Film review: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

A pleasant enough popcorn thriller, with much potential for a franchise given the talent of the star.

Chris Pine in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Courtesy Paramount Pictures / AP Photo

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Director: Kenneth Branagh Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh

*** ⋆⋆⋆

Pine becomes Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan in this action-thriller, where the young Ryan must stop a Russian businessman (Branagh) with plans to destroy the US economy. While never feeling as stale as the last Jack Ryan adventure (2002's The Sum of All Fears), the film feels like a lot of modern studio output. Slick, star-studded and with enough politics to appear legitimate, but not enough to be too topical. Pine is an engaging lead, Costner, as Ryan's mentor, spends a lot of the film staring menacingly and Branagh's imposing presence is tarnished by an off-putting Russian accent. This is a pleasant enough popcorn thriller with much potential for a franchise, given Pine's talent.