Overall, I found Without Remorse disappointing. While a mediocre action film that was mildly entertaining, this was not by any imagination an adaptation of Tom Clancy's Without Remorse.
Probably one of Clancy's finest books, Sheridan and Staples manage to shred anything remotely close to the novel. Rather than a realistic portrayal of a man filled with rage and bent on revenge as he walks the tightrope between self-destruction and duty, we get a stylized military version of John Wick.
Don't get me wrong, I love the John Wick movies. They're entertaining fun not to take too seriously. Without Remorse (the movie) hits those same notes. But that's not why Clancy fans have waited decades to see this story come to the screen.
But if this movie hits the same John Wick notes, then why is it mildly entertaining? The film takes itself seriously, and it is hard to accept. Not too mention some questionable choices from the writers and director that are just hard to swallow.
Poor logistical choices for locations, ridiculous military representations that make Godzilla movies seem like Pentagon training videos, poor casting, and a Swiss cheese script keep Without Remorse from being memorable.
Stefano Sollima was absolutely the wrong director for this project. Based solely on his work on Sicario: Day of the Soldado, the acceptable sequel to Sicario, Sollima is a quasi cohort for Sheridan. But Sollima lacks the sophistication to truly tell a compelling story and directs this picture as a Sheridan lapdog instead. Frankly, Sollima stinks and should stick to television.
Tyler Sheridan approached the adaptation with a bug gnawing an idea in the back of his head. He's currently developing a television series about the first female Navy Seal. Obviously a fantasy piece that's already been done with G. I. Jane, Sheridan believes he can put a new spin on the idea. Here he tests the waters with Without Remorse, and the water is cold.
Karen Greer, played by Jodie Turner-Smith, is a one-dimensional piece of wood. And Turner-Smith has as much range as a squirt gun. Not too mention she doesn't come close to the type of woman that could prevail as a Navy Seal. A miss by all accounts.
Jordan as the lead John Clark managed to breathe as much life into a dead-eyed version of the character from the book he could muster. Frankly, the writers and director set him up for failure, but he somehow still came out unscathed.
Without Remorse is filled with implausible action sequences, a plot we've seen a million times, stiff acting, and a predictable ending that doesn't even try. Three stars is being nice and is for Jordan only.
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