In 2002, the action-hero genre was in need of a serious kick in the ass. All of the heroes of the past had either cashed their last check, accepted their final mission, or hung their hats. Those that remained, were but a former shell of themselves. Comic book adaptation had yet to become Hollywood’s new cash-cow. And so it was that in the summer/fall of 2002, the future of action heroes everywhere rested on the success — or failure — of the 20th James Bond film, the remake of The Bourne Identity, and the Jack Ryan reboot, “The Sum of All Fears.”
Ok, so maybe it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as I’m making it out to be, but I was surely excited to see all three of the films for a number of reasons. Of course, as we all know, only two of these franchises are alive and kicking at the moment. I’m referring to Jason Bourne and James Bond — with the latter ultimately being reborn (Casino Royale, 2006) in the stylistic vein of Bourne. Who would have ever guessed that the mild-mannered and contemplative Damon would ever be capable of being a viable action star, let alone single-handedly reinvent the genre? I’ll be honest, I wasn’t convinced until I saw it for myself. And then I was a believer.
What I find odd about the situation is that it ultimately came down between the Jack Ryan reboot, and the re-imagining of the lesser known, Jason Bourne. Stranger still, both lead characters were the hottest ticket in Hollywood, and as everyone knows they also happen to be best friends. So, why didn’t both actors succeed in their respective action/thriller vehicles? Was there only room for one of them to excel, or was it just bad luck?
Keeping in mind that the films had an extremely narrow gap in gross domestic revenue — with Bourne raking in an extra three million over Ryan — it would seem that both films performed quite well. On top of that, both of the films were fresh starts for the characters.
Beyond the numbers, and beyond the similarities, there are a number of reasons why “The Sum of All Fears” was Ben Affleck’s final outing as the CIA-Analyst, Jack Ryan — not to mention Jack Ryan’s last appearance on-screen since. In my opinion the first mistake was the abandonment of the hardened and more experienced Jack Ryan in exchange for the rookie who’s trying-to-do-right and make a name for himself.
That formula worked quite well in “The Hunt for Red October“, but that’s because that film was the first in the series, and because Alec Baldwin was far more tenacious, and believable — not to mention entertaining — than Affleck. Here, the chemistry is all wrong. Nothing is clicks, none of the characters make a lasting impression, and the villains in the story — while extremely ruthless — lack depth, among other things.
Many of the objections I have with the changes were a direct result of Harrison Ford’s lack of interest in reprising the role. Because of this, the original script had to be radically revised and from there, the decision was made to reinvent the series — Jack Ryan’s origin story, so to speak.
The second mistake was passing the torch from Noyce to Robinson. While this decision might have very well been out of the hands of the executives at Paramount, it was an unforgivable loss because of the great work, effort and vision Noyce had brought to the world of Jack Ryan. Even still, to Robinson’s credit, he does a commendable job, and while I have many objections to the film, I still find it to be entertaining. The film has its moments, but the film falls short because of Affleck’s portrayal of Ryan, which leads me to my next point.
The last major mistake was the casting of Ben Affleck. Now, I realize that there are a lot of Affleck fans out there, but you have to agree that action is not his strong suit. I think he’s an extremely capable and creative actor/director/writer, but I draw the line at his action films. Simply put, if you dropped Jason Bourne in a cage with Jack Ryan, there would be no contest — Bourne would tear him to pieces with a neck-tie. And when all is said and done, I think that’s one of the main reasons that the Jack Ryan mantle has been retired for the time being. There isn’t an audience for Jack Ryan these days, at least not if Jack Ryan is going to be as helpless and naive as Affleck was forced to portray him. To be clear, I think it was a poor casting choice, and that Ben was a victim of circumstance in a cinematic climate change where the old heroes were no longer “cool.”
Throughout all of these Jack Ryan reviews — assuming you’ve been keeping up with them — I’ve returned time and again to the question: when is another Jack Ryan film going to be released? Only now, after having reviewed all of them has the answer become clear to me. Sadly, I have to admit that the future doesn’t look bright, at least not the immediate future anyway. Audiences worldwide are starved for action, and far less drama/suspense, but beyond that it comes down to style, and the cinematic grammar that is constantly in flux.
I’m confident that Jack Ryan will make another appearance when we’ve all gotten tired of the hyper-action and ultra-stylized films of today — after all, cinema style is cyclical — but until that happens, the stoic and altruistic hero of the mid-nineties will remain indefinitely in stasis. I just hope that whenever they decide to revisit Clancy’s every-man hero that the executives discard this soulless misfire and start fresh. But more importantly I trust that they will stay true to what made Jack Ryan such an iconic and resonant character in the first place.
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