Shadows on the Wall | Without Remorse

Without Remorse

dir Stefano Sollima
scr Taylor Sheridan, Will Staples
prd Akiva Goldsman, Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Michael B Jordan
with Michael B Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Guy Pearce, Lauren London, Brett Gelman, Jacob Scipio, Jack Kesy, Todd Lasance, Merab Ninidze, Cam Gigandet, Colman Domingo
release US/UK 30.Apr.21
21/US Amazon 1h49

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Tom Clancy's bestseller is loosely adapted into a gritty action thriller that's clearly intent on launching a franchise. But the blunt script ignores its own themes, missing the irony as it strains to lionise a bullheaded killer who personifies everything he's railing against. The actors are almost too invested, refusing to ask for audience sympathy. If it weren't for Michael B Jordan's charisma, this would be difficult to watch.

After another violent mission, Special Ops agent John (Jordan) is planning a quiet civilian life with his heavily pregnant wife Pam (London) when members of his team begin being picked off one-by-one by Russian moles. John survives the attack, but Pam doesn't. Now clouded by revenge, John takes aim at a Russian diplomat (Ninidze) before realising that he has stumbled into a much bigger conspiracy. So commander Karen (Turner-Smith) gathers John and the team to head into Russia to find some sort of resolution. And CIA official Robert (Bell) is clearly hiding some key information.

It's impossible to escape the fact that John's righteous rage is ignited because his job as a government-sanctioned killer has followed him home. So it's tricky to connect with him, and there are only brief moments when he drops his mask of angry machismo. So we switch off our minds and enjoy strikingly edgy set-pieces from rattling gunfights to an outrageous plane crash. Each sequence is expertly staged without the usual too-slick cliches, so the danger is nerve-rattling.

Performances burst with bluster, with characters spinning around each other with intent. Jordan goes fully immersive as the beefy, vengeful John, completely abandoning his nice-guy persona. And the script never gives John any resonant complexity. Characters around him are equally sharp-edged, with Bell delivering another stand-out turn as the shifty Robert. And the magnetic Turner-Smith holds her own in a thankless role. Pearce adds snap to his thinly written role as the defence secretary, as does Domingo in a cameo as a family friend.

Aside from the twists and turns of the generic military narrative, there's little effort to meaningfully deepen the characters. We never learn anything about John aside from the fact that he's focussed and skilled, dedicated to his work and blinded by his personal grief. The shootouts and fist-fights are staged with unusual skill, but generally involve random baddies and rarely add interest to the people or situations. So we end up rooting for the actors rather than the characters they're playing.

themes, language, violence 26.Apr.21

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