Energetic and action packed
Summary
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War isn’t a patch on the television series, however there are some enjoyable action set-pieces and one-liners to make it worth checking out.
Plot: In this new film, Jack Ryan is reluctantly pulled back into espionage when an international covert mission unravels a deadly conspiracy. Racing against time, he joins CIA allies Mike November and James Greer and sharp MI6 officer Emma Marlowe to battle a rogue black-ops unit in a high-stakes, deeply personal fight.
Review: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War hasn’t been getting amazing reviews which is a shame as I really enjoyed the TV series starring John Krasinski. He returns for this one-off movie which he also co-wrote with questionable results.
I do agree with critics who say that it’s all rather slight and isn’t an especially sophisticated or memorable story, but it’s decent enough and the highlight here is the action. It’s some of the best of Krasinski’s tenure as Ryan with real explosions, some brief fights, and spectacular shoot-outs. The finale with the helicopter is a particular standout.
The script has some witty banter especially from Mike November (Michael Kelly) who has all the best lines and was always one of my favourite characters on the series. I like Krasinski as Ryan he does capture the boy scout nature of the character and yet he is a little bland here. Max Beesley is suitably hateful as the villain Liam Crown and I like his history with Greer (Wendell Pierce) who may have some skeletons in his closet.
It all feels a little rushed however, at just under an hour and 45 minutes Ghost War is very well paced with action every few minutes.
Overall, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War isn’t quite as good as the television series, but as a standard action picture it delivers the goods with some enjoyable set-pieces and a fun villain.