Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

OK, maybe that's a little harsh. Chris Pine for one is a good, sympatico lead, but he's struggling against a rip tide in this formulaic reboot of an American Cold War wet dream. A chill went down my spine when Scots character actor (and a very good one, too), David Hayman, appeared as a Russian apparatchik. I know, a Scots accent is virtually indistinguishable from a Russian (I mean, it's all the same that side of the Atlantic, isn't it?), but it's not a good sign when the cliche of USA goodies vs Rest of the World baddies appears again. I thought we'd got past that naive world view with the Dubya era. Evidently not. The plot? Well, it has been done before, and better. Kenneth Branagh does his sinister thing, but it's one dimensional. If you want to see what he can really do with a script, have a look at his turn as Heydrich in "Conspiracy". Now, that is a very good rendition of evil as normality. So, what do we have here? Fodder to watch when you're chugging a six pack and a takeaway. If the dog starts howling outside, put the pic on hold and sort it out. Or don't put it on hold; I guarantee you'll pick up the story without difficulty when you get back.

Predictable and a poor production all together. The characters behave improbable and the story could do with a reality check.. In what country are medical personnel allowed to wear long sleeves? Unhygienic!

This was pretty average as far as action movies go, nothing stand out. Chris Pine does a decent enough job, I always like him even in something as generic as this turned out to be. I also enjoy Keira Knightley but her role as the girlfriend/fiancé was flat and could have been played by anyone. Which sets the tone for this whole movie.Dubbed an "explosive thriller" (not so much) Shadow Recruit is another addition to the Jack Ryan-Tom Clancy franchise. This reboot follows Ryan as an ordinary executive, who is also secretly working for the CIA. One day while crunching data he discovers a Russian conspiracy that will destroy the U.S. economy and spark global chaos. He becomes the only man with the skills to stop it and soon finds himself in Russia, caught between his secretive handler, his clueless fiancé and a brilliant Russian leader.Kevin Costner was decent as the mentor once again giving a Liam Neeson take on his role, Kenneth Branagh was very good as the Russian bad guy and there are a couple of fun cameos from Mikhail Baryshnikov and Nonso Anozie.I also enjoyed the early set up scenes where we gain background into Ryan's character; as a student pre 911, a marine, and his time in the rehab hospital. The ending went far into OTT land, getting quite silly as Chris becomes a full operative, saves America from financial ruin and rescues his girlfriend. All in this wasn't terrible, a decent time waster its just generic.

I have no idea how this compares to the books, because I've never read them. Judging the movie alone, it was, in my opinion, reasonably intense, decently acted and did not bore me even though there is a lot of technical talk going on with a plot of Wall Street stuff and terrorism driving the narrative. In this kind of movie, not being boring turns out to be a major quality. The action scenes feel like the direction could be better, though. My favourite part about this action movie might be the non-action scenes: Keira Knightley is as good as usual and makes a nice couple with Pine. All in all, I had a good time, so I see no reason to rate it less than a solid 8.