I Have A Lot of Remorse

Without Remorse, the film based on the 1993 Tom Clancy novel, is an awful movie. It is so bad that I think they must have filmed at least 2x the runtime and just mistakenly left the rest out.

The plot makes no sense. The characters make no sense when they speak to each other. The talents of Michael B. Jordan, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Guy Pearce are entirely wasted, particularly in the case of Pearce, who seems to want to say more, but the script is missing big narratives and essential exposition.

The source material is excellent. The book about John Clark, a mysterious maybe-CIA agent taking some personal revenge, is a page-turner. But the film takes the names of the characters and uses them randomly for no particular reason.

I can understand that updating older source material is sometimes necessary, as in this case, the plight of a Vietnam vet might not resonate with today’s younger audiences. But, the entirety of the story structure was decimated and left unrecognizable for Clancy fans.

If you are a fan of the actors, then fine, watch it. If you want endless, really, really long Call of Duty battle scenes, watch it. Otherwise, go watch Creed or Just Mercy.