Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Starring Chris Pine, Kenneth Branagh, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, Colm Feore, Seth Ayott, Nonso Anozie, Lenn Kudrjawizki, Alec Utgodd, Peter Andersson, Elena Velikanova. [PG-13]

The long-dormant Jack Ryan series gets a re-launch/origin story of sorts, going back to show how Ryan (Pine) got involved with the CIA as an analyst (who’s forced to kick a little butt on occasion). He’s a college student when the 9/11 attacks occur, and so he signs up for the military, nearly gets paralyzed in Afghanistan, meets his future wife (Knightley), and is recruited by a CIA official played by Costner; while working undercover for a Wall Street firm, he’s sent to meet shady Russian industrialist Branagh, who is such a naughty fellow that he’s shown assaulting someone before his face is even revealed. A watchable if underwhelming diversion, the story tries to do too much in too little time (it’s the shortest Jack Ryan cinematic adventure to date, even though almost a third of the movie is over before the main plot even gets going). The characters aren’t developed with depth, the enemy conspiracy is uninteresting, and director Branagh unwisely seems to be trying to imitate the shaky-cam and garbled editing techniques of Paul Greengrass’ Jason Bourne pictures—so much for Jack standing apart from the pack as a thinking man of reluctant action. Cast well enough to overcome the rudimentary characterizations, and moves quickly enough so that it never gets dull, but where’s the inspiration and innovation? Though this is the first film in the franchise to be based on just the character and not on any one of the Jack Ryan novels, the movie is dedicated to Tom Clancy, who died a few months before the film’s release.

58/100