Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)'s comments

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lachyas

"This is geopolitics, it's not couples therapy!"
I wish the movie paid more attention to its own line.

9 years 11 months ago

A perfect example of a totally generic spy/thriller action movie. Nothing here that we haven't seen before. It tries to capture some the intrigue and suspense of the Jason Bourne movies but Chris Pine is no Matt Damon and the movie lacks an interesting plot and character development is almost non-existent. Maybe 15 years ago it would be a solid action movie but in this current age of cinema it's late to the party and offers nothing new.

9 years 9 months ago

252

I have to agree with lachyas. I rarely fall asleep during movies, but the constant long dialogues concerning the protagonists relationship made it very hard not to. Everything (casting, poster, trailer, plot summary) pointed to this movie being a fast-paced action movie, but I can hardly call it that.

The possible audience: It's too melodramatic for most male viewers and the dialogue is way too boring and nagging to even watch as a couple. I'd go even further and say that most of the dialogue felt like filler and most of the film was dialogue. You can safely say that this movie seems to be made solely to sell both itself, its purported genre and Chris Pine to the single female demographic. Maybe this floats your boat, but...

"Son, I am disappoint"

9 years 11 months ago

Siskoid

Another franchise is rebooted in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, with Chris Pine taking on the role once played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and, forgettably, Ben Affleck. I think he works well as a young Jack Ryan, as good a leading man as he is an action hero, but the film does have some important problems. One of these is Kiera Knightly whom I simply can't stomach in modern/American roles. I'm not sure what it is about those performances, but I think she comes off as creepy and damages, which isn't what the character here is meant to be. At least she gets to take part in the action, I suppose, but soon becomes just another damsel in distress. While I like the "first mission" aspect, the "origin" sections are stacked on top of each other and sequence too abruptly. I've often found Director Kenneth Branagh's use of "flashbacks" (not that they're flashbacks exactly) slightly off. For some, the "economic terrorism" angle might seem a little abstract, but I liked the novelty and the spycraft surrounding it, and it doesn't mean there aren't competent action scenes in the mix. The climax is a little by-the-numbers, I'll admit, but the preceding fights and chases do work well. And hey, the best Jack Ryan movie is still The Hunt for Red October and it's not particularly action-driven. But though a fairly competent chapter in the franchise - and I WOULD like to see Pine do another one - it's hard to see Shadow Recruit's story as anything more than a sketched-in spy thriller that could have fit any number of franchises or original characters. It's a relatively short film; it should probably have been stretched out with more meaningful character moments, both for the heroes and the villains. As is, too much happens because the script requires it.

8 years 10 months ago

Earring72

Just ok spy thriller with not enough espionage, thrills or action. Prequel misses the spark and thrills of the Tom Clancy novels. Cast is good though.

9 years ago

audiopile

Sometimes it is best not to have expectations in a film. I didn't know anything about this other than it is probably going to be some type of action film. If that is what you are looking for then this one will do just fine. Nothing special, but not a bad international thriller spy chase conspiracy.

9 years 11 months ago

oblomov

It's like someone with the wrong priorities, no balls and a lack of intelligence attempted a remake of The Sum of All Fears.

9 years 6 months ago

michi

Fails the Bechdel test on all accounts.

9 years 7 months ago