Michael B. Jordan is a sizeable star that’s appeared in several big budget blockbusters and more than a few box office success stories, but up until today, he’d never headlined a straightforward action movie of his own. Of course, it’s a rite of passage for any actor with designs on conquering the A-list to tool up and indulge in some running and gunning, and Without Remorse is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
The project was initially set for a theatrical release before Paramount sold the distribution rights off to the streaming service in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, but there’s still every chance that it’ll launch a multi-film franchise depending on how it fares in terms of viewership figures. How is the movie itself, though?
Well, it’s not great. Jordan is as reliable as ever in the lead and clearly put in a huge amount of work during his preparations for the role because he utterly convinces as an elite special forces solider driven by revenge to track down the killers of his wife and unborn child, but the narrative itself is completely formulaic and can be predicted from a mile off.
The response among social media users has been wildly mixed across the board, too, with just as many people loving Without Remorse as there are hating it, which you can tell from the myriad of reactions below.
Without Remorse is so generic
— نعيم™ (@NaeemForReal) April 30, 2021
Without Remorse was pretty good. I enjoyed it. I would say it’s one of Michael B Jordan’s better movies
— P (@itspursesonal) April 30, 2021
Without Remorse was 10/10
— Texas 🔨 (@Glodeinezae) April 30, 2021
I just finished watching it and it is definitely a disappointment as it suffers for being more a set up for the planned Rainbow 6 Film in development than a Without Remorse Adaptation.
It didn't feel like the Jack Ryan Spin-off that it should have been.
— Jordan Carpenter (@JordanCarp3nt3r) April 30, 2021
okay, #WithoutRemorse. 👏🏿👏🏿 not bad at all. and that mid-credits scene was a nice setup for future projects.
— You homo-sapiens and your guns… (@griotDAMONE) April 30, 2021
I couldn't even get through Without Remorse!
— Yo homie is that my briefcase? (@quintenfernando) April 30, 2021
https://twitter.com/leigh_mathis19/status/1388167945470291968
https://twitter.com/___Danny1/status/1388167942177796098
https://twitter.com/Kevin_allegedly/status/1388167788330569730
https://twitter.com/HordanJope/status/1388167665370402817
I think I hyped up the movie more than it should have been, maybe a 3 outta 5 . Nothing to get too hyped about basic action flick . Side note;Very nice seeing #LaurenLondon again. Great seeing her take steps again. #WithoutRemorse
— Discovering Debz (@Debzfyah) April 30, 2021
https://twitter.com/ga_klar/status/1388166814929100803
Without Remorse is a perfectly adequate and functional action thriller, but never comes close to greatness. The cast is generally solid and the action is well shot, but it’s missing any sort of real spark or genuine sense of excitement. That being said, it’ll still draw in a huge audience given that it’s streaming to over 150 million subscribers worldwide.