Tom Clancy's Without Remorse - Decent

 

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    The "Tom Clancy" brand has become synonymous with high-quality espionage storytelling and military-oriented plots. Although Mr. Clancy never served in the armed forces, he would write several novels related to cold-war-themed stories and high-steak political warfare until his untimely death in 2013. Many of his books have been adapted to the silver screen before (his most famous takes being the Jack Ryan series starring Harrison Ford in the lead role). His concepts have also been created into many famous video game series like Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six. Today's subject, Without Remorse, is a film that, while competently made and viscerally enjoyable, feels more like a pilot for a series—an excellent pilot for a show that I would wholeheartedly watch, but a pilot nonetheless. Which, given Amazon's track record with series and some movies, shouldn't surprise anyone at this point. 

    Based on the book of the same title, the story follows Navy Seal operative John Kelly (Michael B. Jordon), who, after surviving a nearly failed mission in the middle east, finds himself the victim of a mass killing spree, where mysterious operatives kill members of his squad before attempting to kill him but end up killing his pregnant wife in the process. After recovering from the encounter, John meets up with his C.O. Karen Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith) for intel about the ones who killed his family. After some information is exchanged, John finds himself smack dab in the middle of a mysterious conspiracy involving the C.I.A. and Russia. Now, John must find the truth and determine the true nature of his next mission. The only question being, is he mentally and emotionally stable enough to pick up on what's actually going on? 

    The word "generic" is one I try to avoid using in my reviews. Mostly because it's often used by other critics as a means of instantly declaring a lack of quality. While most of the aspects presented in today's movie are more-or-less generic (for want of a better word), I would not go so far as to label the film as such. Sure, it's loaded with familiar elements and a plot twist that anyone who has seen an espionage thriller at least once in their lives can see coming a mile away, but, at the very least, Without Remorse is aware of its genericness (again, for want of a better word) and decides to provide the best possible experience it can with what it has. 

    Michael B. Jordon, as you might expect, delivers his usual powerhouse performance to the role. I've stated before that I find him a spectacular actor taking Hollywood by storm. He has so far proven himself capable of both the pressure and responsibilities of being a leading man while maintaining the charismatic charm of a supporting character actor. He is slowly but surely becoming one of those actors I could watch reading the phonebook on stage and still be incredibly entertained. Plus, for those who are more inclined to admire his physical attributes, he's still rocking his Black Panther build, minus the strange body art. So...yeah! 

    The writing is surprisingly nuanced. Co-written by Taylor Sheridan, the mind behind Hell or High Water and Wind River, the script has a decent amount of humanity and insightfulness, as one might expect from a Taylor Sheridan script. In fact, I suspect the only reason it is not quite as nuanced or as deep as it otherwise might have been likely due to the other co-writer, Will Staples, who spends most of his time writing video game plots for series like Call of Duty or Need for Speed, which do not match the tangible level or characterization offered by Taylor Sheridan. Not to say that nuanced writing can't exist in video games, look no further than the Mass Effect series for proof of that, but some games, just like movies and TV shows, are better at carrying nuance than others. Just like how some writers are better at presenting tangible stories and characters than others. 

    The MVP award must go to Jodie Turner-Smith. Much like her co-star, Michael B Jordon, she is proving herself a remarkable actor. She stole the show with her breakout role in Queen & Slim, and I am overjoyed to see her getting more roles in movies and television. I hope to see more of her in the future. 

    The only nitpick I have with the film is the cinematography. Photographed by Philippe Rousselot, late of Interview with a Vampire and Tim Burton's Big Fish, the film appears to have fallen victim to the assumption of "underexposure equals seriousness" mentality, where cinematographers will darken their style under the assumption that it will make their work look more prestigious. I've already discussed this phenomenon at length in my Shooting in the Dark article, so I'll just say that there's a difference between shooting a dark scene and shooting a dark scene with proper contrast. While one could argue that given the dark material, it makes sense to shoot the film in a dark style, the point still stands that, no matter how dark a scene is intended to be (either thematically or lighting wise), it's more important that the viewer should still be able to make out specific shapes rather than constantly question what is on screen. 

    Tom Clancy's Without Remorse may not be the most "original" espionage thriller to hit the scene, but it's a pretty decent version of what it sets out to be; a nail-biting action thriller that just so happens to also be a decent character piece with an attractive leading man kicking ass with his shirt off half of the time. I suspect that this is intended as a cinematic pilot for future films featuring this particular character brought to life by Michael B. Jordon. If that's the case, I would not mind seeing more films in this series and seeing how they might further develop this iteration of the character. Only time will tell. 

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Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; Thank you all for reading.