Originally written in 1993 as a gritty revenger about a Vietnam vet beating up Baltimore pimps, the entire plot of Clancy’s novel is thrown out here apart from the basic backstory of John Clark (Jordan) – a no-nonsense Navy SEAL who isn’t afraid to do the kind of dirty work Jack Ryan shies away from. More ruthless than his predecessors but slightly less interesting, Jordan finds himself leading a middleweight actioner that feels caught between its own influences – not as smart as Bourne, as quick as John Wick or as bombastic as Mission: Impossible – Without Remorse is still a solid slice of old-fashioned action that feels fun, even if it doesn’t feel fresh.

Tom Clancy adaptations have come a long way since 1990’s The Hunt For Red October (in which Baldwin starred as Jack Ryan), and the leading men who have played his characters on screen lead us through a potted history of what Hollywood thinks action heroes are supposed to look like – moving from Baldwin to Harrison Ford ( Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger), Ben Affleck ( The Sum Of All Fears), Chris Pine ( Shadow Recruit) and John Krasinski ( Jack Ryan) before casting Jordan in a planned two-part film series designed to reboot the Ryan-verse. You can’t imagine Alec Baldwin ever doing that… Jordan rips off his shirt, wraps a wet towel around his knuckles and takes out an entire team of riot police, snapping every arm, leg and neck that gets in his way.

Halfway through Without Remorse, Michael B.

Tom clancy michael b jordan