'Tom Clancy's Without Remorse' Review: Another Flat Tom Clancy Adaptation
Michael B. Jordan provides loads of heart LEADING AN otherwise UNREMARKABLE action-thriller.
Michael B. Jordan has found his place in Hollywood as a leading man. Playing the son of Apollo Creed in “Creed” as well as the villainous Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther”, he’s quickly established himself as an action-heavy functionary who can simultaneously channel a ton of heart in any role he plays. So, when the announcement was made that Jordan would be the focus of the next Tom Clancy adaptation, it was a very welcomed yet unsurprising next step. It was revealed last December that Jordan had traveled to South Carolina to visit the Fort Jackson Army base to do research for a role, which we now know was preparation was for his portrayal of John Clark in “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse”. The film follows Clark, a Navy SEAL, on a revenge mission to find those who killed his pregnant wife (Lauren London), quickly uncovering plots that would plunge the United States and Russia into a 21st Century all-out war. In 2021, we’re still making the Soviets the bad guys. Following Jordan on his stealth mission to Syria are Lt. Commander Karen Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith), and highly unlikable CIA agent, Robert Ritter (Jamie Bell). All are led by commands from Secretary of Defense Thomas Clay (Guy Pearce) who had the easiest payday of his entire career.
John Clark is one of the most iconic characters from Tom Clancy’s work. He’s previously been portrayed by Willem Dafoe in “Clear and Present Danger”, and by Liev Schreiber in “The Sum of All Fears”. He’s always been known as a grittier version of Jack Ryan, not afraid to break protocol and take matters into his own hands. It’s obvious that Jordan was completely invested in this character, and committed to going all-in on providing the most authentic story possible. Every line of his was spoken with sincerity, and his physicality was fully immersive. The stylistic approach felt very much in the vein of previous action films from the ’90s: not overly-edited, stripped-back with practical effects, all of which helped me buy into Jordan’s performance and feel the realism it was going after. Jordan is one of the very few actors who can take out an entire brigade and then later that night lay on the couch, munching on pistachios, and make it believable. He can play a brutish tough guy just as easily as an intimate, down-to-earth husband. I could go on and on about the positive aspects of Jordan’s performance and his commitment to the role, but sadly there’s a shortage of much else to praise.
Despite Jordan’s highly decorated and talented co-stars, there’s not much to show from them. That’s not entirely their fault, as they could only do the best with what they were given. It’s almost as if the entire focus was placed on Jordan’s character, and the others were afterthoughts. “Without Remorse” has been in development for quite some time with a few different scripts, but Taylor Sheridan (“Sicario”, “Hell or High Water”) and Will Staples finally hopped aboard to complete rewrites. Even with a screenwriter of Sheridan’s calibre, it’s obvious that there was confusion on what would be the most coherent way to adapt this story to the screen. The movie presents plenty of engaging plotlines to explore, but fails to capitalize on them, resorting instead to every cliche the genre has to offer. Even the brilliant action sequences, from a plane crash over the water in which Clark has to dive to retrieve his team’s gear, to a long battle between the Navy and the Soviets, couldn’t save the uneven narrative. What was this story’s purpose? Even its most interesting character motivation for Clark is quickly abandoned. After the gruesome sequence of a wounded Clark crawling to the bedside of his dead wife, in which he screams in pure agony, the story somehow transitions to this overdone plot where, in the midst of battle, all Clark and his team can dwell on is the potential that everyone on the inside is the true threat. There have been countless thrillers to come out over the years dealing with this exact concept: those in higher power on the “good” side being the puppeteers of the entire conflict. It’s nothing new, and even “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” did it better than “Without Remorse”.
It also doesn’t help that so much screentime is wasted on making Robert Ritter a red herring, when he’s really just in a bad mood most of the time rather than being an actual bad guy. The entire character arc of Jamie Bell is to act as a static douchebag, to then do a complete turnaround by the end to become this misunderstood empath. Guy Pearce is completely emotionless, never once making Clay a likable or even two-dimensional character, so his “arc” feels unearned and ultimately meaningless. The film is also predictable almost beat-by-beat. Jodie Turner-Smith was easily the most likable behind Jordan, yet her character wasn’t anything special, as Greer also suffers from negligible levels of development.
“Without Remorse” is filled with missed opportunities to invest its audience, causing even its best moments to feel empty and unfocused. It’s unfortunate that this couldn’t have been executed better, because there is plenty of good to be found in its foundation. There’s a dedicated performance from Jordan, competent direction from Stefano Sollima, and enough entertaining action sequences to go around. If you head into it unconcerned with a well-put-together narrative, but more interested in a few explosive action sequences, you might have a decent time with it. You may also appreciate the obvious laying of groundwork for future sequels. Overall, “Without Remorse” provides an entertaining performance from Michael B. Jordan that packs a ton of heart, let down by a story that lacks any soul.