Kevin Costner stars as Ethan Renner in the latest action adventure mixed with family drama directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels, Terminator Salvation) with screenplay by Luc Besson (Taken, The Fifth Element).

The PG-13 spy movie just barely meets the basic requirements for an action movie, and is mostly about the relationship Renner has with his daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld—Enders Game, True Grit).

With only 3 days to live, Renner takes the experimental drug treatment from his boss Vivi Delay (Amber Heard) to summon the strength to take on Russian gangsters as an American living in Paris.

The whole operation could have used a bit more sting, to tell the truth.

In all the movie was not for me but has potential to introduce teenage girls and boys to the spy genre with dashing and distinguished Kevin Costner in a borrowed suit and loose tie.

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Review by Clay N Ferno

Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mace Neufeld

Screenplay by Adam Cozad, David Koepp

Based on Jack Ryan by Tom Clancy

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Starring Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh,

Keira Knightley, Nonso Anozie, Colm Feore,

Gemma Chan, David Paymer, Karen David

Chris Pine (Star Trek’s Captain Kirk) stars as Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan alongside Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley and director Kenneth Branagh in a wholly satisfying reimagining of the Jack Ryan movie universe.

Pine is the fourth actor to play Ryan on the big screen, following Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and most recently by Ben Affleck in 2002’s The Sum of All Fears.

Already a hero to geeks everywhere, Pine’s action-packed performance as somewhat reluctant CIA agent in Shadow Recruit begs for more movies right out of the gate.

Can Jack Ryan out-Bond James Bond? Will Ryan replace Mission: Impossible’s Ethan Hunt as your must-see American action hero? Sir Kenneth Branagh directs a post-9/11 action hero flick with an accessible storyline based on the evils of terrorism, economic fear and residual Cold War rivalries. As scary and stoic villain Viktor Cherevin, Branagh strikes fear with a stare. Costner and Knightley are of course amazing as second leads to our hero.

The movie opens on a familiar scene; on a college campus everyone gathering around a public television set, September 11, 2001.

Jack sees the terrorist attack on U.S. soil, and we flash forward to the fateful helicopter crash over Afghanistan that leaves him injured in 2003.

In physical rehabilitation, Jack meets his future fiancé Dr. Cathy Muller (Knightley) and is noticed by top secret agent William Harper (Costner). Harper assigns Ryan to Wall Street on a top secret long tail mission to analyze international financial data from the inside.

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