Film Critic Joe Viglione is Back in the Saddle to discuss handsome John Krasinski’s film to nowhere. Relentless flying of bullets in place of Zero Script and Mundane Acting! Review also on Joe’s Substack: https://joeviglione.substack.com/p/jack-ryans-mission-is-impossible

Jack Ryan: Ghost War seems like a watered-down Mission Impossible movie, and who needs that?

15 years ago Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – a 2011 American action spy film directed by Brad Bird (in his live-action directorial debut) -came and went, and made almost 700 million worldwide in the process. Say what you will about the thespian abilities of Tom Cruise, Mr. T.C. is an excellent craftsman when it comes to filming behind the scenes.
But oh my God, this movie starts slowly and fizzles quickly after that. Where Tom Clancy’s novels made for interesting moments in the Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, there is nothing to take away with this addition to the Jack Ryan catalog except for a chainsaw of violent shooting here, there and everywhere. While the first three motion pictures in the series all had their compelling segments, four actors playing the role over 5 films from 1990 to 2014, there is no magic moment here: Alec Baldwin facing off against Sean Connery in Red October, Harrison Ford confronting Ernesto Escobedo (Villain): Portrayed by Miguel Sandoval …these great moments in film rise the entertainment from mediocrity to something very special…
Add Tom Clancy’s name still listed atop the books that he did not write, and posted as Executive Producer here, even though he died October 1, 2013, we should all be so lucky.
Wendell Pierce was Perry White in Superman once upon a time, and sounds like the poor man’s James Earl Jones whose James Greer was killed off in Clear and Present Danger. Call in the Star Trek Kelvin timeline ! Andrew Bernstein directed this mess with hearthrob Krasinski co-writing (screenplay and story) and co-producing. IMDB has the quite lengthy credits https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34378301/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cst_sm so at least tons of people got paid but, really, a Mission Impossible re-run has better traction.
Krasinski played Reed Richards in the 2022 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a quite successful film, Krasiniski and Pierce in popular comic book movies, one would think they would both have a clue. But where Ben Affleck, like Cruise, is a much better filmmaker than actor (Affleck was in the fourth Jack Ryan movie – 2002’s The Sum of All Fears, which I have no desire to watch because of Affleck’s horrifying attempt at playing the Batman, another comic book movie) – shame on filmmakers for caving in to a person’s fame instead of focusing on making a great entertainment vehicle.
As stated, bullets fly inappropriately in this slugfest, just gun sounds everywhere creating a hard to follow, messy and boring entry into this film series. Wikipedia noting: Clancy was a conservative and Republican, and dedicated several of his books to American conservative political figures, including Ronald Reagan. Clancy supported the National Rifle Association and opposed abortion” So there you have it, if you want to watch what looks like more bullets than a James Cameron Terminator movie minus a script that makes sense, the powers that be offer you this cluttered and desperate exercise in futility.
Amazon news notes: The film stars John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, and Michael Kelly from the original Prime Video series, alongside a new character played by Sienna Miller. https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/watch-jack-ryan-prime-video