I loved Tom Clancy’s
Jack Ryan book series before I drifted left and he disappeared into
techno-war-porn liberal hate. Ryan was a great read: Injured marine turned CIA
desk geek with deadly smarts. Blow shit up? Tougher guys did that. Clancy’s
writing electrified: He foresaw 9/11 in 1994. Now comes “Jack Ryan: Shadow
Recruit,” a reboot with Chris Pine as Ryan. It fizzles. It chases
9/11. It casts Russians as villains in a move politely called nostalgic. It starts strong: Young Ryan is wounded in Afghanistan, but his rehab
spirit captures him a gal (Keira Knightly) and a secret boss (Kevin Costner)
who hires Ryan for his vibe on tracking bad money. But fizzles. I’ll skip plot, because
when the climax hits, Ryan –- injured 10 years on -– is popping
motorcycles like Knievel and punches like Bourne. Baffling. Did a reel get lost? Kenneth Branagh is director and bad guy, going full Hollywood.
A missed idea screams loud: Why not recast Ryan with Knightly -- oddly cast as distressed damsel -- as female Ryan? Clancy might have been a right-wing blowhard, but he knew cool women. Disappointing. (But better than that Affleck crap.) C+
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