At long last, Jack is back.

Directed by Andrew Bernstein, Jack Ryan: Ghost War forces the now semi-retired analyst Ryan (John Krasinski) back into the fray when an international covert mission uncovers a deadly conspiracy. As things begin to unravel, Ryan teams up once again with his former mentor James Greer (Wendell Pierce) and CIA operative Mike November (Michael Kelly) to engage a past that they believed had long been left behind.

In what feels like a grand return for the franchise, Ghost War is a thrilling, action-packed film that deserves its flowers. For fans of Ryan, Ghost War is a riveting next chapter to Krasinski’s series. Though, as a film, it packs a punch in a way that other Ryan iterations have failed to do over the last three decades.

While Ghost War skipping theatres to go directly to Prime Video makes sense given its relationship to the streaming service, Ghost War truly is cinematic. (And, for a franchise that hasn’t really had a great film since 1994’s Clear and Present Danger, that’s saying something.) Bernstein balances the franchise’s necessary ‘detective’ style storytelling with some truly gripping action sequences. (The boat and car chases are particularly noteworthy.) In moments like these, the film seems to have the extra oomph necessary to make this feel like more than ‘just another episode’ of the series.

Performances within the film are focused and fun. Pierce once again brings a gruff worldliness to Greer that was missing from James Earl Jones’ version of the character. Even when firing a weapon, Kelly brings some much-needed humour to the film. And new addition Sienna Miller fits right in to the world, bringing confidence and strength her character.

But make no mistake. Ghost War’s biggest asset remains Krasinski.

What’s more, there’s simply something about Krasinski that makes him the perfect fit for the role of Ryan. As the fifth actor to play the character onscreen, the former star of The Office has a unique blend of affability and intensity that helps the character seem real. He’s committed to the physicality that the role of action hero demands. However, at the same time, he brings an earnestness to the role that maintains his boyish charm. Essentially, he looks as comfortable sitting at a desk and analyzing data as he does brandish a semi-automatic and Krasinski holds those qualities in tension with ease.

In short, he’s a veteran who still feels like a boy scout.

Yet it’s also that same black-and-white worldview that makes Ryan so compelling within this world. Held up against Greer’s more grizzled cynicism, Ryan’s boy scout mentality feels like it doesn’t entirely belong within spaces fueled by shades of gray. Here, right and wrong aren’t objective. They’re constantly in flux as powerful men and women attempt to jockey for position. Even so, Ryan continues to cling to his unwavering belief that there are moral ways of navigating this world.

In a world engulfed in darkness, he continues to kick at the light.

And that dichotomy is embedded within the characters of Ghost War. For some, it’s an idea that seems understandably naïve. (“Walking away from the darkness isn’t the same as walking into the light,” we’re told.) After all, when power is the ultimate objective, who cares about how its obtained? To reach for some greater standard of right and wrong feels like it slows down achieving the goal, especially when you believe your actions are more justified than the other guy’s.

However, Ryan’s character has always been one who stands on his principles first and foremost. Sure, he can exist and thrive ‘within the grey’. But even in those spaces, he’s looking for ways to live out his true character. That indomitable optimism is what makes Ryan so endearing. He knows that the world is broken yet still fights through the lens of hopefulness.

For that reason, Jack Ryan: Ghost War proves to be exactly the burst of energy that the franchise needed. Its fiery and furious yet still holds on to the necessary earnestness that defines Ryan’s character. But, perhaps most importantly, Ghost War serves as a reminder that, in times of darkness, it’s important to kick against it until you see some daylight.

Jack Ryan: Ghost War is available globally on Prime Video on May 20th, 2026.