Two Jews on Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) the character created by novelist Tom Clancy, is back… Yes folks, you’ve seen him before…

First our super spy was played by Alec Baldwin (‘Hunt For Red October’)… Almost forgot about this one…

Then there was my favorite Jack Ryan, Harrison Ford (‘Patriot Games’ and ‘Clear and Present Danger’) followed by my no-so-favorite, Ben Affleck (Sum Of All Our Fears’)
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In ‘Shadow Recruit’ directed by Kenneth Branagh and written by David Koep and Adam Cozad, we meet Ryan at the beginning of his career. .It’s September 11th… Ryan, a student at the London School of Economics, watches the destruction of the Towers on television… This is the day that everything changed for him.

The next time we see him, Ryan is a Lieutenant in the Marines, sitting inside a helicopter, joking with two privates, on his way to Afghanistan… The chopper is hit and even though Ryan, sustaines grave injuries, manages to save his fellow soldiers and is declared a hero.

Jack winds up at Walter Reed hospital, where in between intense physical therapy, he meets and falls in love with his future wife, Dr. Cathy Muller (Keira Knightly)…

But it’s his encounter with CIA agent Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) that sets his life in a totally different direction.

Jack is recruited by the CIA, to do undercover work on Wall Street, in order to spot any weird financial transactions that might be connected to terrorists… And guess what folks? That’s exactly what happens..

Ryan discovers that Victor Cherevin (Kenneth Branaugh) a very pissed off Russian, is trying to destroy the US economy, which includes a terrorist attack on our soil.

This leads Ryan to Moscow and that’s where, all the fun starts… Meaning, this is where the film grabbed my attention and pretty much held it till the credits rolled.

Yes, the film has a generic quality… You’ve seen it before and will definitely see it again, but if you’re in the mood for an entertaining spy thriller, then this is the movie for you.

The two standouts for me were Keira Knightley, doing an excellent American accent and Kevin Costner, who created a very interesting, well layerd character.

I gave ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ which opens in theatres, Friday January 17, 2014, 3 1/2 bagels out of 5.

Check out our video for more of my thoughts and how I think John would rate this film.

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Joan and John Schwartz

Joan and John Schwartz are ex New Yorkers, living in Los Angeles. They are married and see a lot of films. They usually disagree but always tell it like it is. John is most famous for creating the cult classic films Faces of Death. He has also written for various prime time series and has written movies for both Showtime and HBO. In the world of reality television John has produced, written and directed over 450 segments for various magazine shows He has also written and Executive Produced several Prime-Time Specials. Joan has appeared on the New York Stage on and off Broadway…and has been in several Los Angeles theater productions as well.. Joan has been in several low budget films and at present she is busy writing screenplays with her husband, John.

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