Without Remorse (2021)
"I'll show them what a pawn can do to a king..."
Stefano Sollima's delayed new thriller finally arrives, and after being initially disappointed in the lack of a cinema release, it turns out that it was perfectly suited for streaming. In terms of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan character, the movie adaptations have been a little hit or miss, but I was hoping this new thriller would be part of a shared 'Ryanverse' with John Krasinski's latest incarnation (it isn't as far as I can see). I haven't read Tom Clancy's novel which this is based on, so regardless of how faithful this is or isn't, I can only review it in terms of a movie.
It's begins with a grim setup as Navy Seal John Kelly is set of a path of vengeance following the murder of his pregnant wife, and uncovers an international conspiracy...
Michael B Jordan's rise to mega stardom continues with his portrayal of new action hero John Kelly. Jordan is certainly a fine actor, having delivered some terrific work in Creed, Black Panther and Fruitvale station in particular. He very much makes Kelly his own thing, and his physicality alone looks the part. I've enjoyed the previous screen version of him in Clear And Present Danger (but as John Clark, not Kelly)when Willem Dafoe brought his complicated character to life, but Leiv Schreiber in The Sum Of All Fears was very forgettable. There's no danger of that with Jordan's version, as his battle hardened, tortured soul takes centre stage. His presence elevates things when it threatens to veer dangerously close to being a little too generic. There's a decent enough cast attached to this too, with the likes of Jamie Bell (rocking a US accent)and Guy Pearce as suits who's allegiance always feel as if they could go either way...Jodi Turner-Smith also impresses as a military ally of Jordan's.
The plot doesn't waste any time, particularly with it's taut first act, and moves swiftly forward to where it unfortunately stalls a little in the finale. In terms of the combat sequences, a lot reminded me of recent Netflix effort Extraction (no bad thing), and there's some impressive set pieces among the more standard shootouts, including an ambitious water based one that must have blown the budget. Shades of Mission Impossible with that, but definitely more of Bourne retread overall if we're making comparisons. There's also what must rate as a cinematic first in terms of an interrogation...
There's much talk of a 'fourth man' which had me chuckling as that very scenario builds to a crescendo in Sunday's Line Of Duty finale.
Sollima's last film as director was the Sicario sequel, and unfortunately the end result here is similar - never less than entertaining, but not quite enough meat on it's bones. The screenplay was little too predictable in parts too, but I could live with it - just. I'm surprised to see the mighty Taylor Sheridan's moniker attached to this though.
Amazon's HDR is pretty good on this, and whilst it's not reference quality, it's still worth mentioning.
I'd happily see Jordan return in another instalment (and there's a franchise baiting post credits scene for Tom Clancy fans), but that'll likely not happen anytime soon as he's set for a third turn as Adonis Creed, and a new take on the Man Of Steel...
7/10