30 Apr Without Remorse Review

WITHOUT REMORSE

dir. Stefano Sollima, starring Michael B. Jordan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jamie Bell, and Guy Pearce

Adaptations of Tom Clancy’s novels have been just as risky and hit-and-miss as adaptations of Stephen King works. Starting with the wildly successful and incredibly beloved The Hunt for Red October, early Clancy films were welcome additions to the spy/thriller genre, to include Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games. Afterwards, the mediocre Sum of All Fears and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit marred the goodwill and reputation of the series of films. With every studio chasing the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula of a shared world (and none succeeding thus far, though I’ll take a moment to point out Kevin Smith was doing this in the 90s), it seems like the already fully built and fleshed out world Clancy’s novels created should be an easy home run. Even as Amazon delivers a well laid out exploration of Jack Ryan in its television series, its attempts at kicking off a Clancy-verse in Without Remorse is a bit of a stumble out of the gate.

Starting off in Aleppo, Syria, Michael B. Jordan’s John Kelly and his team of Navy SEALs are thrown into an action piece immediately as they rescue a CIA agent being held by the Russians. After returning home, members of Kelly’s unit are picked off one by one in apparent retaliation by the Russian military. Fortunately for Kelly, he’s able to survive his assassination attempt at the cost of his wife and unborn daughter. From there, Kelly’s mission of answers and righteous vengeance takes him through to the credits.

One of the main issues of Without Remorse is the poor lack of character development and relatively tepid plot. A revenge movie through and through, the film lacks any possible twists or surprises that carry any weight, or have any real stakes for the characters. Aside from a superbly crafted second act, it’s a fairly pedestrian affair that ranks somewhere in the middle of other movies of its ilk. Lackluster writing also kneecaps the film as the actors work through cliché dialogue and predictable plot points that serve to get the characters to the next action bit. This is surprising, as the film was written by Taylor Sheridan, who, while still fresh in the game, has written a few incredibly solid movies (Sicario, Hell or High Water, Wind River, to name a few).

Unfortunately, in addition to weak writing, one of the main faults of Without Remorse is in its acting. Michael B. Jordan, playing Navy Seal John Kelly doesn’t radiate the badass nature of the character, try as he might. For a man who kills and intimidates his way into achieving his objectives, I found his portrayal of Killmonger in Black Panther to be far more convincing than here. In Without Remorse, however, Jordan turns in a somewhat serviceable performance. The same can be said for the entire cast, really. Jodie Turner-Smith, a powerhouse in Queen & Slim, doesn’t seem entirely comfortable in her role as Admiral Greer’s niece, Karen Greer. Guy Pearce and Jamie Bell also perform adequately, with the former getting a scene to ham it up and bit and the latter doing the best he can with what he’s given. The rest of the cast blend into a number of faceless protagonists and antagonists alike.

Faulty work in front of the camera, fortunately, doesn’t take away from the strong work behind it. One of the strongest components of Without Remorese is director Stefano Sollima. Adapted from a novel that was published in the 90s, Sollima sets a tone and vibe that gave me the feel of a 90s action film. The camerawork is tight, the action is easy to follow, and the pacing mostly keeps the audience’s attention throughout. The set piece that the second act is surrounded on is tense and Sollima uses every drop of tension to keep Kelly and his team on their back foot at all times. An impossible situation, it’s entertaining to ask the question how are they going to get out of this alive? and seeing how it plays out. The film is also very well edited; each scene flows smoothly into the next, lacking any jarring transitions that takes the viewer out of the film.

Overall, Without Remorse is a somewhat decent action film that is best seen on the big screen (responsibly). A 109 minute runtime allows for a quickly paced film that serves as a reminder that the summer blockbuster season is upon us. While not adding anything new or fresh to the action genre, it’s a good way to spend a Friday evening with drinks in hand. Hopefully the adaptation of the follow-up film Rainbow Six serves as a better representation of Clancy’s characters. Without Remorse debuts on Amazon Prime April 30th.

Review by Darryl Mansel