--- description: The adaptation of Tom Clancy’s 1993 novel provides a backstory for John Clark, one of the recurring characters in the Jack Ryan series. title: 'Tom Clancy's Without Remorse' Unapologetically Kicks Off a Bland New Franchise image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe5d380d8864d74e/698a1934b3fce38c990c7e45/tom-clancy-s-without-remorse-WORE_2021_Unit_3900x2600_IAW_KeySet_07262R_rgb.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Tom Clancy's Without Remorse_ Unapologetically Kicks Off a Bland New Franchise  by [Stephanie Zacharek](/author/stephanie-zacharek/)  ## Stephanie Zacharek Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Film Critic Apr 29, 2021 3:58 PM CUT  Jamie Bell and Michael B. Jordan star in 'Without Remorse' Jamie Bell and Michael B. Jordan star in 'Without Remorse'Nadja Klier—© 2020 Paramount Pictures  by [Stephanie Zacharek](/author/stephanie-zacharek/)  ## Stephanie Zacharek Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Film Critic Apr 29, 2021 3:58 PM CUT There are some movie titles you can’t say with a straight face, and _Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse_ is one of them. It’s a title with all the swagger of a 200-page contract heavy with riders, an appellation that stands, arms akimbo, in defiance of Pee-wee Herman’s dictum “That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” Every time you say it, an angel dressed like a Navy SEAL gets its wings. And yet, in these stressful times, a little mindless action isn’t wholly unwelcome, and _Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse_—directed by Stefano Sollima, who not long ago gave us [_Sicario: Day of the Soldado_](https://time.com/5324703/soldado-returns-to-the-border/ "undefined")—is moderately un-terrible, a diversion that hits every beat predictably, with a mighty grunt. It takes itself more seriously than it should, but you can take it with as much seriousness as you like. Personally, I advise little to none. The plot, adapted from—surprise!—[Tom Clancy’s](https://time.com/4691287/ghost-recon-wildlands-review/ "undefined") 1993 novel _Without Remorse,_ provides a backstory for John Clark, one of the recurring characters in Clancy’s series of novels featuring [Jack Ryan](https://time.com/5385944/emily-blunt-john-krasinski-jack-ryan/ "undefined"). Clark, who first appears to us as John Kelly, a Navy SEAL on a dangerous mission in Aleppo, Syria, is played by [Michael B. Jordan](https://time.com/5667958/michael-b-jordan-just-mercy/ "undefined"). Shady-looking CIA guy Robert Ritter ([Jamie Bell](https://time.com/5098770/annette-bening-film-stars-dont-die-in-liverpool-review/ "undefined")), whose gaze is as untrustworthy as one of those cartoon kitty-cat clocks with the shifting eyes, barks orders cynically. You just know he’s bad news. But John has an ally in Lieutenant Commander Karen Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith); later, this will be important. And at a certain point, back in the States, Guy Pearce appears as one of the good guys. Yay!  Jodie Turner-Smith and Michael B. Jordan Nadja Klier / Amazon Studios—© 2020 Paramount Pictures But nothing is as it seems in _Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse._ You probably already knew that, didn’t you? When John returns from his mission, tragedy befalls him in a plot point so egregiously manipulative you might be tempted to call this movie _Tom Clancy’s Without Shame._ He must find the perpetrator of this heinous crime, but his first step in doing so lands him in jail. [**_Read more reviews by Stephanie Zacharek_**](https://time.com/author/stephanie-zacharek/ "undefined") There is much discharging of automatic weapons and men going “Gaaah!” in _Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse._ There is also moderate discharging of self-serious dialogue like “I’m not a soldier. I’m a felon.” In the movie’s quieter moments, many of the actors are fun to watch: Turner-Smith (best known for her role in [_Queen & Slim_](https://time.com/5740126/queen-and-slim-movie-review/ "undefined")) has an elegant gravitas about her, and you might wonder what she’d be able to do in a Grace Jones biopic. The terrific Georgian actor Merab Ninidze, recently seen in [_The Courier_](https://time.com/5955323/the-courier-review/ "undefined")_,_ plays a throwaway Russian villain, but I still perked up when I saw him. And Jordan gives his all even to this crassly commercial franchise-starter. The test of a good actor isn’t what he does with great roles but how he tackles mediocre ones, and Jordan is a pretty good actor. He takes the movie’s dialogue, most of it squat and square as a Humvee, and at least tries to give it wings. He makes John Kelly-soon-to-be-John Clark’s anguish, and his thirst for retribution, feel electric and believable, and that helps breathe some life into this pretty much business-as-usual movie. Whose title, in case you’ve forgotten, is _Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse._ That’s its name, don’t wear it out. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5970770/tom-clancys-without-remorse-review/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5970770/tom-clancys-without-remorse-review/"},"headline":"Tom Clancy's Without Remorse Unapologetically Kicks Off a Bland New Franchise","datePublished":"2021-04-29T15:58:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:55:14.358Z","description":"Michael B. 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