Oscar Nominated Short Films SHORT FILMS UP FOR A BIG AWARD Kill Bill EPIC TARANTINO FIGHT SCENES Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman A LANDMARK SUPERHEROINE FILM REVIEW Review: Charismatic Chris Pine Deserves Better Than the Dull Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit:- Charismatic Chris Pine Deserves Better Than the Dull Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit BY: MICHAEL ARBEITER JAN 17, 2014 | 11:38AM EST Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on google_plusone_shareShare on stumbleuponShare on emailMore Sharing Services 1 JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT, (aka JACK RYAN: SHADOW ONE), Chris Pine, 2013. ph: Larry Horricks/Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection Paramount Via Everett Collection A quarter of the way into Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruits far-too-long runtime, the titular hero takes note of a war-time portait in his adversary Viktor Cherevins office. Napoleon, Ryan says, proudly identifying the subject of the painting. Ah, the nefarious Cherevin smiles. I see you know your history. Youd think wed 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 Recruits script. And even more problematic, its 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. But its not a painful jaunt all the while, and this is thanks almost entirely to Pine. An actor who we remember popping up in early Lindsay Lohan movies and thinking little of, Pine has earned his place at the center of franchises like Star Trek and, this weekends box office intake permitting, Jack Ryan. He maintains character and personality in the movies heightened scenes of the first kill and pulling the long con on Cherevin. With a better, smarter script, Pine could thrive in an action hero role like Ryan, but here hes only left to occasionally cut through a staunch layer of boredom. The other winning factor of Jack Ryan is in its female lead: Knightley and her character Dr. Cathy Mullins. Another pervasive charmer, Knightley manages to inject a wealth of vitality into the movie at the points most desperate for some flavor — so much so that were not simply thrilled, but relieved when she shows up unexpectedly to tag along with boyfriend Jack on his mission to... to... well, its something to do with stopping terrorism. Trust me, youll forget the specifics as soon as you leave the theater, if not sooner. But the most impressive part is that Shadow Recruit actually gives Knightley something to do as Mullins. She doesnt just wait around and lament the life choices of her danger-prone boyfriend, she gets in on the action. And were glad for it. Without her, itd just be Pine. And as much as we like him, he needs somebody else with a personality to play off (sorry, Kevin Costner, but youre not exactly playing your A Game here).
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 23:48:18 +0000
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