By Rachel Johnson
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Michael B. Jordan Headlines the Exhilarating Adaptation
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'Without Remorse' Faces Major Production Woes
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'Without Remorse' Fails to Remain Faithful to the Novel
Tom Clancy was one of the literary world's most talented and successful authors, with the acclaimed late writer having sold more than 100 million copies of his novels throughout his stellar career. Many of his books have been given the Hollywood treatment, as both the TV and film world have created wildly entertaining adaptations of his characters like Jack Ryan and John Kelly. From silver screen hits including The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger to streaming knockouts like Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Tinseltown can't get enough of tackling Clancy's beloved heroes.
In 2021, the talented Michael B. Jordan took on the role of Navy SEAL John Kelly in the rip-roaring action thriller Without Remorse, a reimagining of the bestselling novel that served as an origin story for the resilient character who became a staple within the Ryanverse franchise. The adaptation deviated from the subject source but nonetheless featured a powerhouse performance from Jordan, with the award-winning actor set to reprise his role in the upcoming sequel centering on the events in Clancy's Rainbow Six.

Tom Clancy's Without Remorse
Adventure
Action
Thriller
War
- Release Date
- April 29, 2021
- Runtime
- 109 minutes
- Cast
- Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Guy Pearce, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lauren London, Brett Gelman, Jacob Scipio, Jack Kesy, Colman Domingo, Todd Lasance, Cam Gigandet, Luke Mitchell, Stephanie McIntyre, Adrian Rawlins, Lucy Russell, Robert Maaser, Gina Jun, Rae Lim, Merab Ninidze, George Asprey, Mel Fair, Reza Brojerdi, Tom Colley, Rich Graff, Artjom Gilz
Michael B. Jordan Headlines the Exhilarating Adaptation
After having starred in the blockbuster sensations Creed and Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan continued to establish himself as one of Hollywood's most charismatic leading men when he tackled the role of seasoned U.S. Navy SEAL John Kelly in the 2021 action thriller Without Remorse, a big screen adaptation of Tom Clancy's The New York Times bestselling novel. Serving as an origin story for the revered fictional hero, the explosive flick brilliantly brings the Ryanverse literary character to life and follows Kelly as he relentlessly seeks revenge against Russian assassins responsible for brutally murdering his pregnant wife and unit members.
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Kelly teams up with the fierce Lt. Commander Karen Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith) and the enigmatic CIA agent Robert Ritter (Jamie Bell) to hunt down the hitmen responsible, with the trio shockingly stumbling upon an even bigger international conspiracy that could result in an all-out war between the United States and Russia. The grief-stricken Navy SEAL must figure out where his loyalties truly lie as he will stop at nothing to avenge the devastating death of his beloved wife and allies but also must protect the interests of his country at all costs, leading to a life-changing journey for the headstrong hero.
'Without Remorse' Faces Major Production Woes
Without Remorse experienced major production woes and went through development hell prior to its 2021 release, with a film adaptation having been in the works since the novel was first published back in 1993. Famous faces like Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Tom Hardy were all pursued to star as John Kelly in the Hollywood reimagining over various periods of time, and in 2018 (25 years after the action thriller was first announced), Michael B. Jordan was cast as the Navy SEAL and signed on for two films.
Willem Dafoe had previously played John Kelly (originally Clark) in 1994's Clear and Present Danger alongside Harrison Ford's Jack Ryan, while Liev Schreiber starred as the heroic character in 2002's The Sum of All Fears opposite Ben Affleck. Shortly after Jordan joined the adaptation, Taylor Sheridan was brought in to rewrite the existing screenplay, which reunited the decorated creator, director, and producer with his former Sicario: Day of the Soldado collaborator Stefano Sollima, who ultimately directed Without Remorse. Amazon Studios was hoping to kickstart a franchise centered on Kelly, with Jordan also attached to appear in Rainbow Six.
'Without Remorse' Fails to Remain Faithful to the Novel
The silver screen adaptation of Without Remorse deviated from the Tom Clancy novel in a few notable ways, as the setting was changed from being during the Vietnam War in 1970 to the modern-day political landscape of 2020. In the movie, Kelly's wife Pam was viciously murdered by Russian hitmen in retaliation for the hand he played in a top-secret operation his unit carried out, thus setting off the main storyline and providing fuel for the Navy SEAL's mission for revenge. However, in the novel, Pam is a drug mule whom he ends up falling in love with while he grieves the death of his wife Patricia, who died in a car accident.
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Sollima and Sheridan took other creative liberties with the action-packed thriller, but the biggest difference between the film and novel is that John Kelly is blonde, white, and of Irish descent in the Clancy bestseller, and in Without Remorse, he is Black, handsome, and extremely physically fit. Kelly's loyal ally, Karen Greer, also does not exist in the book, and the origins of his involvement in the deadly and dangerous missions are also given a bit of a change-up. Many critics felt that these adjustments proved beneficial to the overall pacing and impact of the adaptation, yet they weren't enough to help the film truly thrive.
Without Remorse was released for streaming on Prime Video on April 30, 2021, and was watched by 4.8 million households within its first month of release while also attracting a lackluster response from critics. Though its dazzling action sequences, juicy suspense, and Jordan's commanding performance garnered widespread praise, the thriller's formulaic storytelling and use of common genre clichés failed to impress audiences. Without Remorse has a 45% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 5.8 IMDb rating, and in January 2023, an adaptation of the novel Rainbow Six was greenlit, and Jordan was set to reprise his role as John Kelly. Stream Tom Clancy's Without Remorse on Freevee.