Jack Ryan Reboot

I have been a fan of the Jack Ryan character since The Hunt for Red October (in fact that is what I named my red Saturn 4 door - Little Red October).  I have also liked every actor that has portrayed him and Chris Pine is no exception in this new spy thriller.  Starting with his origin story, we see Jack in grad school and then the Marines where he injures his back in a helicopter crash.  This incident was discussed briefly in Red October as Jack goes on his first assignment on an aircraft carrier.  The commander is giving him a hard time but his superior explains what an amazing guy Jack is, that he couldn't walk after a helicopter crash while a marine, but worked hard in rehab to be able to walk again.  We get to see this scene, finally, in the new Jack Ryan as well as how he met and fell in love with his wife Kathy.  Jump forward 10 years and Jack is in the CIA working on Wall Street, investigating illegal accounts set up by a Russian businessman.  Kenneth Branagh, who is also the director of the film, plays this roll and is an excellent villain.  This is where the film really gets exciting.  There is espionage, car chases, gunfights and intellectual cat and mouse games as Jack tries to stop the Russians from destroying the American economy as well as downtown New York.  Overall, I really liked the film and hope it does well enough in theaters to warrant a second film with Chris Pine at the helm.  While this story doesn't follow any of Tom Clancy's books, it has the tone and feel of them and feels like it could have been penned by the author himself.  Here's hoping for more Jack Ryan!