Despite some crucial mistakes, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a solidly entertaining thriller.
Rebooting the franchise once again, despite having no need to, Jack Ryan starts from scratch, setting the spy thriller against the backdrop of current financial uncertainty. That's a risky proposition, especially since much of the first hour tries to make things like currency markets and shell corporations seem exciting.
But it works because Chris Pine does nothing but ooze charisma. And Kevin Costner, as his handler, couldn't be any better, even if the film essentially has no use for him in the third act. Best of all is Kenneth Branagh as the hard-drinking hubristic Russian banker planning a two-pronged attack on the U.S.: first he'll bomb Wall Street, then sell his investment in the dollar, devastating the American spirit and their economy.
That's slightly more plausible than some of the other "world domination" plots of recent action movies. Unfortunately, Jack Ryan repeats a huge error at several points in the movie. Editor Martin Walsh cuts the movie in the same frenetic way too many blockbusters have done. It obscures the action so you can never really see what's happening during fights or car chases.
Even worse, the film completely wastes Keira Knightley. She's a phenomenal actress, and her role is so poorly written, any actress could have played her. She's just there as a prop--someone to get kidnapped so the hero can save her.
Yet with all the poor choices the film makes, I have to say I was never bored, not for a second. That may not seem like much, but it counts for a lot in blockbusters these days. The film's only 105 minutes, yet it never feels rushed or dragged out. Good pacing is rare, especially for a movie dumped into January.
With too many problems to give a whole-hearted recommendation, but remaining entertaining throughout, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is middle of the road entertainment. It never strives the fun of the last Mission: Impossible film or the heaviness of Skyfall. But it's a solid re-start for the spy franchise, with a compelling lead, a great mentor, and a terrific bad guy. For a release this early in the year, you could ask for more, but we're lucky to even get this much.
