This is not the review I expected to write.
When the Super Bowl ad aired for Amazon’s new streaming series “Jack Ryan,” it looked like a slam dunk.
I started reading Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels in 1989. I was a sophomore in high school, and my English teacher (who loosely followed the prescribed curriculum) gave us the option of reading a Clancy or Ludlum novel in the final weeks of the semester.
I chose to read “Patriot Games”... and the rest is history. Clancy’s novels spurred my passion for reading espionage-related fiction.
The five theatrical movies based on Clancy’s novels — “The Hunt For Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger,” “The Sum of All Fears,” and “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” — are pretty solid.
In my opinion, “The Hunt For Red October” is the entry that truly captures the essence of the Jack Ryan character (Alec Baldwin was very good in the movie).
Amazon’s new entry in the “Ryanverse” is a mixed bag. The first half of the 8-episode season feels uneven and (at times) awkward.
The setup for the first season of “Jack Ryan” is fairly routine. Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) is a former U.S. Marine and Wall Street analyst who works for the CIA’s T-FAD (Terror, Finance, and Arms Division).
Ryan is a desk jockey who scrutinizes “money movement” in an effort to track down various “bad actors” around the globe — including potential terror organizations.
In the first episode, Ryan uncovers millions of dollars in transactions tied to a suspicious player in Yemen named Suleiman. Ryan and new boss James Greer (Wendell Pierce) head overseas to investigate — to an American installation where they’re holding a pair suspected of involvement.
It turns out one of the men is Suleiman himself — a man with nefarious plans. Unfortunately, Ryan doesn’t realize the man is Suleiman until it’s too late. That sets into motion a tangle of knots our protagonists spend the first season of “Jack Ryan” working to untie.
We’ve seen these “follow the money” setups a number of times in the geopolitical thriller realm.
I don’t say that as a criticism. It is just well-worn territory.
The strongest aspect of “Jack Ryan” is John Krasinski. Some of you will remember Krasinski from the 2016 MIchael Bay movie “13 Hours” (about the 2012 tragedy in Benghazi). In my opinion, that film was basically a “demo reel” for Krasinki’s turn as Jack Ryan (Bay is an executive producer for the series).
Krasinski is solid in the titular role — bookish, affable, tough, and daring.
I also liked Abbie Cornish as Dr. Cathy Mueller, an epidemiologist (eye surgeon in the novels) who is Ryan’s love interest in the first season.
The main rough spot in the first season involves a pointless subplot involving a drone pilot. (I won’t get into spoilers, but I think you’ll understand what I mean after watching the season.)
There were also a couple of completely unnecessary sex scenes in the first half of the season. I’m not a total prude, but those instances cheapened the overall narrative and at least one was completely gratuitous.
I also have mixed emotions about some of the changes from Clancy’s source material. In particular, the James Greer character is a surly, disgraced intelligence officer in the Amazon series (not the straight shooting former vice admiral seen in the books).
Wendell Pierce is a terrific actor (who has some great one liners on the show), but I felt the writers tried too hard to give the character a unique "angle."
Ultimately, I think the series will improve in subsequent seasons.
The reason I say that is because the first season became very compelling by the time the final four episodes rolled around.
The pacing improved, Krasinski had more screen time (always a good thing), and there were some truly suspenseful moments (the subplot involving Suleiman’s wife Hanin were among the most enjoyable sequences in the first season).
For my money, the fifth season of “24” serves as the “gold standard” for espionage-related thrillers.
“Jack Ryan” doesn’t rise to that level, but it is entertaining. If you can get past the flaws — and look at future potential — “Jack Ryan” is a good launching pad for upcoming seasons (it has already been renewed for a season season).
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