The saying goes ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again’. This is especially true for film. If an ongoing franchise falls off the rails, it’s easy hitting the refresh button. The Jack Ryan series has had more than its fair share of new beginnings. Having already re-booted with 2002’s The Sum of All Fears, the series starts anew with Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. On this evidence, the re-set is only partially successful with author Tom Clancy’s fictional character still trying to find an assured cinematic footing.
Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) works as a junior CIA analyst in its covert intelligence office. Uncovering evidence of a terrorist attack, he is sent to Russia to investigate where he meets wealthy businessman Viktor (Kenneth Branagh). Sensing danger, Ryan soon unearths a sinister plot to destroy the world economy. Racing against time while escaping a horde of assassins, Ryan faces his enemies in order to prevent global catastrophe.
Although having Jack Ryan’s name in the title Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit has its own deceptive mask. It isn’t based on any Tom Clancy novel and instead crafts its own story. Whilst many film franchises have done this, it doesn’t quite work for this fifth Ryan movie. The biggest hurdle is its slavish copying of moments from recent James Bond films. What worked for Bond doesn’t necessarily work for Ryan being a completely different character.
This identity crisis extends to the action sequences. Whilst full of tension and excitingly staged, they conjure a whiff of déjà vu. Character motivations are never clear with more explanation needed for their actions. Pine does his best in the role by giving qualities missing from previous versions. Directing as well as performing, Branagh keeps the momentum going with visual flair hiding the gaping leaps of logic.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a passable action movie being better than the previous instalment. It isn’t a patch on the initial movies with its lack of depth a millstone even a dedicated agent would find hard to discard.
Reviewed by Patrick Moore
Rating out of 10: 6
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