A quarter of the way into
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit's
far-too-long runtime, the titular hero takes note of a war-time portait
in his adversary Viktor Cherevin's office. "Napoleon," Ryan says,
proudly identifying the subject of the painting. "Ah," the nefarious
Cherevin smiles. "I see you know your history." You'd think we'd get a
bit more academic sophistication in a film directed by
Kenneth Branagh... hell, in a
line delivered by Kenneth Branagh. But this is par for the course in
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit's
script. And even more problematic, it's the thing that sticks with me
most only a few days after seeing the movie. Well, that and the fact
that
Chris Pine and
Keira Knightley
make for the most compatibly attractive onscreen couple I have ever
seen. Aside from these standout elements, the film dissolves into a
105-minute (jeez, it feels twice that) blur of running, driving,
choking, shooting, and the like.
