My Movie Review on Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Plus, a Bonus) · 5:34am Mar 1st, 2022
Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for the 2nd and final installment of this year's "February Festivity", I'm gonna give you guys my very first take on an installment of the Jack Ryan franchise: "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit".
Here's the rundown of it:
Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst who works under the guise of a compliance officer at a stock brokerage on Wall Street, his prime job being to look for suspect financial transactions that would indicate terrorist activity.
However, when he discovers that trillions of dollars held by Russian organizations have disappeared and that certain accounts are being inaccessible, he suspects that the accounts in question are being controlled by Viktor Cherevin. Deciding to investigate the matter, he travels to Russia in the hopes that this global-threatening problem could be resolved. And while he's there, he slowly transforms from a mere analyst to a full-on CIA agent.
For quite a while, I found myself having an itch for reviewing the Jack Ryan films, mainly since they were highly regarded among my family. I myself have seen all 5 films on occasion, so I wasn't a complete stranger to the series.
When it came to choosing which Jack Ryan movie I wanted to review first, Shadow Recruit was the one I yearned to see again the most. Out of all the films, it's the only installment with an entirely original story instead of being based on a Jack Ryan book. I also thought that the romance between Jack and Cathy would make it an instant fit for my "February Festivity", so it was definitely a tantalizing pick for me.
So, what do I think of "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" in words?
Well, the one thing I was personally bothered by was that there were some curse words that I wasn't comfortable hearing in this movie. Granted, the film didn't go overboard with that element, but still...this movie would've been better off without the cussing.
Other than that, though...I really must say that "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" is truly one of the most amazing action-thriller films I've ever watched!
For instance, the direction by Kenneth Branagh, and the story by Adam Cozad and David Koepp, were wonderfully well-done.
As I watched the film, I noted that Branagh and the writers clearly went all-out in making Shadow Recruit an honorable homage to Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan books while giving their own take in the process, and it served as a fitting dedication for the late Clancy as well. The film as a whole had tons of thrills and was far from predictable, and the overall story was able to keep itself together and be consistently interesting no matter what. Plus, the story contained witty moments that were unexpectedly entertaining, and there was an emotional resonance and heart that was strong enough to tug at one's soul.
The acting, characters, and character development were marvelous as well.
Among the performers, Chris Pine truly rocked the house with his portrayal of Jack Ryan, and Keira Knightley was outstanding in the role of Cathy Muller. Whether their characters were either alone or together, Pine and Knightley practically commanded the screen by giving natural and committed performances that helped translate Jack and Cathy as people like the rest of us. As characters, Jack and Cathy also had wonderful personality and developments, and their chemistry as a couple was easily one of the best I ever saw.
Plus, Kenneth Branagh did a fantastic job portraying Chervil, and not just because of how authentic his Russian accent was either. The character himself was easily what I'd like to call one of the franchise's most three-dimensional and complex villains, in large part because he believed what he was doing would be of great benefit to Russia.
In conclusion, "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" isn't without flaws. But, the film manages to hold its own as something that's worth looking into, and seeing it again helped me realize that Kenneth Branagh is one of my favorite filmmakers and actors.
So, I rate "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" 4½ out of 5 stars.
Before I conclude this post, I'd like to show you guys this painting I made a while back:
This puppy paint-by-number I worked on was completed in just 10 days, from the 12th to 22nd of January.
So, what do you guys think? Of this review? And this picture?
Such a cute puppy!
Also I will need to watch the film personally before I make any critique on it