Movies - TV
Every Jack Ryan TV Series And Movie, Ranked From Worst To Best
By LIAM GAUGHAN
7. Without Remorse
"Without Remorse" is the first live-action spinoff of the Jack Ryan franchise. It follows the origin story of Tom Clancy's other main literary hero, John Clark.
An integral figure within the "Ryanverse," Clark is Jack's accomplice. A former Navy SEAL and combat veteran, his military expertise and ruthless bravery got him hired at the CIA.
The straightforward revenge plot of "Without Remorse" is a distinct deviation from the more finely crafted Ryan stories, which results in a painfully generic action movie.
6. Sum of All Fears
"The Sum of All Fears" is a mostly watchable attempt at interpreting Clancy's 21st-century themes, but its central flaw is the characterization of Ryan.
Ben Affleck captures Ryan's intelligence, but what should be geeky charisma often comes across as an arrogant twit who weaponizes his advanced knowledge.
It's tough to watch such a great literary character appear so unlikeable on screen, but there's an intense sequence centered around a potential bomb detonation at a football game.
5. Shadow Recruit
Jack Ryan remained absent from the big screen for over a decade until director Kenneth Branagh rebooted the character with the prequel "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit."
Unlike previous adaptations, "Shadow Recruit" is not directly based on one of Clancy's novels. It gives us background on Ryan's origins, but the lack of source material is evident.
The film reveals a previously unseen side to Ryan’s (Chris Pine) love life as he's forced to hide his identity from girlfriend Cathy Muller (Kiera Knightley).
4. Patriot Games
Harrison Ford adopted the Jack Ryan role for the 1992 sequel "Patriot Games," an adaptation of Clancy's 1987 novel by director Phillip Noyce.
Ford's Ryan has already worked extensively in the field and is a professor at the United States Naval Academy. A terrorist attack during a family holiday forces him back to work.
It's a great setup for an adventure that remains true to Ryan's desire to intervene and help innocent lives while protecting his family at all costs.
3. Jack Ryan
"Shadow Recruit" didn't do so well, so Amazon Studios took the character and began a new television series, “Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan” without previously seen continuity.
To date, two seasons of eight episodes each tell Ryan's origin story with John Krasinski in the role. While already employed in the CIA, he's unprepared to face actual fieldwork.
In the most action-packed Ryan adaptation yet, Krasinski captures a vulnerability within the frantic action sequences, which can get quite brutal and violent.