Jack Ryan is no stranger to the film world; Tom Clancy’s character first appeared in print in his 1984 debut The Hunt for Red October, and appeared in 13 subsequent novels.

He then appeared in film versions, portrayed by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine.

In 2018, John Krasinski took the role for the Amazon Prime show, that ran for four seasons. And although not a theatrical release, he stars in this latest film version, as Jack Ryan finds himself embroiled with the CIA once again.

Having had his fair share of scrapes working as a field operative for the CIA, Jack Ryan (Krasinski) is relaxing back into his role as an analyst. Well that was to be the plan, until he was approached by his old friend and boss James Greer (Wendell Pierce), who wants him to meet a man and pick up a package – and that’s pretty much it.

Against his better judgement, Jack agrees, and finds himself in Dubai. He again teams up with Mike (Michael Kelly), who has his back – just in case, which is just as well, as it goes pear-shaped very quickly.

This has him taken by MI6 agent Emma Marlow (Sienna Miller), to find out exactly what he knows, which isn’t much.

A murky plot starts to reveal itself, that of an elite force known as Starling, who weren’t disbanded as first thought, and have plans that will result in chaos. But can Jack and Emma get to them before that happens?

Although a one-off extension of the character and show, but not a theatrical release, Ghost War finds itself in that new middle ground as a hybrid. It makes sense, initially at least, that US director Andrew Bernstein – who has helmed a number of TV shows – including Jack Ryan and Ozark - directed it.

But perhaps more crucially, he has never directed a film. He certainly does his best to make it ‘filmic’, with exotic locales, a number of motorcades going here and there, and the exterior and interior of important buildings, but it doesn’t quite make being a cinematic experience. That’s probably a budget issue, and that’s why it’s a little underwhelming compared to its theatrical releases, such as The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games.

The plot is thin on the ground, with it never really crystal clear what the Starling leader Liam Crown, played by Max Beesley, is up to, other than generally no good.

This leads to a classic MacGuffin chase, which just has Ryan going back and forth.

Although it’s clearly part of the TV series canon, it’s not as thrilling; Krasinski does his best, being charming with his dry wit, reuniting with old TV chums, and building a new relationship with Miller’s Emma.

The finger of blame does wave in his direction a bit however, as he has a co-credit for writing the screenplay and coming up with story in the first place.

If you’re a fan of the show specifically, and Krasinski’s Ryan, if you go in with fairly low expectations, you’re likely to walk away relatively satisfied; but if you’re a fan of Ryan on the big screen, this particular mission – although completed – isn’t on the same level of success.