For Christmas I was given the Jack Ryan movie boxset, and with the third season of the show starring John Krasinski now available on Amazon Prime, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit the franchise. Despite having been constantly rebooted and recast, the series has consistently produced tense and exciting action/thrillers... mostly. Four out of five ain't bad!
The Hunt for Red October
The first of the Jack Ryan movies has all the intrigue of a spy thriller, and all of the tension of a submarine movie, making it the perfect movie to kick off the franchise. Set at a time when Cold War hostilities were on the rise, we are drawn into this high-stakes battle of wills between the Soviet Union, the United States, and a lone submarine captain. Excellent performances and some clever cinematography give the movie a real sense of claustrophobia, allowing director John McTiernan to slowly ratchet up the tension, as Ryan struggles to make contact with the Red October and avoid an all out war. But as the Atlantic ocean becomes a powder keg, it's the much anticipated meeting of Sean Connery's Captain Ramius and Alec Baldwin's Jack Ryan that proves most exciting. Baldwin does a great job of introducing us to the young CIA analyst, with a performance that avoids the action hero clichés, playing instead to his intelligence and analytical mind. All throughout he actually looks like the boy scout Ryan is known to be.
Patriot Games
Harrison Ford takes over the role as an older Jack Ryan foils an assassination attempt by the IRA whilst on holiday in England. Ford does well taking over from Baldwin, he brings all the traits that Ryan is known for, only slightly jaded. At times he even brings a rawness to the analyst. What Philip Noyce proves with Patriot Games - and Clear and Present Danger - is that you don't always need a potential global catastrophe to make an engaging thriller. In fact, the real selling point here is the rather more personal nature of the story. One in which we are able to connect with Jack and his family. Anne Archer and Thora Birch make welcome additions as Ryan's wife and daughter. Whereas with The Hunt for Red October we root for Jack, Patriot Games takes it further, bringing a degree of empathy to the relationship. Even the villain has a degree of relatability to him, thanks to Sean Bean's performance. Miller may be a killer, and a man twisted by a desire for revenge - which can at times make him a little 'one note' - but we can at least understand how he has allowed himself to be blinded by his hatred of Ryan.
Clear and Present Danger
Ford becomes the only actor - apart from John Krasinski - to play the CIA analyst more than once. Clear and Present Danger is arguably the better of Ford's two movies, with Ryan's boy scout nature becoming his greatest asset. As he takes on the war on drugs, Ryan must also face one of his greatest fears; a role in upper management. There's a comical 'fish out of water' feel to Ford's performance, as Ryan is forced to play politics, and yet it remains painfully clear throughout how dangerous Ryan's new position can be. At times it's actually hard to tell if it's safer working with those in the US government, or the cartel leaders whose empire they're trying to dismantle. Strangely enough this adds a degree of realism and believability to the story, as Ryan's strong moral code conflicts with the way things are done in Washington.
It's impressive how much this franchise is able to re-invent itself. We've gone from a submarine warfare/spy thriller, to a revenge thriller, and now a political thriller, each one as different as it is exciting. And yet it always manages to maintain a sense of familiarity.
The Sum of All Fears
In an attempt to reboot the franchise, Ben Affleck is brought in to play a younger Jack Ryan. He may still have his strong moral code, keen analytical mind and the confidence to speak out in defence of his theories, but a lack of experience puts an interesting new spin on the character, something Affleck plays very well. He brings a kind of innocence to Ryan, possibly even a little naivety. Either way, you can tell he's a little out of his depth. Which makes it all the more interesting to watch him try to navigate this global crisis. That said, there are times when things feel a little convenient - the bad guys happen to find a bomb that suits their needs just as a new president is taking over in Moscow. But the fluctuations in Russia, and America's untested - or total lack of a - relationship with the new president (Ciarán Hinds is fantastic as the troubled Russian leader) does add some good chaos to the turmoil. Much like The Hunt for Red October, The Sum of All Fears is a brilliantly chaotic race against time. In fact, it's a real shame that Affleck didn't get to play Ryan more than once, because he did a great job with the role, and it would have been interesting to see his version of the character develop in subsequent outings.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Which brings us to yet another attempt by Paramount to reboot the franchise. It's also the first movie in the series that's not based on one of Tom Clancy's books, which certainly explains that title! But that might also be the reason that Shadow Recruit feels a little lacking in some respect. It's a mildly interesting action/drama, one that at times feels closer to True Lies than Jack Ryan. There are some good action scenes, and the cast work well together, but the plot lacks any real sense of tension or intrigue. It just never really grabs you enough to qualify as a thriller. This fact alone easily puts Shadow Recruit a rung or two below the other Jack Ryan movies.
On the bright side, however, the result of Shadow Recruit's failure is the Amazon Prime show starring John Krasinski and Wendell Pierce... so, silver linings.
There is one thing that sets Jack Ryan apart from other movie franchises. Unlike similar franchises, such as James Bond, my preferences in terms of actor and movie do not align. With Bond you tend to find that a person's favourite movie stars their favourite actor. I favour the later years , those featuring Dalton, Brosnan and Craig. My favourite Bond movie is Tomorrow Never Dies. Skyfall, Casino Royale, Goldeneye and The Living Daylights also rank very highly. But with Jack Ryan things look very different:
- The Hunt for Red October
- Clear and Present Danger
- The Sum of All Fears
- Patriot Games
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
- Harrison Ford
- Alec Baldwin
- Ben Affleck
- Chris Pine
I'm sure it will come as no surprise that The Hunt for Red October is my favourite movie, or that Harrison Ford is my favourite actor to have played Jack Ryan. That second list seems a little insignificant, given that all the actors prove themselves worthy of playing the role, some just get better movies than others. However, Ford is the actor I most associate with Ryan. As I mentioned before, Patriot Games enables us to connect with Jack in a way that the other movies simply don't. Could this be the reason? Ford also benefits from the casting of Anne Archer and Thora Birch, who are the only actors given the chance to do something significant as Ryan's wife and daughter - although I'm sure the other actors would have done a good job, given the opportunity.
Like I said, four out of five ain't bad! All in all, Tom Clancy's fictional CIA analyst has transitioned from page to screen rather well. He's not done badly on the small screen either, with the show's third season proving to be in some way relevant to the current political climate in Europe, as well as highly entertaining.
What are your thoughts on both the Jack Ryan movies and the Amazon Prime show? Do you have a favourite movie and/or actor? Leave a comment below or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email us at moviemoustache@gmail.com.
Comments
Post a Comment