Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

3/5

The latest Jack Ryan movie is a reboot of the Tom Clancy franchise starring Chris Pine as the titular "shadow recruit." It's a great way to spend 100 minutes of your day for a quick fix of entertainment, but it's ultimately a pretty empty shell of a movie. The characters are generic cardboard cutouts and the acting is forgettable. There is absolutely no chemistry between Chris Pine and Keira Knightley. While the espionage is thrilling, it feels almost mechanical in the way each scene is played out, as if every component is merely following a strict set of instructions. There is nothing organic about it. And the technical aspects of the movie are perfunctory. This is a movie made with money in mind and not much else. Still, it's pretty fun.

On a side note, I accidentally rented this movie instead of The Wolf of Wall Street. I have no idea why; I just clicked on the wrong movie in Redbox. I still need to see The Wolf of Wall Street. Darn.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205537/

RocknRolla (2008)

4/5

Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla is pretty much the same movie as all of Guy Ritchie's other gangster movies. The complicated and confusing plot is made more imperceptible by thick, obfuscatory British accents. And while it started out with a story that seemed uninteresting and unengrossing, there was just enough innovation and cleverness to make it fresh and new. The cinematography, style, and editing all feel the same as his earlier movies (which is a compliment). The decidedly quick-witted humor is also back, and in full force. Guy Ritchie knows British movies, British actors, and British sensbilities, but not American ones. Jeremy Piven and Ludacris felt a little out of place here. Still, RocknRolla is an altogether enjoyable film that is on par with Snatch. I recommend it to anyone who knows and enjoys Guy Ritchie.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032755/