The Mister and I were sitting down to a long winter's night of television. We currently have a show that we both like okay enough to watch together. We love watching TV together but rarely can agree on a show being as I have taste and he... So, when we find a show that we both like enough to watch it is date night every night.
I had command of the remote and as I was flipping through Netflix I saw Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. The Mr. likes Jack Ryan,because, Harrison Ford, and I like spies or anything spy adjacent, as you know. Then I saw who was playing Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Chris Pine, otherwise known as Captain Kirk 90210.
"Chris Pine," I say with interest, "I'm just gonna put that on my list." *boop*
The Mr. laughs. He knows how I feel about Captain Kirk, both versions.
About a week or so later The Mr. says he would like to watch Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. We are watching and the movie starts out SLOW, really slow. There is an attack on a helicopter that our hero Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is riding in, he saves people, he is nearly paralyzed, we don't care because this movie is so slow.
Then he goes to rehab.
His PT is none other than Keira Knightly. You may remember how I feel about her, if you don't see this post. I am ticked. Here I settle down for a nice spy movie and it is boring already and then Keira Knightly. I am banging on about how much I can't stand her and I look down at my knitting and The Mr. laughs. He laughs hard.
"What?"
"Did you see who that was?"
I look up the camera cuts to Kevin Costner. Are you kidding me? You may remember how I feel about him, if you don't see this post (same post!)
At this point I really don't know which way things are going to go I could really hate this movie or it might be OK, but, I have never heard of it so maybe it was bad and went straight to Netflix? Should I cut my losses now? I am really into knitting this blanket right now and I don't want to stop to change the show so we keep on.
This is when we learn that Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is not only a war hero but also a super economics genius. The CIA wants him to be a financial analyst for them. Undercover.
This is also where Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit asks his physical therapist out to dinner. Predictable. She says no, she says goodbye. Does she say goodbye forever? Alas, no, it's Keira Knightly, you know she is in this movie for the long haul.
Fast forward, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit now works for a big fancy bank as a super smart financial something but really he is just reading super hot financial something. He also collects information for the CIA and gives it to them in manila folders. This is ostensibly 2005-ish and he is giving them paper files.
Then Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit then goes home to his....girlfriend Keira Knightly, now a super smart doctor. Surprise! They have an argument that is obviously the one that they keep having over and over, he wants her to marry him and she thinks he is having an affair, yadda, yadda, yadda. They are SO meant to be together!
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit has to go to Russia to get more information and someone tries to kill him as soon as he arrives. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit then drowns this persons who is 3 times his size in the bathtub. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is no longer a Shadow Recruit he is now active!
Finally, the movie starts.
Despite the inauspicious beginning I didn't mind this movie.
While I didn't buy Chris Pine as a super spy I did buy him as a Shadow Recruit, pretty tough but way out of his league and a little scared.
There were three things that I loved about this movie. They are, in order: Kenneth Branagh, Russian Bad Guys, The Wall.
I was pretty scared when they showed the villan but were slow to reveal his face that it was actually going to be John Malkovich, mercifully it was Kenneth Branagh.
I don't know why but I really like Kenneth Branagh. I loved Wallander but I was very aware the whole time that I was watching Wallander for Kenneth Branagh. Just as I dislike some actors and actresses I like Kenneth Branagh, and I always wonder why he and Emma Thompson couldn't work things out.
Kenneth Branagh must agree with me because he was also the director and while there are some good screen shots with Chris Pine in them, all the good ones star Branagh,
The main part of this film happens in Russia and you know how I feel about Russian Bad Guys, they are second only to East German Bad Guys.
And this set.
Ultimately this movie was OK, not awful, huge plot holes, predictable but enjoyable enough. Jack Ryan saves America and all is right with the world. 3.5 out of 7 thimbles.
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