Watch CBS News

Q&A w/ Kenneth Branagh of 'Shadow Recruit'

(CBS SF) - One of the first blockbuster action films of 2014 is set to release this Friday. In "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," Chris Pine delivers the latest iteration of the iconic role of Jack Ryan. The espionage thriller also stars Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley and Sir Kenneth Branagh, who also steps in as the film's director.

Liam Mayclem sat down with actor/director, Kenneth Branagh and talk about his character, "Viktor Cherevin," who Liam describes as a "Russian Train of Trouble."

"He's a very quiet and sort of damaged man. Very melancholy, something of a tragic figure, but with really personal resentment and grudge against America as a nation for what it did to his nation and to his family." - Branagh describes his character.

About The Film:

Based on the CIA analyst created by espionage master Tom Clancy, "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" is a blistering action thriller that follows Ryan (Chris Pine, "Star Trek") from his quiet double-life as a veteran-turned-Wall Street executive to his all-out initiation as a hunted American agent on the trail of a massive terrorist plot in Moscow.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - Official Trailer by Paramount Pictures on YouTube

Ryan appears to be just another New York executive to his friends and loved ones, but his enlistment into the CIA secretly goes back years. He was brought in as a brainy Ph.D. who crunches global data – but when Ryan ferrets out a meticulously planned scheme to collapse the U.S. economy and spark global chaos, he becomes the only man with the skills to stop it. Now, he's gone fully operational, thrust into a world of mounting suspicion, deception and deadly force. Caught between his tight-lipped handler Harper (Academy Award-winner Kevin Costner), his in-the-dark fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley) and a brilliant Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh), Jack must confront a new reality where no one can seem to be trusted, yet the fate of millions rests on his finding the truth. With the urgency of a lit fuse, he's in a race to stay one step ahead of everyone around him.

Previous actors who have donned the role of Jack Ryan include Alec Baldwin in 1990's "The Hunt For Red October," Harrison Ford, 1992's "Patriot Games" and "Clear And Present Danger" in 1994. Then once again by Ben Affleck in 2002's "The Sum of All Fears." Actresses Gates McFadden, Anne Archer and Bridget Moynahan previously played Keira Knightly's character, Cathy Muller (Ryan).

"Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" opens in wide release in theaters Friday, January 17, 2014.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.