(rated PG-13, mins.)
While not a Clancy book fan (never read one), and not a huge Jack Ryan fan (didn’t mind Ben Affleck replacing Harrison Ford “Patriot Games’ “Clear And Present Danger”), this sequel is about preventing nuclear attack in America (and that’s worth paying attention to in wake of 9/11). Except there’s one problem: Clancy’s story seems amateur without the real life threats of Middle East and Terrorist networks we’ve grown sophisticated to. This one involves a neo-Nazi Austrian billionaire about to set off a nuclear device in a football field. Affleck is Jack Ryan, good guy/CIA analyst. While the story is engaging (when the big event finally happens) it becomes an only fair thriller. While Affleck should be applauded for really trying, he doesn’t have the stuff former Ford had in keeping this franchise going. Morgan Freeman as a Presidential advisor seems lost in the shuffle and that’s a sad thing. He’s a good actor. The plot line was confusing and one would think it a pre-quel since Affleck as Ryan is younger and hasn’t a family (remember “Patriot Games” wife and kid?) So, instead of a pre-quel, a sequel is reborn. And, Jack Ryan is getting…younger?
