"Jack Ryan: Theory of Chaos" - spy thriller directed by Kenneth Branah

The Cold War has long been a thing of the past, but its impact on culture has not weakened so far. In recent years, many popular spy novels of that period have been screened in the United States. The plot of some of them ("Spy, Get Out!") Turns into a script for the film, undergoing minimal changes. And others adapt to modern reality. The latter include the film "Jack Ryan: Theory of Chaos." Despite the constellation of fine actors who played in it, as well as good box office fees, this project was the weakest in the entire series of films about the adventures of Jack Ryan.

A little about the main character

Jack Ryan (photo below) is a character invented by the famous American novelist Tom Clancy. The author devoted to him more than a dozen works, many of which were filmed. At the moment, 5 movies have been shot about this hero, in which he was played by different actors: "Hunt for Red October" (Alec Baldwin), "Patriots Games" and "Direct and Explicit Threat" (Harrison Ford), "Price of Fear" (Ben Affleck) and "Jack Ryan: Theory of Chaos" (Chris Pine).

As for the biography of the character, it is known that John Patrick Ryan, who is usually called Jack, was born in Baltimore in 1950.

He received his education at Boston College. Jack planned to become a marine, but during one of the training missions was injured and re-qualified for an investment broker. Later he was recruited by the CIA, where he was a consultant for a long time. Ryan specialized in the USSR, and later in the Russian Federation. With his help, many conspiracies against the US were prevented by various countries.

Over time, Jack became president of the United States and remained in office for two terms.

As for personal life, then, having met in youth with a student trainee from the medical school Karolina "Kathy" Muller, Jack started a romance with her, and eventually married. In this marriage 4 children were born.

Information about the film

In 2014, the fifth picture on the courageous analyst from the CIA appeared on the screens. In the original, it wore a slightly different name: "Jack Ryan: The Mercenary of the Shadow." After the success of the previous film about this character (earned at the box office three times more than it was invested in), the producers dreamed of taking another tape. However, due to problems with funding, as well as with the search for a director, in 2008, work began on preparing for filming.

If the previous films of the cycle were shot based on the novels of Tom Clancy, then for the new project, Adam Kozad and David Kepp wrote the original script, which used elements of Ryan's biography. Perhaps, that is why, despite Kenneth Bran's excellent directorial work and good fees, this film is recognized as the weakest among the entire series.

"Jack Ryan: Theory of Chaos": a plot

At the beginning of the film briefly tells about the biography of the hero before he recruited the CIA. Later, the action is postponed until 2014, when Jack Ryan works for one of the investment companies in New York, and in parallel advises the CIA.

Investigating the accounts of the Russian oligarch Victor Cherevin, collaborating with their company, Ryan notices suspicious activity. Later, he reports to the CIA about what the Russian special services suspect in preparing a large-scale operation designed to destroy the US economy.

In order to confirm his suspicions, Jack Ryan is sent to Moscow with the purpose of auditing the financial accounts of Cherevin as an employee of the partner company and obtaining evidence.

In Moscow, the hero is trying to kill, and after that they interfere with the verification. Then he, with the help of his curator from the CIA, Thomas Harper and Katie's bride, abducts data about the upcoming diversion from Cherevin's computer.

However, returning to his homeland, Jack suspects that the oligarch's son is planning to commit a terrorist act that will provoke the US economy to fall. Risking his life, the hero manages to stop the terrorist at the last moment, thereby disrupting the whole operation.

Criticism of the film

Despite the fact that the film doubled at the box office spent on it, critics reacted quite coldly to it.

First of all, the criticism was caused by the script itself, which was not in any comparison with the books of Tom Clancy. The original works about Jack Ryan were not only an exciting story, but also carefully written technical details, which can not be said about the scenario of the picture "Jack Ryan: Theory of Chaos." So, the characters penetrate Chereven's computer system through electrical wiring, which seems delusional to any person who is a little familiar with the PC device.

No less comical is the Russian killer-negro, who came to kill Ryan in a Moscow hotel. If an African American is a normal phenomenon in the United States, while in Russia so far a person with this appearance is unlikely to be unnoticed, which is necessary for a hired killer to be successful in his profession.

Also, the glaring unfinished special effects and combat scenes. Quite silly is the situation when Jack Ryan with a stick smashes a bullet-proof glass of an armored car of an oligarch, or Chereven's attempts to torture his lover with an energy-saving light bulb. A hastily drawn on the computer landscapes of Moscow, as well as an explosion in New York in general create the impression of a very cheap movie.

Advantages of film

Despite many disadvantages, this movie has pluses. These include a remarkable selection of actors.

Also you can not fail to note good music, written specifically for the picture by Patrick Doyle.

Despite the many nonsense associated with the writers' attempts to realistically portray life in Russia, the dialogue between Cathy and Chereven, in which they discuss Lermontov's poetry, stands out nicely.

Jack Ryan - the hero of the film "Theory of Chaos" by Chris Paine (Payne)

This artist became the fourth performer of the role of Jack Ryan in history. It is worth noting that the choice was successful. The actor was able to portray a boyish scout who had to act not according to the rules. Of course, he is inferior to Harrison Ford, who played in two films of the series, but at the same time he surpasses Ben Affleck. Most likely, Chris got this role because of external resemblance to the first performer - Alec Baldwin.

Prior to this project, Payne became famous thanks to his participation in various TV series (Ambulance, Defender, The Client Is Always Dead), as well as romantic comedies (Princess Diaries 2: How to Become a Queen, Kiss for Luck, Blindly "). Later with the heroes-lovers Chris Payne retrained for just the heroes ("Uncontrollable", "So, the war").

Recently, the most famous actor is participating in the motion picture series "Star Trek".

Keira Knightley as Cathy Muller

Another star in this project, which was to draw the attention of viewers, was British Cyrus (Keira) Knightley. Like Payne, she was taken on this role due to the similarity with Bridget Moynahan and Ann Archer, who played Cathy in the previous paintings. Nothing special about the new actress brought to the image of her character, while pretty organically playing it.

Before participating in the project, Knightley became famous thanks to a series of paintings "Pirates of the Caribbean", as well as roles in costume dramas (Pride and Prejudice, Duchess, Atonement, Anna Karenina).

Other actors

In addition to Knightley and Payne, other famous actors also appeared in the film. One of them became Kevin Costner - a star of militants of the 80-90's. He played Ryan's mentor - Thomas Harper. Also worth noting is the director of the picture - Sir Kenneth Branagh. As the head of the whole shooting process, he tried to do everything possible to shoot a good film, and most of the sins of the project - not his fault. By the way, the director himself played the role of the main villain - Victor Cherevin.

Although, according to the plot, many scenes take place in Moscow, there are only two Russian actors in the project. This is a young actress Elena Velikanova and the legendary ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

The movie "Jack Ryan: Theory of Chaos", despite the good acting, is rather weak. However, thanks to good box office fees, in the future, perhaps, its continuation will be removed.