Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Colm Feore
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Rating: PG-13
Action, Mystery, Thriller
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: CIA Analyst Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) uncovers a Russian plot to crash the United States economy.

Review:

Tim: After really enjoying the first three Jack Ryan movies, I was hoping Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit would wash the disappointing taste of The Sum of All Fears out of my mouth. Ben Affleck did not make a great Jack Ryan, and that 2002 film was easily the worst of the franchise. Chris Pine and Kenneth Branagh would change all that. Right? Wrong. Unbelievably, this film is about on par with the last movie. It's not terrible, but it is really, really disappointing. This was supposed to be a franchise restart. Now, I hope they wait another ten years and try again.

The biggest problem with the movie is that the story is just lackluster. There really isn't anything exciting or memorable about the plot. The Russians want to wreck the U.S. economy by selling off dollars to coincide with a terrorist plot. Or something like that- I honestly got lost in all the mumbo jumbo. Truthfully, there isn't anything all that interesting in what's happening here. I am not suggesting we need constant explosions and gunfire- the Jack Ryan movies were always the thinking man's thrillers. The movies were about espionage, about being more intelligent than your average spy movie. This film doesn't raise the intelligence bar- it plods along like every other lackluster spy movie that rolls out of Hollywood. There is absolutely nothing separating this film or making it special.

The cast looks great on paper. I liked the idea of Chris Pine taking over the Jack Ryan role. He had to be an improvement over Affleck. I like Pine, but he did nothing special in this film. He didn't make the role his own (like he did with Captain Kirk). Watching him here, I just lamented for Harrison Ford or Alec Baldwin to take this role. They made the role their own- Pine never manages to do that. I can't think of one impressive thing he did in this entire movie. That hurts the film immensely.

I've always liked Kevin Costner and he gives a good performance here as Ryan's handler. He just doesn't have a whole lot to do. The movie needed more Costner. Keira Knightley (where has she been?) was fine as Ryan's fiancee. She has a few strong moments, but I never loved her performance. She felt a little out of place and uncomfortable. I can't really fault her performance too much, but I just feel like she was miscast. She wasn't terrible, but she wasn't especially good. I really like Kenneth Branagh and I love the idea of him playing the Russian villain, but his performance just left so much to be desired. Great movies need great villains, and his character was dull, (quite frankly) pretty stupid, and overall, nothing special. I was disappointed in the character and in his lifeless portrayal.

I really wanted to like Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (terrible name, by the way). I sincerely hoped this would reinvigorate the franchise. We need more spy movies, especially intelligent ones. Unfortunately, this film did not deliver any of what we wanted. This is a generic, forgettable film. I don't know what it will take to fix this franchise, but I pray it happens.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears