TOM CLANCY'S JACK RYAN: GHOST WAR (AMAZON PRIME) (2026)

SYNOPSIS: When CIA analyst Jack Ryan stumbles upon a suspicious series of bank transfers his search for answers pulls him from the safety of his desk job and catapults him into a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout Europe and the Middle East, with a rising terrorist figurehead preparing for a massive attack against the US and her allies.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Jack Ryan has become the most famous creation of the late American novelist over the decades. Actors such as Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine and John Krasinski have all portrayed the former U.S. Marine lieutenant-turned-President of the United States, but it is Krasinski who has had the longest stint as Ryan through the four-season television series on Amazon Prime Video.

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War serves as a continuation of the Prime Video series and marks Krasinski’s first movie outing as Ryan. Even if you are not familiar with the television series, Ghost War still works well as a standalone feature.

With a story by Noah Oppenheim (Jackie, The Maze Runner) and Krasinski, Ghost War begins with Ryan, now a civilian, being asked by CIA Deputy Director James Greer (Wendell Pierce) to travel to Dubai to meet Nigel, an MI6 agent. However, before any information can be exchanged, Nigel is killed, leaving Ryan and fellow MI6 officer Marlow (Sienna Miller) to investigate the case. Just do not ask why a private citizen is somehow allowed to work part-time for the CIA.

It soon turns out that Greer’s former ally, Liam Crown (Max Beesley), is behind the attack, and the world once again faces danger unless Ryan hands over the intel Nigel stole from Liam.

As a continuation of the Ryanverse, Ghost War is never as complex as Clancy’s original novels, nor does it need to be. There are the usual elements of political tension, espionage, double-crosses and plenty of mumbo jumbo about keeping the world safe until it no longer is. The film does have moments where the stakes feel genuinely high, particularly with the death of a crucial figure, though it ultimately feels more like a convenient chess move than an emotionally impactful moment.

The film’s main objective is to deliver an intriguing and action-packed thriller, and Ghost War succeeds on that front. For a direct-to-streaming movie, it genuinely feels like a big-screen production, taking audiences on a globe-trotting journey from New York to Dubai to London and back to Dubai again. Television director Andrew Bernstein proves he can handle a flashy and sprawling feature with confidence.

Krasinski has firmly established himself as a charismatic lead. Michael Kelly clearly enjoys himself as Ryan’s dependable ally Mike November, while Pierce and Miller provide strong support that complements Ryan’s intelligence-driven approach.

Ghost War may not stand out among the many modern spy-action thrillers, but longtime Jack Ryan fans are unlikely to be disappointed. Newcomers, meanwhile, should still appreciate its polished production values and near big-screen treatment.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee