Full disclosure: before watching every single version of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in the space of 36 hours (I simply had to break for eating, drinking and a small nap, please forgive me), I was prepared to not like Jack Ryan at all. Having been vaguely aware of the five Jack Ryan films released since 1990, in which the titular character is depicted by buff white dudes who look weirdly similar, I was almost certain I knew what I was in for: five cookie-cutter action films and a brand-new series to boot, unashamedly patriotic in their all-American-hero-saves-the-day-type plots.

And, look, at the conclusion of the Jack Ryan-athon, I can say I wasn’t completely off the mark. All five feature films definitely have a few things to say about American might in the face of dark, antagonistic forces (Russia, pretty much), while the Amazon Prime Video series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan pits hard-working, likeable, unanimously ‘good’ CIA agents against shadowy terrorists operating in the Middle East. It might be a case of “if it ain’t broke”, but the Jack Ryan narrative has barely changed in the nearly 30 years it’s been part of the pop culture landscape.

Nevertheless, there’s a surprising amount of substance to the Jack Ryan universe, so if you’re up for a solid spy thriller binge, this could be the franchise for you. Here’s what I’ve learned after an insane number of hours spent watching a CIA analyst-turned-field-agent save the dang world a million times.

Dr Ryan Is Actually A Pretty Likeable Guy

It might be easy to write Jack Ryan off as James Bond-but-not, especially when considering who’s played him: Harrison Ford (twice), Ben Affleck, Chris Pine, and Alec Baldwin. But there’s more to him than that!

Is this John Krasinsky’s boyish charm talking, or am I actually empathising with the Jack Ryan character, just a little bit? He rides his bike to work – I ride my bike to work! He butts heads with his gruff, war-ragged boss; I sometimes get attacked by my cat in the middle of the night when I’m just trying to sleep. Jack Ryan is just like us, guys!

As an unassuming CIA desk clerk (when he says “I’m just an analyst”, he’s not lying) thrust into a dangerous field assignment in the Amazon Prime Video series, Ryan brings a unique and calming energy to the chaos of a military base interrogation room. He personally relates to the bigwig he’s interviewing, and actually listens when he speaks. There’s a kind of cute fish-out-of-water dynamic to the early episodes of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan that’s instantly relatable.

Across the five films, the Jack Ryan character is one audiences find themselves rallying behind. Harrison Ford is essentially playing his action hero self in Phillip Noyce’s Jack Ryan films Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994), which is nothing to complain about. Even Chris Pine in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) brings the right level of Boy Scout earnestness to the role that we’re totally here for.

Plus, he flawlessly executes full on action sequences in a well-fitting suit, so full marks to him.

Where All The Ladies At, Though?

Calling it as I see it: this franchise desperately needs more prominent roles for women. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan gets a nod for diverse casting, but after the early scenes, females slowly fall by the wayside. There’s Australian Abbie Cornish as Cathy Mueller, Dr Ryan’s would-be wife; a colleague who Ryan essentially throws under the bus to make inroads in his case; and Hanin, the antagonist’s wife who’s quickly framed as needing rescuing.

The feature films don’t fare as well on the female front (thanks, ‘90s Hollywood), with the exception of an American-accented Kiera Knightley, who kicks serious butt alongside Chris Pine in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014).

Jackie Ryan would be an incredible spin off. Just sayin’.

The ‘Enemy’ Is Treated With More Nuance Than You Might Expect

I never thought I’d identify subtlety as a defining characteristic of this franchise, but seriously, it’s a thing. In Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, we learn far more about the villains than I was expecting.

Terrorist mastermind Suleiman, who the CIA is calling the next Bin Laden, is shown as a family man – he and his family are given almost as much screen time as our heroic leads. Suleiman and Hanin are given intimate lives and motivations, which is a refreshing change from other on-screen depictions of archetypical ‘terrorists’.

After my very serious investigation into the Jack Ryan films, it was clear Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan builds on groundwork laid by earlier films. In The Hunt for Red October, in which the CIA enlists Jack Ryan to track down a rogue, technologically superior Soviet nuclear submarine, Russia is posited as the big bad, sure. But the plot goes deeper – Dr Ryan (played by a dreamy eyed, turtle-neck clad Alex Baldwin) has a hunch that the captain of Red October (played by Sean Connery, who almost definitely has defied the laws of ageing) is attempting to defect rather than launch an all-out offensive on The US. A labyrinth of guessing games ensues, the plot thickens, etc.

Consider my hat well and truly tipped.

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