Prime Video’s ‘Jack Ryan: Ghost War’ Is a Slick Spy Thriller That Plays It Too Safe

Early on in Prime Video’s highly anticipated Jack Ryan: Ghost War, our titular hero — played earnestly by John Krasinski — is running through New York City streets when two black SUVs suddenly start chasing him down. It’s exciting; Jack is moving fast, ducking through shady alleys and cutting through a restaurant as if his past is trying to catch up with him, but this scene is the film’s sadder reality. Once the identity of who is behind the chase is revealed, it’s accompanied by the realization that this sequel is only dangerous and intense on the surface of its 105 minutes.

That doesn’t mean the follow-up to the wildly popular four-season series is wholly bad; Krasinski is still charming and commanding as Jack, while Wendell Pierce and Michael Kelly as Greer and Mike, respectively, remain essential to this world. But even with the right pieces in place, Jack Ryan: Ghost War doesn’t evolve into a sharp continuation. While the pace is slick and fast, the story feels weirdly hollow in places where it should hit harder. For a franchise built around moral compasses and buried secrets, this return to the small screen after three years feels less like a high-stakes event and more like a mediocre TV movie with a few good car chase scenes and stunts.

What Is ‘Jack Ryan: Ghost War’ About?

Three years after Jack Ryan ended on Prime Video, Jack Ryan: Ghost War opens with a covert operation in Dubai that goes horribly wrong, but the mission drops enough breadcrumbs to pull Jack back into the picture, courtesy of James Greer (Pierce), who needs him on an errand. Returning isn’t easy, as Jack is just trying to live a normal life after stepping away from the CIA. Yet, part of that new reality is that he and Cathy (Abbie Cornish) never worked out. As a fan of the books and films growing up, it’s a confusing turn for the plot, especially as their relationship seemed to be one of the few things grounding him outside the agency in Season 4.

Now, Jack is reluctantly pulled back into the world of espionage, with Mike November (Kelly) joining him. Things start as a simple courier mission, but it quickly unravels into something bigger after a key contact is killed before Jack can get real answers. Forced to team up with MI6 officer Emma Marlow (Sienna Miller), the trio learns about Starling, a resurrected black-ops unit tied to Greer’s past and a mission in Karachi that refuses to stay dead. In their way is also a mysterious and cold terrorist named Crown (Max Beesley), who has no remorse for Greer and the U.S., threatening to blow up buildings, bring down American intelligence, and the usual from a buffet of ‘90s movie menus.

Together, Jack, Mike, and Emma follow the trail through Dubai, London, and Washington, with some interesting ad placements that are at times distracting and unintentionally funny in a way only modern streaming movies can be. As the threats escalate for Jack and his team, Ghost War pushes Jack into a rather personal mission, forcing him to reckon with Greer’s secrets while questioning how much of the life he left behind he can truly escape.

‘Jack Ryan: Ghost War’ Struggles at Its Core

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

As a film that moves well and never drags with action and pace, it’s surprising to see that the story itself is not strong enough. Though it’s written by Krasinski alongside Jack Ryan series writer Aaron Rabin and A House of Dynamite’s Noah Oppenheim, Ghost War feels surprisingly thin. It has the look of a serious espionage thriller, but not the depth. The film gestures toward bigger conversations about post-9/11 intelligence work, torture tactics, and government outreach, but it never says anything new or especially thoughtful. Instead, it leans more heavily into terrorist-threat tropes than the series usually did, which is unfortunate because Jack Ryan has often been more careful than that.

While Jack Ryan was never perfect in its handling of geopolitics, it did at least try to complicate Jack’s world; by contrast, Ghost War seems more comfortable flattening the series’ strengths. The show succeeded in being a smart weekly hour that often avoided narrative shortcuts in the realm of terrorist threats, but its adrenaline-driven suspense now frames the attackers and stakes in a way that emphasizes immediate action over political nuance. This convention also leans heavily into predictability, whether it’s seeing a double-cross from a mile away or using a fan-favorite character’s fate as an unnecessary (and somewhat rushed) plot device. None of this makes it unwatchable, but it is frustrating, chipping away at a part of the legacy the show built for characters to exist outside of Jack’s orbit.

Additionally, there is something oddly rushed about the way Ghost War handles Jack’s life. Between a non-existent Cathy and a chemistry-less dynamic with Miller’s Emma, the film wants to complicate his personal world without giving either relationship enough room to actually mean something. So much of that depth (or lack thereof) feels like bullet points that are only contextualized once we see him thrown back into the job, letting all the action do the talking.

To be fair, some of that action does work. There are some strong car chases, like Greer tracking the big bad British villain down the streets of London or the exciting shootout in Dubai that serves as a reminder why this franchise has lasted as long as it has. Yet the action can only carry the movie so far when the writing feels stale. As fans of the show will recognize, the best version of Jack Ryan understood that the action always hit harder when the ideas behind it had some weight. Instead, Ghost War mostly delivers explosions in pretty places.

‘Jack Ryan: Ghost War’s Engaging Cast Keeps the Film Charming

If there is one place where Jack Ryan: Ghost War works, it’s with its cast. Krasinski still has a firm and fun handle on Jack, and there’s something equally appealing about how exhausted this version of his character is in the film. No longer the young analyst pulled into the field, this is a man whose trust in the system has faltered a bit. Krasinski, with all his earthy charm and enthusiasm, plays that weariness well, even when the movie does not give him the strongest material.

Kelly is, as always, a highlight as Mike November. We get to see his usual character quirks from the previous seasons in this, which is a nice little nod to the show’s roots. The franchise is always better for him being in it, and Kelly has such a natural grip on Mike’s dry humor and mercenary exhaustion that it’s pure joy seeing him in any scene. Kelly’s dynamic with Krasinski remains one of the most enjoyable parts of the story, and Ghost War continually leans into their characters’ shenanigan-filled bromance. Meanwhile, Pierce continues to bring the gravitas and grit as Greer. Even when the writing around him is not as sharp as it should be, Pierce gives his character a lived-in heaviness. The film’s strongest emotional material probably belongs to him, especially as Starling forces Greer to face what he once helped bury.

Miller is also a strong addition as MI6’s Emma Marlowe, even if Ghost War doesn’t always know what to do with her. Emma has the right sharpness for this world, and Miller gives her enough confidence that the potential makes you wish she’d been given a more interesting arc. Joining Miller is also the striking and equally confident Betty Gabriel, reprising her role as Elizabeth Wright from Seasons 3 and 4 of the series, now serving as CIA Director. With her immense range, Gabriel possesses a clarity and quiet force that reminds us how much the series gains when it brings strong, thoughtfully written female characters into Jack’s world.

That’s what makes Ghost War so frustrating, because it clearly knows what it has with this cast, but doesn’t know how to use them. With everyone’s charm and confidence making it watchable and, at most, a way to pass the time on a lazy afternoon, there is some comfort in seeing Jack, Greer, and Mike back in action. The film also has plenty of slick set pieces, but nostalgia also isn’t the same as momentum. Ghost War wants to feel like a bigger, sharper return for the franchise, but it too often settles for the safest version of itself.

Jack Ryan: Ghost War premieres May 20 on Prime Video.

Release Date

May 20, 2026

Runtime

105 Minutes

Director

Andrew Bernstein

Pros & Cons

• Ghost War moves quickly and rarely drags, making it an easy and engaging enough watch for longtime fans.
• The film’s globe-trotting locations give the movie a cinematic feel despite its streaming-thriller limitations.
• John Krasinski still makes Jack Ryan compelling, balancing exhaustion, charm, and old-school heroism well.

• The script leans too heavily into generic spy-thriller tropes instead of the smarter political nuance of the show.
• If you watch close enough, several twists are predictable early on.
• The movie gestures toward bigger themes about intelligence work but never says anything especially meaningful.
• Miller and Krasinski lack romantic chemistry, making their dynamic feel forced rather than emotionally compelling.