy and his beloved character not being happy about this.

 

And yes Red October, Clear and Present Danger are much much better. But I can't get through Sum of All Fears with Affleck as Jack Ryan. I just can't do it.

[Olive]

7/10 from me.

[Sam]

LOL I've never known you to completely hate a movie like this.

 

I do disagree with you though. It was a pretty decent flick. Could have been better. But I can see a fan of Tom Clancy and his beloved character not being happy about this.

 

And yes Red October, Clear and Present Danger are much much better. But I can't get through Sum of All Fears with Affleck as Jack Ryan. I just can't do it.

Ben Affleck is a pretty boring actor to me. And I can hardly ever take him seriously in action roles.

[Deep Wang]

Yeah, Affleck is still the old Affleck in Sum, but he would be fucking great now. Argo is a perfect example. An intelligent and engaging political thriller.

[DeeCee]

Careful rallax, you never go full fishnets.

[Deep Wang]

Careful rallax, you never go full fishnets.

 

Uh, I call people by their real name, so that will never happen.

 

I just stated that I forgot this came out 12 years ago, which is when is was still a rising star and before all the Jennifer Lopez/Gigli/Daredevil crap.  

 

He is a completely different person now.  He has respect as a director and somewhat as an actor.  He has matured in a way nobody saw coming.  

 

It's just kind of funny that he was in the first reboot of Jack Ryan and now I think he would be perfect for the role.  Then they decided to reboot again, keep him young and now Jack Ryan was the first movie endorsed by the AARP.  

 

You're doing it wrong Paramount!

[DeeCee]

I didn't actually did't mind to much Affleck in the role.  The Sum of all Fears just didn't work for when they decided to have nazi villains.

[4815162342]

Affleck was okay, but the Nazi thing was stupid and they did a safe, pedestrian version of the rest of the plot.

[4815162342]

I liked Red Rabbit since it was a return to his earlier spy drama work rather than his epic geopolitical war novels from Debt of Honor onward.

[RobinHood26]

Casting Chris Pine and Kevin Costner was a fucking fantastic decision.

 

After those 2 choices this movie is pretty much a stranded cookie cutter action film. I was not a fan of the direction of this at all. The whole "origin" was so unneeded.

 

Also would like to place my vote for worst shot scene of the year... the Helicopter crash, like seriously WTF!  

 

C+ (79)

[TheMovieman]

Could've been better, could've been a lot worse. Of course, it also could've been a movie about Jack Ryan than this suped up version making him look like Jason Bourne at times. Still, it's a flighty but enjoyable suspense thriller and Chris Pine and Kevin Costner are good, though, and I have a mad crush on her mind you, Keira Knightley seemed to strain doing an American accent.

 

Anyway, nothing great, probably on par or a tad better than The Sum of All Fears but pales in comparison with the two Harrison Ford movies, not to mention The Hunt for the Red October which is still the best IMO.

 

***½/*****, (B, 6.9/10, 2.75/4)