JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (Theatrical Release USA 2014)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.4|5.0 Stars ììì

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit bases itself on author Tom Clancy’s book character, Jack Ryan. Unfortunately, the movie fails to enthrall. Part of this dilemma may be the casting and a rather weak portrayal of a romantic relationship between two of the film's characters. The strongest character in the movie, who also directs the movie, Kenneth Branagh, (playing the Russian, Victor Cherevin) comes onto the story scene a little late to save the film from mediocrity.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

A United States Marine CIA recruit works in Wall Street to discover suspect financial transactions and uncovers a Russian plot to bring the United States economy down through staged financial maneuvering.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Executive Producers David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Tommy Harper, and Paul Schwake for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Jack Ryan (Chris Pine), Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley), Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner), Constantin (Lenn Kudrjawizki), Alexandr Borovsky (Alec Utgoff), and Dimitri Lemkov (Peter Andersson).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. Chris Pine interprets the Jack Ryan personality freshly and innovatively, but misses the mark to capture and keep interest for the movie audience. 

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers