Review of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) by Stef — 05 Jun 2014

Y'know, when I settle down to watch a movie about Jack Ryan, CIA agent, I expect more BAMF CIA agent strutting around kicking butt and taking names and less... clueless CIA analyst stumbling around desperately trying to remember their field training (while also trying to avoid their annoying girlfriend, who's prone to snooping, flying to Russia when the fancy strikes her, and also apparently has a knack for undercover field work. Impressive).

So yeah, there's little positive when it comes to this movie. The casting's lackluster (is there anyone more bland than Keira Knightley? (except Natalie Portman, that is)) and the premise is downright silly (why is the fate of the United States put in the hands of a junior CIA analyst with no field experience? Is there truly no one more qualified for the job? Is there not a single agent with any kind of undercover experience stationed anywhere in Europe?).

This movie upset me on so many levels. Skip it. Watch 'Jack Reacher' instead. Think Tom Cruise is an absolutely ludicrous choice to play the main character in Lee Child's franchise? It's still better than this reboot.