Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

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Chris Pine and Kevin Costner in “Jack Ryan:Shadow Recruit

 

It’s been twelve years since we last saw Jack Ryan in action and frankly we were overdue for an outing with the character. Just not the one we have been given lately, which is clearly trying to reboot an old franchise with a younger Ryan just out of the military and working with the CIA as a Covert Analyst looking for the unusual in the stock market.  Its really no surprise to see Chris Pine in the shoes of Jack Ryan; the franchise alone has went through Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck in the past looking looing for a good actor that could play the part well and one that wasn’t too old. Either. Chris Pine plays an excellent Jack Ryan, but the story hardly resembles anything close to the Clancy cannon.

Recovering from a bad injury as a Marine, Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) could possibly never walk again. Ryan was shot down along with two other marines on their way to base. However, Despite a broken back they claim he pull them both from the wreckage. While recovering in the hospital Jack is encouraged to get on his feet by Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley). Knightley is great and literally pulls the role of like it’s a walk in the park, but maybe because there isn’t much to it. During this recovery Ryan is also recruited by Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner), to find oddball spending with strange companies. Needless to say he finds more than anyone ever intended and Harper sends him to Russia to dig up the dirt.

Kevin Costner who is a great actor and believable father figure to Ryan, was actually offered the role of Ryan, but turned it down due to filming his Dances With Wovles. Which who can blame him? He would win an Oscar for best directing that year anyways.  Regardless of what is sure to become movie trivia, Costner is good to a fault as Ryan’s CIA handler and far more effective as the aforementioned father figure. Granted, Ryan has had others in previous films, which Include James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman, but Costner feels comfortable in the role and Pine’s Ryan is happy to oblige him.

The film’s Villain Viktor Cheverin played by the director of the piece, Kenneth Brannah whom appears to have went from Shakespearian actor to Blockbuster director overnight provides us with an excellent Villain in Cheverin, but a lackluster story that is no better than a failed young adult adaption. The film is written by David Koepp and Adam Cozad, but also isn’t based off any Clancy novel in existence. For something that tries to be original it falls flat on its face. With actors like Keira Knightley and Kenneth Brannah in the film, one would think you’d see some great acting and some iconic scenes, considering this a tentpole affair.

 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is entertaining for the most part, but it lacks depth and mission worthy of going on. Otherwise if this were a worthy origin tale I’d say its reminiscent of the early Ryan films, but it isn’t Maybe Brannah should go back to Shakespeare or direct the next Thor installment because he certainly doesn’t belo