Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A CIA operative must navigate a web of international financial intrigue to stop a looming terrorist threat.
The story
Following a severe injury in Afghanistan, Jack Ryan is recruited by a veteran CIA official. Years later, while working covertly on Wall Street for the CIA, Ryan discovers that billions of dollars belonging to Russian interests have vanished. When he identifies a potential threat to the U.S. economy, he travels to Moscow to investigate. There, he must navigate a dangerous landscape of international finance and espionage to uncover the truth behind the missing funds and the shadowy figures behind them.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being injured in Afghanistan, Jack Ryan is recruited by CIA official Thomas Harper. Years later, while monitoring Wall Street for the CIA, Ryan discovers that billions of dollars belonging to Russian oligarch Viktor Cherevin have disappeared. He travels to Moscow to investigate, where he discovers Cherevin's web of investments makes the U.S. vulnerable to a staged terrorist attack. During his investigation, Ryan's fiancée, Cathy Muller, joins him in Moscow. They infiltrate Cherevin's offices, and Ryan successfully retrieves crucial files. However, they discover Cherevin has propped up foreign economies while hiding a sleeper agent, Aleksandr, in the U.S. Ryan tracks Aleksandr to New York City, where he discovers a bomb in a vehicle. He crashes the vehicle into the East River, destroying the bomb and killing Aleksandr. Cherevin's conspirators are caught, and Ryan and Harper brief the President on the next steps.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kenneth Branagh
- Writers
- Adam Cozad · writer; David Koepp · writer
- Cast and characters
- Chris Pine · Jack Ryan; Keira Knightley · Dr. Catherine "Cathy" Muller; Kevin Costner · Thomas Harper; Kenneth Branagh · Viktor Cherevin; Lenn Kudrjawizki · Konstantin; Alec Utgoff · Aleksandr Borovsky; Elena Velikanova · Katya; Peter Andersson · Dimitri Lemkov
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- espionage; terrorism; financial conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- tense; action-packed
- Setting
- Modern-day locations including Wall Street, Moscow, and New York City.
- Premise and plot tags
- spy; reboot; political thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Tom Clancy character
- Franchise connections
- Jack Ryan
- Reception
- The film received mixed critical reviews, with some praising the direction and performances while others criticized the script's reliance on technology.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 55% · scale: percentage · review count: 191; Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Jack Ryan: Shadow One.; The film is dedicated to Tom Clancy.; The film was originally scheduled for release on December 25, 2013.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…