Without Plot

Many will be aware I'm a big Tom Clancy fan. I've read all his original Jack Ryan novels and a fair number of the posthumously written continuations featuring Jack Jr.

Film adaptations such as The Sum of all Fears and The Hunt for Red October have been fairly pleasing over the years. They've stuck to the plot pretty well and given a good account of the major characters motivations. Obviously you can't do in 90 to 120 minutes what several hundred pages of text might. Amazon have even made a really good attempt with two series (I'm sorry I am not American and won't say season) based around the early years of Jack Ryan. Both series borrow heavily from the source material, while taking a couple of acceptable leaps into the here and now. Fans can still spot without effort the origin stories and certainly won't be offended by any creative liberties the production team have taken.

Now we move to the latest offering, Tom Clancy's Without Remorse starring Michael B Jordan as John Kelly/John Clark, one of the major characters in the so-called Ryanverse. Without Remorse was written by Clancy as a prequel story to flesh out and create a back story of the former Navy SEAL, who acts as the undercover action man in several novels. It's a big book with a heck of a lot going on so it doesn't come as a surprise it had to be trimmed to fit the restrictions of the big screen (although in the end it has been released to streaming services). 

The trouble is, in an effort to no doubt tell one uncomplicated narrative, the writers have moved completely away from the source, to tell their own story. A very simple something happens at the start, there are repercussions and our hero is spurred into action. In the final section a not very surprising twist is revealed and resolved. Queue waving the American flag with some rousing music.  Save the names of a few characters, this film has little in common with Clancy's novel.

Don't get me wrong I have nothing against a black actor (Jordan) being cast in the role described by Clancy as being of European decent. In fact in his earlier novels, Clancy challenges preconceived ideas of race and social standing to great effect- in the book Patriot Games (also a great film adaptation) Ryan's best friend Robbie Jackson is assumed (by Irish terrorists) to be the butler and is therefore overlooked and not thought to be a threat. This proved to be far from the truth and the terrorists ultimate downfall. 

Jordan does a great job as an action hero. Not only that, in the quieter moments, he conveys effectively his characters emotions and motivations.

The issue with this film is trying to legitimise a so-so story by attaching the original author's name to it and trying to pass it off as being a genuine part of the Clancy narrative; when it clearly isn't even the poor cousin visiting from the other side of town.