R | 1h 45m | Drama, Thriller | 2026
In Amazon Prime Video’s “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War,” John Krasinski reprises the role he played for four years in the TV series.
The Jack Ryan character had been previously played in movie iterations by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine. My personal favorite has always been “A Clear and Present Danger.”
Now that Jack’s back on TV, in this lazy age of squeeze-the-toothpaste-tube-dry sequels, it’s a safe bet he’ll be back on the big screen in the future too, although things aren’t exactly kicking off with a bang here.
What Goes On
Following a danger-fraught lead-up to the cliche meeting where his former boss attempts to lure him back into the fold, Ryan wonders why a simple phone call couldn’t have sufficed.
CIA bossman James Greer (Wendell Pierce) replies, “Where’s the fun in that?” The scene does double-duty as a surreptitious way to get both Jack’s and the movie audience’s juices flowing. It succeeds on neither front.
Jack’s assignment, should he choose to accept it (wait, that’s that other franchise) involves flying to Dubai, accompanied by fellow agent Mike November (Michael Kelly, a fellow series veteran). Once there, they’re to pick up a vitally important package from a former M16 operative (Douglas Hodge).
Obviously, things don’t go as planned. Jack finds himself mixed up in a conspiracy involving another former MI6 agent, Liam Crown (Max Beesley), who was previously involved with Greer in a top-secret black-ops program that was shut down.
Now Crown’s off the reservation and up to no good, and it’s Ryan’s job to stop him. Jack’s helped by tough, chainsmoking Brit agent Emma Marlow (Sienna Miller). By the time we get to the revealed plan about blowing up the Tower Bridge, the audience will most likely have long lost track of the plot because checking phones is becoming more interesting than watching movies. Collective smartphones illuminating movie theaters is fast replacing collective Bic lighters illuminating rock concerts, but for different—and sadder—reasons.
What else? Globetrotting. You’ve got a foot chase in Manhattan, a speedboat chase in Dubai, a car chase in London, and a meeting among the major players in the middle of Trafalgar Square. Because being a spy is exotic. And we know this from James Bond.
Krasinski
John Krasinski is married to mega-movie star Emily Blunt. My favorite thing he’s done was to tell the story of the British customs agent who asked him what Krasinski’s relationship was to British national treasure Blunt. When Krasinski said she was his wife, the agent looked him up and down and said, ” ….. YOU???”
Krasinski executive produced, co-wrote the screenplay, and stars. That’s a heavy workload in addition to having two kids and a movie star wife. Why bite off that much if there’s money in the budget to hire a dedicated screenplay writer?
There’s too much exposition, with the characters constantly explaining what’s happening to each other. But then, maybe this is the new and required way to write for the movies now. Maybe one has to cater thusly to viewer lack of attention due to movie-theater doomscrolling. It seems Netflix is changing movies to have more audio exposition because viewers put the movies on in the background instead of watching them attentively.
As usual, Krasinski is his affable, engaging self. He drastically altered his brand after “The Office” by getting physically ripped for his role as a Navy SEAL in the excellent war film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” (2016).
We know he’s capable of being physically convincing as an action star. However, he’s more than a little bland here, and one has to chalk it up to biting off more than he can chew. Spend the money, I say. Delegate. Don’t attempt to be a Jack Ryan of all trades.
‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War’
Director: Andrew Bernstein
Starring: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Sienna Miller, Michael Kelly
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Release Date: May 20, 2026
Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of 5
Would you like to see other kinds of arts and culture articles? Please email us your story ideas or feedback at features@epochtimes.nyc
