Review of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) by Martin H — 27 May 2014

What does Jack Ryan and Jack Baur has in common? Both of them are Americans and got injured in the line of duty, both of them single handedly saved the country from a devastating terrorist threat. Simply put this movie is all about being a hero and risking your life to save millions of others when everyone else is having a normal work day. How familiar the plot may sound and tested for many generations Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit does is so well and far better than many recent action flicks of the same nature. And I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jack Ryan used to be a bright young PHD student at the time when the 9/11 attack took place. But soon he finds himself getting shot down on a helicopter in Afghanistan. And yes now he is a Marine in the US ARMY. But after sometime he goes back to university finishes his PHD and joins a company on Wall Street living the corporate dream. But not quite 100% as he has to work for CIA part time. Yes Jack?s life is complicated. But it?s about to get even worse when Jack finds out that Russians are planning to launch a massive economical terrorist attack and he is the only person qualified to stop it from happening. And now there are many guns aiming at Jack and he should choose which one to dodge first.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a straight out action movie. Though it has a slow beginning and not so much action in the first half it still successfully manages to keep the viewer gazing at it. Main reason is the gradual but steady development of the plot which on the background hinting that bigger things are to come. And the wait is all worth. You get this all gooey kind of suspense music played for a long while and then it hits the sixth gear. Thought the plot is kind of predictable there is nothing boring about it so the excitement doesn?t fade.

Just like all action movies Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit has its common flaws. Farfetched moments, insanely fast (and not yet developed) tracking technology, hard to kill lead character are few of them. But then what action movie will be successful without them. We all know it?s bogus though we stair at it mouth half open. But genuinely Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit was much more than I expected. I thought it?s going to be ?cheap? but I?m impressed.