Jack Ryanis a strange film franchise. Four actors have occupied the role sinceAlec Baldwindebuted the character in 1989’sThe Hunt For Red October, each bringing a different energy to the idealistic CIA analyst caught in over his head.Tom Clancy’s novels are essential dad-core action/espionage romps that continue to be bestsellers, and the lack of consistency between films makes the series a novelty.
The Ryanverse has shown no signs of slowing down, with Amazon’sJack Ryanseries ending after the upcoming fourth season, but with a spinoff in the works. These exciting new projects come only seven years after the saga’s lowest-grossing installment,Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, generated a collective shrug from critics and audiences alike. Earning just $60 million off a $135.5 million budget,Shadow Recruitfailed to kickstart a new series of films.
It says a lot about the abundance of named properties that a series once considered to be a blockbuster franchise was buried as a January box office bomb. It’s among the many literary adaptations set up as prospective franchises that have now transitioned to television, with series adaptations ofAlex Cross, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,andJack Reacherall coming soon. It’s easy to overlookShadow Recruitas a misstep, but against all odds theKenneth Branagh-directed film actually has a lot of charm.
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‘Shadow Recruit’ Tells the Beginnings of Jack Ryan
The notable difference betweenShadow Recruitand its predecessors is that it’s not directly based on any of Clancy’s novels, instead focusing on Ryan’s origin story. Although it reimagines Ryan as a post-9/11 protagonist and deals with the global financial market, this is mostly an old-fashioned spy thriller in whichChris Pinefistfights assassins and Kenneth Branagh speaks in a goofy Russian accent.
Pine’s interpretation of the character retains a refreshing earnestness that is rare among modern action heroes. AlthoughShadow Recruitpositions Jack as a trained military man, Pine’s naivete as he’s thrust into the espionage world retains the everyman spirit that is essential to the character. Following his first encounter withNonso Anozie’s assassin, Ryan debriefs with his CIA mentor Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) and reflects on this moment of violence. The scene mostly serves as exposition, but it’s a nice reminder that despite all his training, Jack wasn’t prepared to take a human life.
Costner is one of the film’s strengths. Once considered to play Jack Ryan himself inThe Hunt For Red October, he brings a no-nonsense gruffness to his role as the CIA official who recruits a battle-wounded Pine in the film’s opening scenes. Harper warns Ryan about the perils of having domestic responsibilities while working in such a dangerous field, and Costner elevates the standard writing with a knowing weariness. He even gets to flex his comedy chops when his expository monologue is interrupted by a spat between Jack and his fiancée Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley).
Jack Ryan’s Double Life
The early relationship struggles involved with Ryan’s double life play a big part in the story, which is something not seen in the previous installments. Alec Baldwin andHarrison Fordboth played Ryan as a family man and caring father, whereas Pine gets the chance to be a budding romantic lead (although he’s not quite as thirsty asBen AffleckinThe Sum of All Fears). Much of the central tension revolves around Pine’s relationship with Knightley, and the pair’s chemistry is so convincing that it’s easier to overlook some of the more tedious writing.
Cathy’s characterization is less than ideal; Knightley is saddled with a tropey “supportive nurse” character who’s tasked with rehabilitating Ryan after a traumatic wartime injury. Of course, she subsequently falls in love with him. The idea that Cathy would follow Jack to Moscow just to see if he’s being unfaithful feels particularly dated, but Knightley has a lot of fun with the role once she’s placed directly in the action. Jack and Cathy are on somewhat equal footing during the Moscow scenes; not only are they both thrust into an assignment they’re not fully equipped for, but they’re also navigating whether their relationship will be sustainable if Jack continues with his current line of work.
This tension bubbles to the surface during a climactic dinner confrontation with Branagh’s main villain, the Russian anarchist Viktor Cherevin. Branagh apparently has a newfound interest in playing eccentric Russian gangsters hell-bent on triggering global catastrophes, and his performance here is possibly even more bizarre than his role inTenet(although regrettably he never threatens to cut off Ryan’s testicles and shove them down his windpipe). Cherevin’s dialogue mostly consists of vague threats, and Branagh delivers most of them in an off-puttingly hushed monotone. It’s almost if he’s trying to counterbalance Pine’s youthful charisma by being as emotionless as possible.
Kenneth Branagh and the World of Jack Ryan
Branagh has never quite figured out to shoot modern action sequences, as his other blockbustersThor, Cinderella,andMurder on the Orient Expressfelt more closely in line with the formalism of his Shakesperean work. The early hand-to-hand combat sequences in particular are pretty rough and aren’t able to capture the shaky-cam grittiness of theBournefilms, but the final motorcycle chase through New York is kind of amazing in how seriously Branagh treats it. Ryan’s goal is to stop Cherevin’s son from triggering a global financial meltdown by detonating a bomb, and the entirely ludicrous climax by the East River is handled without a hint of irony.
This is the weird space thatShadow Recruitoccupies; it’s caught between the grittier style of theBournemovies and theDaniel CraigBond films while also indulging in seriously campy spy movie jargon. Branagh’s self-seriousness behind the camera comes at a time where subversive espionage parodies likeKingsman, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,andAtomic Blondeare the norm. The stakes are grounded and the film isn’t peppered with quips and aimless action scenes that detract from the narrative.
While rather simple and straightforward as a Clancy adaptation,Shadow Recruitis still a ton of fun. It moves through the expositional scenes at a methodical pace, and for a film that was in development for over a decade it doesn’t feel buried by reshoots and rewrites. In many ways it’s a good introduction to the character for new fans, because it ditches some of the more antiquated Cold Warrior attitudes found in earlier Jack Ryan adaptations. Although there are references to other Clancy works, it functions as a standalone film; even the closing sequel tease is relatively mild. So many films are buried under the weight of their own mythology and the expectations of launching a franchise, andShadow Recruitis comfortable being a breezy if somewhat forgettable watch. It’s not a classic likeThe Hunt For Red October, but it makes for a perfectly enjoyable 100 minutes on a Sunday afternoon.
