That was an excellent one.

A Brilliant Conflict

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

OK, maybe that's a little harsh. Chris Pine for one is a good, sympatico lead, but he's struggling against a rip tide in this formulaic reboot of an American Cold War wet dream. A chill went down my spine when Scots character actor (and a very good one, too), David Hayman, appeared as a Russian apparatchik. I know, a Scots accent is virtually indistinguishable from a Russian (I mean, it's all the same that side of the Atlantic, isn't it?), but it's not a good sign when the cliche of USA goodies vs Rest of the World baddies appears again. I thought we'd got past that naive world view with the Dubya era. Evidently not. The plot? Well, it has been done before, and better. Kenneth Branagh does his sinister thing, but it's one dimensional. If you want to see what he can really do with a script, have a look at his turn as Heydrich in "Conspiracy". Now, that is a very good rendition of evil as normality. So, what do we have here? Fodder to watch when you're chugging a six pack and a takeaway. If the dog starts howling outside, put the pic on hold and sort it out. Or don't put it on hold; I guarantee you'll pick up the story without difficulty when you get back.

This film tells the story of a economics university student, who is recruited by the CIA to fight against financial crime. He quickly stumbles upon a series of mysterious accounts when he is working undercover in a financial company, thereby uncovering a terrorism plot."Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" tells an thrilling story about a man having to face a Russian crook who have masterminded an elaborate terrorist plot. Though he has much support from his team, there are many occasions where danger is real and imminent. It delivers thrills and excitement, and the stylish office in Russia is pleasing to look at too. I enjoyed watching this film.

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I have no idea how this compares to the books, because I've never read them. Judging the movie alone, it was, in my opinion, reasonably intense, decently acted and did not bore me even though there is a lot of technical talk going on with a plot of Wall Street stuff and terrorism driving the narrative. In this kind of movie, not being boring turns out to be a major quality. The action scenes feel like the direction could be better, though. My favourite part about this action movie might be the non-action scenes: Keira Knightley is as good as usual and makes a nice couple with Pine. All in all, I had a good time, so I see no reason to rate it less than a solid 8.