The Checklist: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (S1 Ep1) “Pilot”
Tom Clancy was a novelist who wrote some the most thrilling political espionage novels that you could ever have the good fortune of reading. Many of Clancy’s novels (and novels of other authors after Clancy’s death) feature CIA analyst Jack Ryan fighting the good fight all over the globe. Clancy’s novels have carried over very well into the feature film genre with such hits as The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger. Overall, Tom Clancy films have grossed just under $1 billion from five different films. Not too shabby, but I know what you are thinking… What about the small screen? Enter Amazon Prime Video’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan or the simplified Jack Ryan.
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan stars John Krasinski in the title role as the CIA analyst who is working a desk job but soon finds himself in the field after discovering some shady looking bank transactions. The series features all the espionage and action set pieces that Tom Clancy readers and moviegoers have become accustomed to and the first episode, generically titled “Pilot” shows Jack Ryan finding the bank transactions and out from his desk while dropping seeds for other storylines that continue through the first season. It doesn’t really matter if Jack Ryan is worth watching, which it undoubtedly is, but the main question is how does Jack Ryan stack up when put to the Checklist test… let’s find out.
1. Does John Krasinski Measure Up as Jack Ryan? – Looking at the feature films, Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine have all played the CIA man at different stages in the fictional character’s career. Ford was the only actor to play Jack Ryan twice and is probably seen as the gold standard thanks to Ford’s everyman ability. After watching Jack Ryan it came as no shock to me to find out that John Krasinski was influenced by Harrison Ford’s Jack Ryan. It is no means a copy and Krasinski’s Ryan is at younger part in his life, more akin to Pine’s Ryan, and his performance will really disappoint those expecting to see a Jim Haplert clone. Krasinski brings a level of physicality to the younger Jack Ryan in “Pilot” that is really showed off during an intense fight scene and both a Premium Rush and Winklevoss scene. Kraskinski plays Jack Ryan with the requisite training and skills but greenishness of a new field agent and more than fills the shoes of Jack Ryans past. 1/1
2. Do Foreign Terrorists Threaten the American Way of Life? – The feature films give us the Soviets, IRA, Colombian cartels, and neo-nazis as some of the villains. While some may find this as either xenophobic or even jingoistic, Jack Ryan works for the CIA whose purpose is to gather and analyze national security information from around the world, not within the United States… allegedly. Jack Ryan being a series, the villains and plot are varied and fluid throughout, but in “Pilot” we learn about Islamic terrorist Suleiman (Ali Suliman) and his gathering a large sum of money for terrorist activities. Suleiman is given a backstory that makes his character sympathetic and “Pilot” has Ryan and Suleiman meeting face to face with a shared level of respect even though each other knows they must take the other down. 2/2
3. Does Jack Ryan Get Help From His Friends/Family? – When your friends include James Earl Jones, Willem Dafoe, Sean Connery and Scott Glenn among others, you would be down right stupid not to lean on your friends and Jack Ryan’s momma didn’t raise no fool. Jack Ryan’s better half Catherine can’t be forgotten, portrayed by Gates McFadden, Anne Archer, Bridget Moynahan and Keira Knightley in the films. Some serious acting chops involved in the feature films, but Jack Ryan counters with Wendell Pierce (the incomparable Bunk Moreland in The Wire) playing James Greer, famously played by James Earl Jones in the first three Jack Ryan films and Abbie Cornish as Catherine. Although, in “Pilot” we witness Greer’s first day as Ryan’s boss and the pair don’t see eye to eye and we see Ryan meeting Catherine for the first time. A great way to see how the relationships grow considering we know where they end up. 3/3
4. Are There Any Action Set Pieces? – You can always count on the Jack Ryan film series to blow something up, from grenades and rocket launchers, to submarines and even nuking Baltimore. Jack Ryan decides to go for some serious realism and features and extended firefight at a black ops site. In “Pilot” see Jack Ryan in a fist fight, black ops operatives vs. Islamic terrorists with automatic rifles, RPGs and even and APC and a flashback to bombings in Lebanon. Jack Ryan has feature film level effects and action set pieces that puts the viewer right in the middle of the action. 4/4
5. Are There Any Notable Guest Stars? – With a main cast that features the likes of Krasinski, Pierce, Cornish and Suliman, the cast of Jack Ryan is pretty strong. Throw in recurring characters that make an appearance in “Pilot”, the underrated John Hoogenakker as a Black Ops operative and Timothy Hutton as CIA Deputy Director of Operations Singer and the first episode is pretty impressive. But what about the guest star that throws in the extra spice? No real guest star of action fame, but “Pilot” started with a young Suleiman dancing to “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats and Toby Keith is used to torture a couple of captured terrorists, so kudos for the creative use of music. I can’t leave an appearance by Alex Trebek as Jack Ryan is watching Jeopardy. 4.5/5
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan fits right in the with Jack Ryan character established in the feature films. “Pilot” does an excellent job of providing some backstory, while also hinting at more, but also not wasting too much time getting into the action. While “Pilot” is not a perfect episode per The Checklist (who needs guest stars in the first episode when the cast is already large and varied and the action is top notch) you will be hard pressed to find a better first episode to whet your appetite for more espionage.
