The lack of plausibility only adds to the charm of this entertaining film, writes Christine Powley.
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner, Nonso Anozie, Lenn Kudrjawizki
Rating: (M)
3 stars out of 5
Sometimes cinema is just about being entertaining. Occasionally you want to see brave noble Americans battle nasty wicked Russians and lack of plot plausibility only adds to the charm.
There is a cocooning pleasure in watching a film in which the CIA knows what it is doing and America is unequivocally right.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is directed by a British actor, filmed in London and half the stars are British, but that is just about cost minimising. At its core it is as all-American as apple pie. Doctoral student Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) watches the Twin Towers collapse and immediately joins the Marines.
He is badly injured and following rehabilitation is recruited by the CIA to track terrorists' financial transactions. As a back story it is all perfectly credible and then we jump off into Hollywoodland. One idle day in the office Jack notices that a Russian company is undertaking unconventional trading decisions with the American dollar.
Next thing, the desk jockey is flying into Moscow and a whole heap of trouble. It is just as well Jack kept up his exercise routine because he quickly is fighting for his life. If suddenly becoming an operational agent in the Russian capital is not stressful enough, his fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley) decides to fly in and join him as a super special surprise.
Best thing: As a spy thriller it lacks any originality but, still, it keeps your interest.
Worst thing: I guess Branagh hired himself because he could get himself for a good price but it is a serious miscasting.
See it with: Your mind wiped clean of any memories of previous Jack Ryans, Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck.
