Director: Kenneth Branagh.
Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh, Keira Knightley.
Running Time: 105 minutes.
Certificate: 12A.
Synopsis: After an injury causes his military career to be cut short, Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) finds himself headhunted by a CIA operative (Kevin Costner). Whilst working as an analyst for the group, Ryan stumbles across a potential worldwide terror attack and must help to stop it.
The character of Jack Ryan is one that many people will be familiar with, having several novels written for him by the late Tom Clancy. JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT will be the fifth screen outing for the literary character after previous films THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and THE SUM OF ALL FEARS. Whilst all of those dealt with a slightly older version of the character, JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT sees a younger take on the role, with the plot acting as a bridge to the films that have gone before. This time around Chris Pine steps into the shoes of past Ryans, Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck.
Being the first film with Jack Ryan that isn’t based on one of Clancy’s novels, SHADOW RECRUIT suffers in terms of plot development. The story sticks closely to that which you’d expect from any other film within the genre, and the decision to include Ryan’s spouse Cathy (Keira Knightley) sees the film take a turn into TRUE LIES territory. The relationship between the pair is also a little watery and doesn’t pack the emotional punch that it should.
Pine is more than adequate in the part, with previous action films STAR TREK, UNSTOPPABLE and THIS MEANS WAR providing great training. As Ryan, he is his usual, likeable, strong-minded everyman who knows how to handle himself in a fight. The suitably villainous Branagh stars and directs the film, playing Russian patriot Viktor Cherevin, your archetypal action thriller villain – rich, vain and violent.
Assisting Ryan and his team are more high-tech gadgets and gizmos than found in Q’s testing laboratory, and their inclusion should keep the tech-savvy amongst you engaged. The refreshing element is that it all seems to be tangible technology/software which adds a much-needed realistic depth.
The action in the film is exceptional, with the sound design adding to the visuals perfectly, causing a couple of squirm-in-your-seat moments during a couple of the fight sequences. However, some of the camerawork during the more static scenes is a little distracting due to the overuse of focus pull, which could induce headaches in the more sensitive amongst you.
[usr=3] JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT is released in UK cinemas on Friday 24th January, 2014.
