Without Remorse is a trimmed and updated version of Tom Clancy’s Vietnam-era novel of the same name. The 109-minute Amazon Prime Video release stars a bulked-up Michael B Jordan as US Navy Seal John Clark, who is part of a mission to rescue a Russian hostage in war-torn Syria. Two members of the mission are killed after the Navy Seals return to America. John escapes, but his pregnant wife doesn’t.
John swears revenge, but against whom, exactly? Are Russians crawling about America, targeting its most highly trained soldiers? Is the villain inside the Central Intelligence Agency, represented by the suspicion-fuelling Robert (Jamie Bell)?
Director Stefano Sollimo and writers Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples give John and his commanding officer Karen (Jodie Turner-Smith) the entire length of the movie to figure out the obvious. Until then, Sollimo treats us to the film’s leading and redeeming feature: slickly choreographed, tension-filled and highly effective action set-pieces, including two lengthy sequences that speak poorly of Russia’s intelligence gathering skills.
Michael B Jordan looks all set to lead the franchise that this spin-off from Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels is clearly aiming for. The movie’s nasty-brutish-short approach complements the threadbare plot, but the wounds heal all too quickly. The lack of remorse extends to the need to make a lasting impact.