Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War Review

In Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War, Jack Ryan is reluctantly thrust back into the world of espionage when an international covert mission unravels a deadly conspiracy, forcing him to confront a rogue black-ops unit, and the clock is ticking. Operating in real time with lives on the line and the threat escalating at every turn, Jack reunites with battle-tested CIA operative Mike November and former CIA boss James Greer, their combined experience the only edge they have against an enemy who knows their every move. 

Backed by an unlikely new partner—razor-sharp MI6 officer Emma Marlowe (Sienna Miller)—Jack and the team navigate a treacherous web of betrayal, facing a past they thought was long put to rest – making this the most personal, high-stakes mission any of them has ever faced. Prime Video provided CGMagazine the wonderful opportunity to check this one out early, and it was intriguing to learn how many people could be jumping into this film without the series context. So, do you really need to watch the series to enjoy this film? 

Without a doubt, this film hinged on the foundation of its legacy actors: John Krasinski (A Quiet Place), Wendell Pierce (Superman), and Michael Kelly. Their characters wouldn’t work if the CIA trio’s chemistry looked off. Fortunately, this was not the case. This film does not waste time keeping these three apart, making their reunion feel a little too gratuitous for series viewers. For someone who jumps into this movie first, they will not understand the subtext of the dialogue references, but it is not necessary to understand what is happening in this movie. 

The most meaningful character insight we get is from Greer. Pierce does a great job depicting an ex-black ops soldier whose PTSD is finally catching up to him. When I asked myself who this film was for, it was a smart way to develop Greer’s character further. I found this movie leaned heavily on his backstory and his ghosts, but the world’s story progression was unnecessary. A certain situation pushes Greer to his breaking point, but it felt like a cop-out outcome with little buildup. 

Speaking of the buildup, the big villain of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War was Max Beesley as Liam Crown (The Gentlemen). The three-steps-ahead villain has been overdone at this point, with very few feeling unique these days. Crown was just another scripted version of this. Ultimately, did not feel like he was menacing enough to prove he was always three steps ahead. I felt like the villain wins in this movie were limited by the tight runtime. 

“The biggest thrill in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War is the two of its action sequences in Dubai and London.”

Most notably in this film, we meet a new character: Marlowe. Miller’s Marlowe worked for what she is—a classic lone wolf who thinks she works better alone. The only issue was how we learn very little about who she is, which is another runtime problem. Essentially, the character-building for the new characters was heavily lacking. As Jack’s love interest, I would have been more emotionally invested had I seen Marlowe go through a well-rounded story arc. The fact that I cannot say much about Betty Gabriel’s strong performance in the series, and how it is missing from this film, explains a lot about the poorly executed character development in this film.

From New York City to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Jack Ryan’s travels around the globe felt as natural as the show. Other action movies like Mission: Impossible– Ghost Protocol and Furious 7 spotlighted Dubai’s magnificent skyscrapers, but Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War showed more of the night market society. This was a visually-smart set piece, using the natural street market lighting to colour-grade the film scenes. 

Washed-out colour grading has been seen spreading across modern films, so seeing the bright colours in this film popped. Choosing this specific location was an intelligent choice by the director or cinematographer: a naturally colourful place with neon lights readily available. 

The biggest thrill in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War is the two of its action sequences in Dubai and London. From Old Naval College, Parliament Square, Whitehall, the Cenotaph, to Ludgate Hill at St. Paul’s Cathedral, this car chase was well-executed. This whole choreographed chase scene felt like something the show’s budget would not be able to accomplish because of how grand a scale this chase appeared. 

In terms of score and sound, the film played the show’s theme once. Then, it was generic action-suspense movie instrumentals for the rest of the movie. This was nothing new from Krasinski’s Ryanverse, as the deep techno bass notes and fast violins are enough to make the stakes feel ratcheted up for the viewer. I appreciated that this film did not cheapen the series’ score by adding any needle drops, but it did not add anything musically new. 

As a longtime watcher of the series, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War felt way too rushed to tell a meaningful sequel story—relying a little too much on nostalgia. The film format tried to capture the same magic as the series format, but lost many of its character strengths by not giving the new characters time to develop. The big action set pieces were this movie’s biggest saving grace. For those new to this world, this film is a good action flick—but longtime fans may be disappointed with the lack of strong character elements that made the show thrive.