Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruite

I am always skeptical when you follow a classic set of movies such as Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger with sequels.  Ben Affleck's Ryan was far too different and lacked the edge and emotion that Harrison Ford put into the character.  I was worried about two things going into the movie: the first was that Chris Pine as Jack Ryan would come across as James T. Kirk in a business suit and some kick-butt moves. The second was the casting of Kiera Knightly, since most of her roles are essentially the same character and her portrayal of them is nearly always the same, just in a variety of period costumes.

All I can say is WOW!  That was a brilliant thriller!  Pine's performance was fantastic.  I never saw Kirk in his performance.  He somehow managed to take on some of the Ford-like qualities of the original Ryan character, while making it his own.  Gone was the cocky Kirk facade and a very human, Jack Ryan came through.  I was equally surprised at Knightly's performance.  She was much less her traditional character and the few times that it seemed like it might not work, Pine or Kenneth Branagh appeared to help save the day - and the scene.  I was also pleasantly surprised at Kevin Costner and the chemistry with Pine as his mentor.  When Branagh first came onto the scene as a Russian, I was rather skeptical as the performance seemed to start off a little rocky, but he ended up mastering the accent (a definite must), and in general, this was a great blockbuster with which to start the year.  I wish I had seen more about this when it was in the works, but it certainly didn't disappoint. 

I know that Chris Pine would never be chosen to be Bond, simply because he's American.  But this is certainly the next best venue for him.  I would highly recommend traveling to see this film at a decent theater!  It's worth the price of admission!