Reboots are where the money is and in order to resurrect Jack Ryan after a 12-year hiatus, Hollywood’s bigwigs go for rebooting the franchise instead! They got one of the best directors in the business (Kenneth Branagh), went for a box-office star (Chris Pine), selected an in-demand actress (Kiera Knightley) and asked a superstar (Kevin Costner) to play the mentor … but forgot to choose a good script. This reincarnation of Jack Ryan seems way too inspired from Mission Impossible and James Bond franchises, and although the stunts are new and refreshing, the audience has been there, seen that!

The post-Cold War plot!

The world is on the edge of another Cold War, the CIA recruits former marine-turned-financial analyst Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) to keep an eye on Russia’s sinister financial transactions. The move pays off as Jack Ryan detects an anomaly and heads off to Russia to meet the man responsible – the creepy-crawly Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh, also the director). With his suspecting girlfriend Cathy (Keira Knightley) in tow and General Tom Harper (Kevin Costner) to assist him in his endeavors, Jack Ryan manages to avoid distraction and saves Wall Street in general – and America in particular – from a financial attack that would have crippled the economy and killed thousands.

What I was expecting?

As a fan of Chris Pine – and his father Robert Pine (the one who appeared in CHiPs) before him – I was expecting to be entertained thoroughly. That did happen because the pace of the movie wasn’t slow, the plan seemed as real as it could be and the acting was top-notch. Watching Kevin Costner play an action hero (and not the father of Superman!) was a riveting experience, and same goes for Star Trek star Chris Pine. The heartthrob brings a ‘don’t give a damn’ attitude to the character that was played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford (twice) and Ben Affleck before him. He didn’t do a better job than the first two, but he was far better than the last one, for sure!

What I wasn’t expecting?

Since I have followed all the Jack Ryan movies before this one, I was expecting an old-school action movie with thrills and chills that leave a lasting impression. Instead I got an amalgamation of the James Bond and Mission Impossible franchises – The agent killing an assassin in his hotel room, running around the city to save his girl and standing his ground against a villain who would have made Ian Fleming proud!

What I will never forget …

Kenneth Branagh excels as the director and the arch villain in this flick. The director not only moulds Jack Ryan into a different person but also gives equal importance to the elder statesman General Tom Harper (Kevin Costner). Despite the script being formulaic, he does well by thrilling the audience with the cat-and-mouse chase that begins in Moscow and ends in New York! As the baddie, he keeps you on the edge of your seats with his ill-intentions that include torturing a captive with a light bulb!

Watch it for Tom Clancy!

The writer who gave us the Jack Ryan series – The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears – may have died last year, but his legacy lives on. Shadow Recruit isn’t based on any of Jack Ryan-novels he authored but it is the original story about the man who became a CIA agent of repute and went onto save America on multiple occasions!

As for the depiction of the character on screen, it doesn’t go too badly. The action scenes are nothing out of this world but watching Kevin Costner shoot Russians out with his sniper rifle, Chris Pine outdoing the competition by being smart and Kiera Knightley not irritating the audience is entertaining nonetheless. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit may not be the best spy flick of all times, but with its engaging cast and fast-paced action, it is one that demands to be watched!