 Tagline: Trust No One "An action hero is reborn!" raves top critics about the "intense, exciting" origin story of Tom Clancy's iconic hero Jack Ryan. The thrills are non-stop as CIA recruit Ryan (Chris Pine) is caught in a dangerous web of intrigue and espionage spun between a shadowy government agent (Academy Award-Winner Kevin Costner), his unsuspecting fiancee (Keira Knightley) and a fearless Russian power broker (Kenneth Branagh). Jack must quickly evolve from soldier to analyst to full-fledged operative to stop a devastating terrorist plot against the United States. The stakes have never been higher in this "taut, tense and terrific" thrill ride. Storyline: A new version of the saga of CIA analyst, Jack Ryan. It begins when Ryan was attending the London School of Economics; and 9/11 happened. He would then enlist in the Marines and would go to Afghanistan. The chopper he was on would get shot down and he would suffer severe injuries that would require intense rehab. While there, he grabs the attention of a man named Harper, who works for the CIA and would like him to finish his studies and get a job on Wall Street so he can find out of any terrorist plot through their finances. A few years later, Ryan finds anomalies in the accounts of a Russian named Cherevin. Jack thinks he should go to Russia to find out what's going on. Jack was told not to tell anyone who he is and that includes his girl friend Cathy. But she catches Jack in some lies which makes her doubt him. Jack goes to Russia and Cherevin assigns him someone to take care of him. But when they're alone the man tries to kill Jack. So Jack kills him. Obvious Cherevin is hiding ... Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on May 13, 2014 -- The trailer for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit did the film absolutely no favors. It made the movie look about as generically bland as could be, a James Bond or Jason Bourne clone with a touch of True Lies thrown into the mix in the typical "hero races against time" approach, complete with nifty edits, stylish fast-paced action clips, and text blurbs about "trusting no one" and other such trite trailer crutches. Sadly, the full film lives up to the trailer's promise of mediocrity. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit may be the slick, smooth Action thriller the trailer promises, but those external qualities are about all the movie has going for it. It's a classic example of a movie that's little more than a rehash of others like it, the prototypical "seen one, seen 'em all" motion picture that throws its hat into the arena but throws nothing novel alongside it. It's rather bland -- passably bland and entertaining on a very basic level but bland nonetheless -- and a film that will certainly be remembered for nothing more than upping its genre's total film count by one, if it's even remembered at all. Jack Ryan (Chris Pine), a graduate of the London School of Economics, is severely wounded in a helicopter attack in 2003 over Afghanistan. His recovery is long and arduous, helped along by his intense focus and a tough but kindly therapist named Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley) with whom Ryan forms a bond. Upon recovery, he's recruited into the CIA by the mysterious Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) who assigns him to covertly gather financial intelligence and uncover terrorist funding on Wall Street. Years into the job, he discovers hidden Russian accounts and deduces that they could be part of a larger plan to manipulate the American economy into a second Great Depression. He's reassigned to Moscow to audit the man behind the accounts, Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh). What follows isn't a routine audit but instead an unraveling web of danger and terror in which thousands of lives are stake. Though it's little more than a clone of other, similar genre films, it's hard not to enjoy Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit on a basic level. It's very smooth and slick, expertly crafted, every scene a perfect example of modern filmmaking techniques flawlessly executed and edited. The action is well done and smartly limited; the movie is defined by its story and characters and not its action, and that the action is rather sparse in screen time only enhances its credibility and excitement. On the other hand, it's almost impossible to get into the movie on any level beyond the superficial, largely because there's simply nothing of value going on underneath. All of its emotions, even the ones that sort of work, are built on the backs of recycled character interactions and dynamics. The film absolutely fails to build the relationships to the point where the audience cares. What's here is fully transparent, with no real surprises about where the movie is headed, why it's headed there, or what the ultimate outcome will be. It's play-it-safe filmmaking 101, the quintessential example of a movie with no real purpose or value beyond empty entertainment. Still, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit does manage to throw out a few minor dramatic surprises and lay the groundwork of a decent emotional core in the early moments of the first act when Ryan is wounded and he builds a relationship with Cathy. The film further finds a rather good confrontational chemistry between Chris Pine and Actor/Director Kenneth Branagh, the generational age gaps closed and the men playing on an equal footing when engaged in a battle of wits and verbal confrontations in the guise of pleasantries. Indeed, it's mostly in the acting where the movie finds its strengths. Pine is an excellent young Jack Ryan. As he showed in his portrayals of Captain Kirk in the newly rebooted Star Trek films, he's more than capable of playing, on one hand, a brash, strong, and almost naive character and on the other a refined, diplomatic statesman who's more mind than muscle, all characteristics also suited to the famed fictional CIA officer. Unfortunately, the "Ryan reboot" in which he plays is nowhere near as fulfilling as J.J. Abrams' take on old material. Pine is a major star and this is a role in which he should continue to fit comfortably in the future. Hopefully, the scriptwriters will provide him a more robust backdrop in which to further shape his take on the character, and hopefully one that returns to the well of Tom Clancy-sourced material, not just material that's Clancy-in-name-only. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit offers good, fundamental entertainment delivered by an almost completely hollow vessel. The story is weak and weary, wholly unoriginal and unimaginative. There are precious few surprises and the film plays out to conclusion just as one expects of a generic Action-Thriller. It's well acted and slickly assembled, but there ends its high points. Tom Clancy fans may be pleased with Chris Pine in the rebooted lead role but disappointed by just about everything else. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit delivers first-rate 7.1 lossless audio, excellent 1080p video, and a decent array of bonus content. Unfortunately, the film's quality only merits a recommendation as a rental. [CSW] -2.8-The plot is a bit complicated, a bit improbable, and maybe even impossible, but it is still a good spy thriller. While it is certainly very watchable it did seem to have somehow missed the wow factor. The villain Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh) did an excellent job and all of the spy elements and action scenes are handled decently enough, but are you going to remember anything about this movie two weeks later? The answer to that question is, no, not really. Cast Notes: Chris Pine (Jack Ryan), Keira Knightley (Cathy Muller), Kevin Costner (Thomas Harper), Kenneth Branagh (Viktor Cherevin), Lenn Kudrjawizki (Constantin), Alec Utgoff (Aleksandr Borovsky), Peter Andersson (Dimitri Lemkov), Elena Velikanova (Katya), Nonso Anozie (Embee Deng), Seth Ayott (Teddy Hefferman), Colm Feore (Rob Behringer), Gemma Chan (Amy Chang), Aleksandar Aleksiev (Cherevin's Bodyguard), Andrew Byron (Cherevin's Bodyguard), Derek Lea (Cherevin's Bodyguard). IMDb Rating (02/11/17): 6.2/10 from 102,175 users
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