Amazon’s latest Tom Clancy adaptation offers nothing new and exciting to the revenge tale. Even Michael B Jordan’s committed performance can’t save us from lackluster action and an underwhelming story that hits every familiar beat. We’ve seen it all before and sadly, Without Remorse isn’t as clever as it thinks it is.
Amazon’s latest Tom Clancy adaptation offers nothing new and exciting to the revenge tale. Even Michael B Jordan’s committed performance can’t save us from lackluster action and an underwhelming story that hits every familiar beat. We’ve seen it all before and sadly, Without Remorse isn’t as clever as it thinks it is.
Navy seal John Clark is out for revenge after a squad of Russian soldiers brutally murder his wife as retaliation, after he participated in a top-secret op. John Clark teams up with his fellow SEAL and a shady CIA agent to take out his wife’s killers. Eventually, our heroes realize that they are in the middle of a larger conspiracy.
My first impression of Tom Clancy’s: No Remorse reminded me of the video game Splinter Cell. Some bad guys spontaneously get shot by the good guys from underwater. I enjoyed this sequence and the rest of the action that followed afterward was very crisp and clean. Our main characters seemed to handle every situation they were in with relative ease, which was cool to watch, but I never felt like anyone was in danger, which as a result drained the excitement and entertainment value from them. The best action movies make you fear for the characters’ lives during tense situations and with No Remorse, I was never worried about John Clark and his team.
This movie owes a debt of gratitude to its lead actor Micahel B Jordan. He remains a captivating presence and steals every scene that he is in. Especially, when you consider the extensive Navy Seal training he went through to prepare for this role. He takes the weight of this film on his shoulders and delivers the incredible performance we have come to expect from him. I feel like the film doesn’t live up to Michael B Jordan’s potential, along with the rest of the cast, who all give fine performances as well and deserve some recognition.
I was very excited to hear that Taylor Sheridan, best known for penning Sicario, Hell or High Water and Wind River, co-wrote this film. I personally think that the three films that I just mentioned are fantastic and I have actually watched them all more than once, so naturally, I was really excited to find out that he co-wrote the film with Will Staples, who is best known for writing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Unfortunately, instead of trying to do something new with a plot that has been done countless times before, we are presented with a typical revenge thriller that wastes the talents of its leading man and co-stars and doesn’t even try to get creative with its plot.
John Clark is one of the most popular characters with fans of Tom Clancy’s novels. His origin story is truly heartbreaking to say the least. I wished we were given more about our main character besides the one event that seems to define him. The same goes for the rest of the cast. I feel like every character was under developed and as a result, I didn’t care much about anyone because I wasn’t given much of a reason to do so. Besides the tragic scene that motivates John Clark, we don’t learn anything else about him.
I was also polarized at how hard the writers were trying to point us in the direction of one particular character being bad. Whenever a movie appears to paint a character in a negative light from the start, usually some sort of redemption is to be expected and the true villain comes off likeable at first. I truly believe that everyone will see the big twist and reveal coming a mile away and it makes me wish the filmmakers were more subtle in their approach for who the true villains and heroes are.
Overall, if you’re looking for some solid popcorn entertainment where you could turn your brain off for a little while, Tom Clancy’s: Without Remorse fits the bill very well. For me however, even a truly excellent and committed performance from Michael B. Jordan can’t save it from mediocrity. This film wastes the talents of its stars and director in favour of playing it safe with a by the numbers action thriller that I will probably forget about shortly after writing this review.
CHILL AND WATCH
CHILL AND WATCH 