”I will always have faith in the light. Faith in the men and women who hold the spears, the ones who are brave enough to poke holes in the dark. Tip of the spear. His name is Jack Ryan. And it's my recommendation, Mr. President, that he serves as my deputy director.” ~ James Greer
Earlier this year, I delved into Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series and binged all four seasons. It was a good and entertaining experience for me because of my love for intriguing political action thrillers. The cast is perfect, especially John Krasinski and Wendell Pierce. The storytelling is brilliant and all four seasons (season 3 is my favourite) kept me on the edge of my seat. So once I knew the movie was out, I streamed it.
This movie feels like a reunion, continuing the story from where the show stopped. It brings back John Krasinski as Jack Ryan alongside other lead characters from the series. I realise that there are some characters in action thrillers who seem unable to retire from danger no matter how hard they try. Jack Ryan is one of them. Give him a quiet job or place him far away from conspiracies and somehow trouble will still find his address.
Written by Aaron Rabin and John Krasinski, and directed by Andrew Bernstein, Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) is the sixth film and third reboot in the Jack Ryan series. It picks up after the events of the four season series with Jack (John Krasinski) attempting to live as a civilian outside the world of intelligence and covert operations. This lifestyle doesn't last long when two black sedans stalk him. He is forced into one of them and sees it's his former boss from when he worked for the CIA, James Greer (Wendell Pierce), now the deputy CIA director.
Ryan is told that an international mission has gone badly wrong leading to the death of two operatives. He is immediately drawn back into a dangerous conspiracy involving a rogue black-ops operation alongside his former security contractor, Mike November (Michael Kelly). Greer sends them both to retrieve a sensitive package from a friend in Dubai.
They meet Nigel in Dubai and see he is in distress. In agitation, Nigel reveals to Jack that it is Greer who needs help and not him. Before he can say more, he is shot dead. Ryan and Mike pursue after the killer but fail to catch him because MI6 agent, Emma Marlow (Sienna Miller), takes them into custody. What seems to be a straightforward assignment turns into a complicated situation forcing them through a web of secrets, old enemies, unanswered questions and divided loyalties. What is contained in this sensitive package? Will Jack Ryan succeed on this mission?
My Review And Rating
No doubt, I enjoyed this movie but I expected something different and more. It carries the energy and personality of the series and felt like another episode rather than a film. It's fast-paced and leans more heavily into action. There are chases, gunfights, confrontations and the usual travelling around the world.
I love that this film doesn't waste time but moves quickly. But it feels like the filmmakers packed into the 105 running time and this creates one of its flaws. Some ideas and relationships would have benefited from more attention and development. Also, the storyline of this movie has the potential of being a masterpiece and an unforgettable addition to the franchise. But the plot is weak and poorly written in my opinion. I'm not sure but I think if Krasinski had solely written the script, the movie could have been better considering he wrote the spectacular film, A Quiet Place and the sequels.
The return of the cast is another strong point of this movie. John Krasinski remains a good fit for the role of Jack Ryan. He's intelligent and interesting, a character whose brain frequently gets him into trouble and whose determination gets him out. Kelly's Mike November returns bringing his usual experience and steady presence to the mission while Pierce’s James Greer once again becomes an important part of Jack's world.
He brings authority and emotional weight to this story. Their relationship and humour have always been one of the strongest parts of the series and this movie.
Sienna Miller played the role of MI6 agent, Emma Marlow, convincingly but this movie doesn't explore her relationship with Ryan. I think she's supposed to be his love interest but there is no chemistry between them and that made me unhappy.
The visuals and scene arrangements are cool and the action sequences are well executed except the scene at the end where the villain standing close to Ryan is taken out by multiple shots from the gun attached to a helicopter. How Ryan is left unscathed is a mystery that leaves viewers in the dark. I was unimpressed by this amateurish move.
Despite the flaws I mentioned, I enjoyed the experience of returning to Jack Ryan's world and viewers who watched all four seasons will feel the same. This film was developed as a continuation of the series rather than a completely separate version of the character.
Rating this movie, I'd give it 6.5 out of 10 stars. The acting and action are solid, and the suspense welcomed me back into Ryan's world of intelligence, loyalty and international danger.
All images above are screenshots from the movie
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Rating: 65/100
