Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War. The film format works in its favor

The fourth season brought the Jack Ryan series to a satisfying close, but John Krasinski still wanted to continue with the character. 

It could have been a fifth season, but according to director Andrew Bernstein, Krasinski had ideas that worked better as a film than as another long season.

That is how Ghost War — released on Prime Video Spain as Guerra fantasma (Ghost War in the original version) —– was born: a direct sequel that brings Ryan back together with his inseparable partners James Greer and Mike November.

The film condenses the plot into one hour and 46 minutes, gets straight to the point and raises the action scenes a notch. It does not fix the series' problems and offers even less character development, but it is good entertainment.. 

It also embraces, without much hesitation, what this version of Jack Ryan has long wanted to be: an international action adventure closer to James Bond or Mission: Impossible than to realistic, analytical espionage.

Plot summary of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War

Jack Ryan has left the CIA and leads an apparently quieter life. Until James Greer asks for his help again, supposedly for a simple little job.

But, as usual, everything gets complicated and the international operation uncovers a conspiracy linked to a clandestine unit. 

Ryan reunites with Greer and November, joined by Emma Marlow, an MI6 agent played by Sienna Miller. Together they must discover who is behind the operation and stop it before it is too late.

Even though it picks up after the series finale, the film is easy to follow without having watched the show because it explains the essentials. Even so, it works better as a sequel: it assumes you already know the relationships between the leads and wastes no time reintroducing them.

The best parts of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War

This is what I liked most about Amazon's film.

The film format works in its favor

The seasons of Jack Ryan usually started well, lost momentum in the middle and then recovered their pace for the finale. Here the script has less room and cuts the less relevant material.

The film starts quickly and maintains a steady pace which is welcome. There are a few rushed explanations and coincidences you have to accept, but the story is more focused than those in the series.

Andrew Bernstein explained that they wanted to tell Ryan's return in a different way, and you never feel the film needs a longer runtime.

The action scenes are better

It is not an enormous leap — after all, the series already had very good production values — but this clearly feels like something different.

The chases are better constructed, the shoot-outs are similar and the action looks more impressive, as though it had a larger budget.

The series had already pushed Jack Ryan closer to being an action hero.. Ghost War completes that shift and places him definitively closer to Ethan Hunt or James Bond than to an intelligence analyst.

And that is not necessarily bad. If you want chases, shoot-outs, travel and an international threat, you will probably like the film more than the series. If you want realism or deep political analysis, that is another matter.

Sienna Miller is a good counterpoint

Sienna Miller plays Emma Marlow, an MI6 agent who works with the usual team.

The character brings a more pragmatic and less idealistic attitude than Ryan's, which is welcome. She does not transform the film or receive especially deep development, but she works well as a contrast to the protagonist's brighter, more idealistic nature.

As I already noted in my review of the series, John Krasinski does not entirely convince me as Jack Ryan. The actor does the job, but I still see too much kindness and idealism in someone with such a history of violence, covert operations and betrayals. Here, at least, Miller provides a contrast that helps balance him.

As for the other familiar characters, there is nothing new to discover about Greer and November. The film makes direct use of Wendell Pierce's presence and Michael Kelly's charisma without explaining again who they are or why they make a good team.

The worst parts of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War

Although the overall level is more than acceptable, a few things prevent the film from reaching greater heights.

Character development is virtually nonexistent

Granted, it is an action film and the tighter runtime improves the pace, but there is a cost.

The characters arrive, take part in the mission and end up (almost) where they started. Jack remains Jack, November keeps his usual role and Emma Marlow barely exists outside the mission.

This is less noticeable if you have watched the series because you already know the protagonists. As a standalone film, it relies too heavily on your liking them from the start, because there is no development that makes them more appealing.

Greer's newly revealed past does not quite fit

Despite what I said above, one character development does not quite work for me.

During the series, Greer operated in a fairly light gray area. You knew he had worked for the CIA, done questionable things and understood the murkier parts of his profession perfectly. Even so, his limits were more or less clear.

The film adds a backstory that suddenly moves him towards a much darker shade of gray..

I will not go into details so as not to spoil the story. The problem is not that Greer has secrets, because it would be strange for an agent with his career not to have them. What is hard to believe is the importance of that past and that four seasons passed without any relevant clue appearing.

It feels as though they have changed the character to connect him personally with this plot. Wendell Pierce makes it believable while he is on screen, but the twist does not quite fit the Greer we knew.

Another missed opportunity for sharper criticism

The series already fell short when analyzing US politics. The film had an even better opportunity because of the nature of the conspiracy and Greer's past.

However, it once again reduces the problem to certain people who have misused the system. The CIA may make mistakes and harbor corrupt elements, but a group of honest agents always appears ready to fix everything.

I am not asking it to be a political essay, but it could have gone a little deeper. Instead, it chooses to return quickly to the action.

Verdict: is Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War worth watching?

Yes, especially if you enjoyed the series.

The film format works in its favor because it cuts the detours, improves the pace and concentrates the more ambitious action scenes. Sienna Miller provides a good counterpoint to Krasinski, while Greer and November keep working thanks to everything built up before.

In return, character development is even thinner than in the series, Greer's new backstory is questionable and the political criticism once again remains superficial.

Ghost War is closer than ever to James Bond and Mission: Impossible . If you want action and a couple of entertaining hours, you will like it. If you expect realistic espionage in the style of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, complex characters or an in-depth analysis of US politics, it falls considerably short.

A very enjoyable hour and a half of entertainment.

Technical details

Field	Information
Title used	Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War
Title on Prime Video Spain	Jack Ryan de Tom Clancy: Guerra fantasma
Original title	Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War
Year	2026
Runtime	1 hour and 46 minutes
Director	Andrew Bernstein
Main cast	John Krasinski, Sienna Miller, Wendell Pierce and Michael Kelly
Genre	Action and thriller
Available on	Prime Video
Connection to the series	Direct sequel
Spoilers	No
Rating	3 out of 5