“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” dropped on Netflix. This is another version of the Clancy story about a CIA analyst named Jack Ryan. John Krasinski is in the title role. I’m two episodes in and I’m still have problems accepting Krasinki in the role. It may be me, not something Krasinki is doing. They darkened his hair and his eyebrows, but I still see the goof from the U.S. version of “The Office.” He hasn’t lost the Dundler-Mifflin aroma. He’s a talented guy and his “A Quiet Place” was such a big hit he’s getting a sequel. So far, it’s not working for me.
Wendell Pierce, who had an iconic role as Bunk in “The Wire,” plays Ryan’s boss. It doesn’t seem to be a good fit. I’m not buying Pierce as a warrior. And the tension they try to create between him and Ryan seems clichéd and forced. The story is conventional in other aspects too. Ryan and his love interest meet cute. Some plot points are telegraphed long ahead. And there’s too many coincidences for me. They jump in to technical terms but are slow to explain it. Maybe the general public knows about huawala, the Arabian money exchange system. I only know about it because I read Greg Campbell’s excellent book, “Blood Diamonds.” I give them points for trying to give some depth to the terrorists. They’re not just caricatures like in a Chuck Norris movie. Plus we get a nude scene with a hot Arab chick. Some movie cliches are okay, I guess. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
