Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse stars Michael B. Jordan
Get ready for a military espionage thriller that is as generic as they come and entirely beneath its star Michael B. Jordan! If you wanted to see him in a John Wick-style revenge flick without any of the trademark creativity, then Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse is for you. If you’re looking for an enjoyable way to spend 2 hours, then avoid it at all costs.
Synopsis
Michael B. Jordan stars as Navy SEAL John Clark. He witnesses the murder of his pregnant wife by Russian assassins and, abandoned by the US Intelligence community, vows to take the law into his own hands.
Even though Jordan himself gives an outstanding performance, the predictable plot unfolds in such a dull and uninspired way that it hardly deserves a watch.
Every single shot of this movie features a prominent rectangle. Every. Single. Shot. I can’t speak to the creative intention behind this choice, but once you notice it, it’s pretty distracting. From the framing to the staging to even the contemporary-style house John and his wife live in. Even the derivative script itself is a sterile box where nothing organic can form. The one-dimensional characters talk in hushed, serious tones as they barrel through a narrow plot filled with cliches.
Michael B. Jordan’s former Fantastic 4 associate Jamie Bell plays the obvious red herring. Guy Pearce plays the obvious secret bad guy. They are joined by an apparent new love interest, Lt. Commander Greer, played by Jodie Turner-Smith
This movie could be a turn-off-your-brain-and-enjoy beat ’em up, but the kills aren’t even that creative. The one sequence in the entire film that is impressive is when a gravely injured John has to kill his way downstairs and out of a building swarming with enemy soldiers. But that’s just The Raid. Or Dredd. Everything in this movie has been done before, and too far better results.
This movie should have stayed in “development hell” a little longer. Its sole reason to exist is to set up a franchise for Jordan akin to Jason Bourne or Mission Impossible. Still, it lacks any unique spirit or flavor. It’s a movie that plays ultimately within boundaries established by other thrillers. Skip it.
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