Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - Quicky Review!

Tom Clancy has had his faced and name slapped across everything in a substantial amount of years. With his recent death, the possibility of more Clancy movies and games creeping out is inevitably going to increase. Having never read one of his books, I cannot comment of his ability as an author. However, his involvement with other forms of the media is were I can play about. Actively avoiding his collection of games because they were simply the same game, wrapped in a different package and sent to the studio to change the threat from the Taliban to Russia. Call of Duty has that market cornered and there is only so much of the same crap we can endure.

Jack Ryan is solely based on the character created by Clancy. Fortunately it doesn't involve his stories revolving around Jack Ryan and it does allow for a great possibility to move away from the abusive draining of a dead man's creations. However, Jack Ryan was also played by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin and Ben Affleck in several other movies simply aimed at bleeding a rock. When this will end is a mystery that only Da vinci could solve. It would be refreshing to see them come up with something that isn't solely used for money rather than a good story. The question here is is Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit worth it?

Answer - No.

I'm going to keep this short. The story is genuinely pants. Lets crash another countries economy because they didn't want to do one thing. Mother Russia is the best, America bad. No America is the land of the free and Russia are just grumpy and we need to send a secret agent to hack into their mainframe. I'm no computer genius but if you wanted to find something out, you can do that. It's as loose as an extra large condom on a small calibre man and feels ignorantly patriotic that it is painful to watch. It's a plot that takes itself

From story to acting, I have to attack the most prominent piece for me. Keira Knightley. First of all, what jackass cast her to play an American even though she cannot do an American accent without looking like a horse. Alongside the fact that the rest of her acting could be considered poor, at best, it really puts a lot of pressure onto the others to bring the level back up. However, stuck with Kevin Costner, the acting isn't going to be great. Yet Chris Pine should have filled his role of testosterone filled secret agent pretty easily but his voice squeaks in comparison to Kenneth Branagh's thick Russian accent. None of it fits. Much like a school play, people have been cast simply because they asked for it and were available. The extent of their talent has disappeared as Christmas draws closer and they are excited to get home rather than put all of their effort into a play that means very little to children who have no concept of what the story is trying to portray. Each character has little or no background whatsoever and are thrust onto screen while Kenneth Branagh (also the director) shoots at their feet to make them dance. It's a hash of people with no character, poorly directed positioning, script and casting and should not have passed go.

Finally, the only thing that should be good in this movie but is incredibly mediocre and excessively over-produced is the action. The action is big, there's a lot of noise (all be it deafening) but all common sense just vaporises. We do everything in extensive action scenes through the streets of cities will no interference from traffic. I went to Paris last year, it was fucking difficult to drive around. I've also seen New York traffic and the aspect of reality and common sense piles on me with every poor punch.

The movie had my hopes high. A cast of actors that are typically deemed good, only to find out they are astonish bad. A script written by a room of monkeys that still have the deadline for that Shakespeare piece and an attitude to it that is so pretentious and up it's own ass makes it a poor watch. I haven't even delved into the cinematography because it wound me up so much. A constant blur covers the screen, with nothing clear or crisp, I don't feel I'm in a modern movie that's been recorded on a million dollar camera but rather an Iphone. So my overall score rounds in at 6/10. The only redeeming factors are that it's an action movie and keeps you remotely interested and it's only 105 minutes long which is enough to pass the time you need to waste before you go to the dentist for that check-up they keep insisting on.

The Wolf of Wall Street - Review! - MINOR SPOILERS

First post of the year and it's only taken 3 weeks! Really sorry, once again. Essays suck and I will try my best to keep my Twitter updated and the new Facebook page! You may also like to know that I saw 12 Years a Slave, Walter Mitty and American Hustle in recent weeks but didn't have enough time to give you my opinions but if you do want them, just let me know!

With increasing Oscar buzz, Golden Globes and DiCaprio's blitzing performance, I've been anxiously waiting for the UK release. Instead of launching into a rant about why it should be a world wide release, I will simply say, it exceeded my expectations. Martin Scorsese's ability to use small details to connote traits of a character or a drive to force the best out of his cast and the gloriously captured scenes add so many levels to the movie experience. A brief explanation describes it best -
Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government. IMDB

First of all, I'd like to talk about the cinematography. With each scene, each job and each place, the mood of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is captured. Through a blend of lighting, shading and the vividness of colours can show a distinct difference between anger and happiness. Although we consider it typically easy to use colour and lighting correctly, many do not use it to the potential and do not take into fact the placement of the shot. I cannot praise the endless detail that went into setting up shots and a personal favourite is Belfort's meeting with a banker. There's an element of stress of DiCaprio's face but behind him; a vast city landscape, while behind the banker sits a small fish tank sunk into the black marble wall. Representing both of these characters with this device is great to see. Belfort's desire to be richer than ever, his open minded thinking process compared to the formal shark banker whose closed-in scene demonstrates his emotional capabilities for anyone other than himself and his closed aspect mind. I won't ruin it, but the final scene drags, it doesn't bore but it connotes something really hard hitting and it would be great to see what some people took from it. This level of attention to detail could really push Scorsese ahead of the other Oscar nominations for best director this year, although stiff competition from Gravity's Alfonso Cuarón and Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave realistically will be the ones to capture the Oscar.

Swiftly towards the story. Based on the true story, doesn't insinuate the extent of what actually happened throughout the life of Belfort, however, the embellishment and development upon a story is what makes it a movie rather than a simple documentary. Beginning with a simple entrepreneur who makes it rich, to the point he has no way of spending it fast enough with a drive to keep it that way that leaves him in the shit with the FBI. Stereotypically, a film has a set point within the story, something that pushes the tale forward and keep everything moving. Yet within this, it's not till half way through we really understand that the trail starts when the FBI become involved but in very minor ways while Jordan works his way around life. It never felt like a linear plot, nothing had to be achieved apart from avoiding governmental attention and it detailed random points throughout the years to a point that some may perceive as useless but show a desire for character development rather than a simple story. As the movie grows, Belfort breaks down the 4th wall. Like Marvels Deadpool, he begins to narrate scenes, flowing through the sets like ghost as he describes the ins and outs of the market, his criminal actions and sells the story just as well as he sells stocks.

Essentially the Charlie Sheen of the Stock Market, Belfort is a character that can be incredibly motivational but his dependency on narcotics creates a demeanour that could only be described as malicious. His wealth and power is demonstrated through his flash cars, a white Ferrari 512 TR, Jag E-Type and the infamous Lamborghini Countach (fun fact - extremely rare 25th anniversary edition was destroyed on set!), then through an assortment of houses and a 150ft yacht. We see these items and at points I felt inspired. The vast sums of money, the ability to live life fast and drive fast is something that appeals to myself and probably many others out there. The role was built for DiCarprio. No one else could have played Belfort without loosing the flow or trying to hard. Effortlessly he shines throughout alongside all of his co-stars. Jonah Hill, who plays Donnie Azoff (Belfort's partner) also nails it. His comedy heritage is such a great addition to him as an actor and with elements of comedy throughout the movie, he can rely on his true forte to convince and knock it out of the park. The rest of the main cast were very strong. Names that ring no bells and faces that are new is refreshing in movies, without using an excess of big names, The Wolf of Wall Street has room for true talent rather than gimmicks. In their stock empire, the amount of extras needed to fill the

expansive room is enormous and some were a little over zealous at points and really distracted from scenes when you lock directly on the bell-end humping a desk or looking like they've just bitten into a Haribo sour soaked in Red Bull... Finally we must consider Naomi Lapaglia played by Margot Robbie. Naomi is the definitive love interest that has to deal with the back lash of her husbands addictions and that is no simple task. With her past as a Miller girl, Naomi was/is a beautiful women with a feisty and blunt persona. I've never come across her before and this being her most serious role is a lot of stress that doesn't seem to affect her. She plays the scenes perfectly, she looks the part for the era and holds her own on the screen opposite Leonardo. With a collection of other big names popping up for minor cameos, the casting department did a brilliant job in their selections.

Speaking of comedy, the movie isn't all serious. The comedy is so diverse and it's all very entertaining. You will sit there and enjoy the crudeness of some jokes and then sit in shock at the extent the comedy goes when they are under the influence of any number of drugs. From light hearted jovial playing to sudden shock tactics is what makes this film very powerful and such a contender within many award ceremonies and already stands as one of my favourite films. With a 10 minute scene exclusively about throwing 'midgets' and there apparent super human strength being completely improvised, both the acting and comedic talent comes into play. To hold a scene for so long about something so obscene is just incredible and unbelievably funny. Bucking the trend of many American TV shows (Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and many more), there is a lot of nudity. When I say a lot, I mean enough to fill a 60 minute soft core porn. It's something I'm growing used to but it's vulgarity and brashness holds a certain shock value and typically ruins a story for me, however it's held with a little more grace than simply throwing in a shag or two for those who fancy getting their rocks off.

To round it up, I'd like to point out a few little issues I had. One being continuity. When DiCaprio breaks up with his first wife, he was pulled out of a limo, every time the camera switched for a wider angle, the limo vanished and then returned. Alongside a few other errors, it was a bit of a grind not to notice them after a while. Secondly is some of the visual aspects. With some stunning set pieces, the punchy colours and lights, you wouldn't think anything could go wrong. Yet if you look at the CGI, it can be really lacklustre and looks to have dropped out of an early 2000's Call of Duty game. So overall, I'm extremely impressed. I can't see it nailing many Oscars with the others about but each one it earns, it deserves. The Wolf of Wall Street is an astonishing thrill ride that grips you with brilliant gags, mind blowing acting and visually perfect. A riveting tale that you probably won't want to see with your parents... 9/10!