Is John Krasinski the Best ‘Jack Ryan’ Actor?

Jack Ryan is novelist Tom Clancy’s best-known character. Since he first appeared in the bestselling bookThe Hunt For Red Octoberin 1984, Ryan’s appeared in 20 novels and 5 books, and now he’ll be making another screen appearance, this time in the form of an Amazon Prime web series calledTom Clancy’s Jack Ryanstarting today! The new series starsJohn Krasinskiin the title role, following in the footsteps of Ben Affleck, Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and, most recently, Chris Pine.

The truth is, of all the Jack Ryans, Krasinski might legitimately be the best one yet. He’s more relatable than previous versions of the character, and he doesn’t have the baggage of trying to be a badass either. With Krasinski’s Jack Ryan, he feels like a real person, not a stock movie character. Which is saying something!

But…before Krasinski re-defined the character, who did it best?

这就是他作为我们排名previ牢记ous Jack Ryans. First, we looked at the fidelity of each version to the background of Clancy’s book version. In the books, Ryan is the son of a Baltimore nurse and a homicide detective, he studied economics and became an officer in the Marines before damaging his back in a helicopter crash. Then he worked inWall Streetbefore theCIAtook him in and his adventure begins. The best movie Jack Ryan has to feel like he lived that life. Next, we looked at things like actual performance and overall enjoyability. We ranked not just on which was closest to the novels but on something just as important. Entertainment factor. And this is what we came up with.

4.克里斯松

克里斯松’s turn as the Wall Street analyst turned CIA operative isn’t necessarily bad, but the modus operandi ofJack Ryan: Shadow Recruitwas to update the Jack Ryan character rather than translate the one from the books. Which again, doesn’t automatically mean Pine’s Ryan is bad or that it’s all too different from the previous versions – his back story is largely the same – but without source material to rely onJack Ryan: Shadow Recruitdoesn’t feel like a Jack Ryan movie so much as it feels like a by the numbers action movie. This movie could have been calledEspionage: The Spy Movie with Spy Stuffand turned out about the same.

3. Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck’s take on a young Jack Ryan inSum of All Fearsactually feels pretty real. The movie version deviates from Tom Clancy’s novel by making Ryan younger, but the change is handled believably. Affleck’s Ryan is smart, yes, but clearly isn’t the self assured character he turns into later. Instead Ryan’s inexperience and status as a greenhorn makesSum of All Fearsand enjoyable watch because it humanizes him. At the same time, it does challenge our ability to believe this is the same Jack Ryan who used to be a marine and who managed to make millions on the stock market in his 20s.

2. Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford played Jack Ryan in two movies,Clear and Present DangerandPatriot Games. Though technically Ryan is at his youngest in thePatriot Gamesbook, unlike the other actors on this list, Ford played Ryan like the older statesmen he becomes in the later books. Ford’s take on Ryan has him moving through scenes with a sense of authority, like someone who has seen plenty and can believably handle the extraordinary circumstances thrown at him, even when there are cars blowing up all around him. Ford also elevates Ryan to near Shakespearean heights in somescenes, especially inClear and Present Dangerwhen he has to face off against other CIA members.

1. Alec Baldwin

While other actors did a good job, it’s Alec Baldwin’s Jack Ryan that takes the cake. His Ryan in the寻找红色十月is exactly what the character is supposed to be. Like Affleck, Baldwin played a younger, less experienced Jack Ryan but with extra swagger. He’s still a fish out of water, which shines throughvery well, but he still believes in his ability to do his job even when others doubt him, which takes the strength of character you want in a Jack Ryan and why, by our money, Baldwin’s portrayal is the best.