Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

The first Jack Ryan adventure to hit theaters since 2002’s The Sum of All Fears, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit follows Tom Clancy’s title figure as he arrives in Moscow to confront a nefarious villain (Kenneth Branagh’s Viktor Cherevin) bent on crashing the United States’ economy. Before it reaches that point, however, the film concerns itself primarily with Ryan’s origin story, as the narrative zips from his college days to his stint as a Marine to his early endeavors as a CIA analyst. There is, as such, little doubt that Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, in its deliberately-paced first half, possesses the feel of a rather generic spy thriller, with the movie’s less-than-engrossing vibe compounded by a curious lack of action and an emphasis on the central character’s inexperience as a field agent. Pine’s charismatic performance certainly goes a long way towards alleviating the otherwise unspectacular atmosphere, with the actor’s stirring turn matched by an eclectic supporting cast that includes Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley. (It’s obvious, however, that Branagh’s scenery-chewing work as the villain remains a clear highlight throughout.) It’s not until the film rolls into its unexpectedly captivating midsection that Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit begins living up to its potential, with the movie’s turning point a spectacularly entertaining sequence detailing Ryan’s efforts at surreptitiously breaking into Cherevin’s secure office (which is subsequently followed by a better-than-average car chase). And although the whole thing does peter out to a slight degree in its anticlimactic final stretch – it doesn’t help, certainly, that Branagh completely mishandles a hand-to-hand fight sequence – Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit stands as a promising new direction for Clancy’s iconic character.

*** out of ****