Without Remorse (2021) Review

Directed By: Stefano Sollima

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Brett Gelman, Jacob Scipio, Jack Kesy, Colman
Domingo, Todd Lasance, Cam Gigandet, Luke Mitchell and Guy Pearce

Synopsis: An elite Navy SEAL uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice for the murder of his pregnant wife in Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, the explosive origin story of action hero John Clark — one of the most popular characters in the best-selling author’s Jack Ryan universe. When a squad of Russian soldiers kills his family in retaliation for his role in a top-secret operation, Sr. Chief John Kelly
(Michael B. Jordan) pursues the assassins at all costs. Joining forces with a fellow SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and a shadowy CIA agent (Jamie Bell), Kelly’s mission unwittingly exposes a covert plot that
threatens to engulf the U.S. and Russia in an all-out war. Torn between personal honor and loyalty to his country, Kelly must fight his enemies without remorse if he hopes to avert disaster and reveal the
powerful figures behind the conspiracy.

Review:  Without Remorse combines action, drama and tension in an explosive, edge of your seat, adrenaline-fuelled ride.

Everyone knows Tom Clancy; whether it be through books, games, movies or TV, we have all heard the name. Clancy has created many unforgettable characters and franchises; the most popular being Jack Ryan. He has written an expansive roster of novels,  such as Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six.

For the first time, we have a movie solely focused on the character John Kelly (to be known as John Clarke eventually, as fans will know), leader of the elite Rainbow Six team. Other incarnations of the Kelly/Clarke character have been mere supporting roles. For fans, this is a huge moment to explore the character in depth.

Michael B Jordan excels in this memorable performance,  playing John Kelly in Without Remorse. Not only is Jordan an outstanding actor, but he can also combine his acting skills with action; he delivers the character of John Kelly with that sense of realism. Jordan brings the badass, fearless leader of the Rainbow team to life; he has that perfect balance of intimidation and heroism, but also so much heart and emotion.

Supporting Jordan throughout the movie are Jodie Turner-Smith and Jamie Bell. Jodie conveys the character of Greer in a total fearless and badass way, delivering  a cool hand to hand fight in the finale. She is force to be reckoned with.

Greer and John are both Navy SEALS and have each other’s back throughout the movie. Jamie Bell plays a shady CIA operative named Ritter. He plays the character with ease and it’s really hard to figure out his character, which leads to quite a bit of tension between John and the team.

The action in Without Remorse is astonishing. The opening action scene in Syria, which has John and his Navy SEAL team rescuing a hostage, is an action packed way to introduce the characters. Every action set piece is memorable. The interrogation scene in an engulfed car (shown on the preview trailers) is a highlight of the movie; it really leaves an impact.

The finale is a blast! There is a wave of goons, snipers and explosions…it has it all! It doesn’t go overboard; it mixes everything to perfection and delivers an intense, tight action segment.

Without Remorse mentions the term ‘Ghost’ twice, and it could be a subtle hint that we will eventually see a Ghost Recon movie. Michael B Jordan has stated how he wants to create the Tom Clancy universe; if Amazon are going to be premiering the movies, then there’s a high chance we could see John Krasinki’s Jack Ryan crossover into this world.

Michael B Jordan is reminiscent of Denzel Washington with his acting range and performance. He has that charisma and ability to to be a complete badass but have total composure, similar to Creasy in Man On Fire or Robert McCall in The Equalizer. I would even say that he has the action screen presence of the legendary Sylvester Stallone. Jordan is clearly showing us he is the future of the A-list action genre.

Overall, Without Remorse is without a doubt the best action/thriller of the year. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Be sure to stay around during the credits…