Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

As dull as the name

                                                        "Maximum thrusters, Mr. Sulu!"

DIRECTOR: Kenneth Branagh

CAST: James T. Kirk, Decoy Queen, Superman's adopted dad, and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart...

PLOT: Based on the character by the late Tom Clancy, this reboot serves as an origins story for Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) - a marine turned analyst turned CIA agent who has to stop a Russian from destroying the US economy.


Jack Ryan is a fairy successful series, and this, the fifth film to be based on the character, is the fifth box office success, yet again grossing more money than what it costs. It certainly holds a strong fan base due to being a character from the late Tom Clancy, an icon when it comes to spy thriller literature. No mean feat at all considering this is the second successive Jack Ryan film to be a disappointing affair.

Firstly, Kenneth Branagh is a solid director when it comes to drama, and specifically the works of William Shakespeare. So it's no surprise that Shadow Recruit's action sequences are exhaustingly average and unmemorable. We saw in Thor how Branagh's direction is much stronger in slower, talky sequences that relies on performance and straightforward editing.

Secondly, Kenneth Branagh is a wonderful actor when it comes to a host of different roles, specifically in roles from the works of Shakespeare. His acting talent is barely felt as he mumbles in a monotonous Russian accent and keeps the same facial expression for one hour and forty five minutes. Branagh probably wishes to spread his wings, but honestly - he's better than this. His stereotypical Russian seems like something from a movie from the '80s when Russians were always the bad guy. Perhaps now the media portrays them all as homophobes it is their turn to be the villains of the world once again. Don't worry people of the Middle East, you can take a breather now.

Chris Pine, on the other hand, is fine as Jack Ryan. He may be a bit more metrosexual than the most successful Ryan to date, Harrison Ford, but Pine's effortless charisma and likability means that he does well with what he's given. The role, though, is a flawed one. The plot is messy when an analyst is thrust into being an active CIA agent who sees action without the proper training, and despite the fact that he used to be a marine, it serves as no excuse.

                        "I told you if you got lost to meet me by the building that looks like an ice cream!"

There are many questionable elements in the plot - why don't people kill one another when they get clear chances? Why not send a trained CIA action hero to investigate Branagh's big bad? Why is Keira Knightley so annoying? People will probably forget to question these flaws, though, because they are too busy scratching their heads, wondering aloud what it is that the Russian's are actually doing.

It's an intelligent decision to have terrorism of the economic kind to be the threat. It's relevant to the times we live in, constantly hearing news about double-dip recessions, foreigners apparently taking our benefits and politicians stealing money - why not tap into the public's fears? It helps to be understood, mind. When Kevin Costner's boss of Jack tells him to explain things to him as if he was an idiot, he should've mentioned it for the entire film. Using CIA and economic lingo for exposition doesn't make the film clever, and people shouldn't have to be spoon fed to understand an action film that is relatively low on action.

There are some minor saving graces - there's a strong restaurant scene where CIA trickery comes into play as Pine pretends to be a drunken buffoon, and a fight scene in a hotel room early on stands out as a shame because the best part of the movie comes far too early. You won't be surprised come the end, as conventions and cliches are ticked off throughout. An awful opening sequence of Jack Ryan watching news at the London School of Economics regarding a terrorist attack on America, culminating in an actor with an awful English accent apologising to him because he is American has the alarm bells ringing right away. However, due to the financial success, a Jack Ryan franchise seems like a strong possibility, but sequels will have to improve greatly if they don't want Tom Clancy's character to come across as a tired, boring version of James Bond.

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The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese - making jackasses seem likeable since the 1970s

                                                                          FINISH HIM

DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese

CAST: Jay Gatsby, Peter Brand, your new female obsession, that actor who used to be shit but is now really good, Hamilton Jordan, Shane from The Walking Dead, The Artist, the bloke who directed Iron Man, the bloke who directed Being John Malkovich, Eli from Boardwalk Empire and a fuck tonne of actors whose faces you will recognise with names you can't recall...

PLOT: Based on the life of the real wolf of wall street, Jordan Belfort, we watch his rise and fall as a charismatic, hilarious, drug-addicted, crooked stockbroker who stood up against the FBI, the forces of nature and the Swiss...

Martin Scorsese has a true talent in making his audience root for dickheads. Over the years he's manipulated us to fall in love with gangsters, murderers, loners and annoying kids that live in train stations, and he's managed to do no less with his latest offering, The Wolf of Wall Street, based on the memoirs from the real person. 

Right from the get-go we have to hold on tight in order not to fall off the bat-shit crazy rollercoaster that takes in copious amounts of drugs, alcohol, hookers and enough money to make your average Premier League footballer feel inadequate. We should hate this man, this physical embodiment of capitalism, who capitalises on other people's misery and shortcomings by only having one thing on his mind - making money - and to top it all off, doing absolutely nothing good with it apart from blowing it all on boats that can fit other boats inside of it and houses that could do the same.

But we do, and this is all down to Scorsese and Terence Winter, scribe of the film who's most famous for penning HBO's Boardwalk Empire. Scorsese's lightning-paced narrative that flies through a large portion of Belfort's life never gives us a moment to think in hindsight about how much of a repugnant man he is, despite the fact that it is three hours long, it never once seems to drag (prepare yourselves for a 4 hour cut that is reportedly to be released on DVD). Combined with Winter's witty and outrageous script that delivers some of the funniest dialogue imaginable, this is black comedy at its finest that gives a new meaning to 'cerebral palsy'.

                                                    Human bumblebee is displeased

But even Scorsese and Winter can't make a man who throws dwarfs around for fun someone who we want to spend time with for three hours. They need some help. And who else better to ask for help than a cast that can joke and charm their way into cinema history?

Leonardo DiCaprio may not win that Academy Award that he's been waiting so long for due to the fact that he plays a bastard, but he will go down as one of the most iconic characters in film. Love him or hate him, DiCaprio is stunningly realistic as Belfort - a likeable actor who oozes charisma and can get away with bad things much to the viewers glee. He doesn't quite have to descend to the emotional lows as his fellow nominees this awards season, but that shouldn't take anything away from this performance. DiCaprio does comedy as well as anyone. 

However, there are plenty of on screen supporters who almost takes the limelight away from the wolf, namely Jonah Hill as Belfort's partner, Donnie Azoff, who often comes across as even more of a cock than Belfort does. Hill's transformation, with his absurd hair and teeth, may have accepted low pay (in Hollywood standards, at least) for a chance to work with Scorsese, but after this he has once again proved that he is one of the most consistent and flexible actors working today, managing to balance comedy and drama perfectly, and not for the first time. 

The Wolf of Wall Street isn't your usual Oscar bait - it's far too crude and at times, downright disgusting, for any big wins. But judging by the fact that it's still selling out in cinemas nationwide weeks after release, Scorsese and company will be pleased that it will be many people's favourite this awards season, even if they don't receive a self-celebratory trophy for it.

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