Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Film / WithoutRemorse

Go To

1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/withoutremorseposter2.jpg]]
2%%[[caption-width-right:300:some caption text]]
3
4''Without Remorse'' is a 2021 action film starring Creator/MichaelBJordan. It is loosely based on the Creator/TomClancy [[Literature/WithoutRemorse novel of the same name]].
5
6John Kelly is a [[UsefulNotes/NavySeals Navy SEAL]] whose wife was murdered by Russian mercenaries in retaliation for his role in a top secret op. While pursuing the assassins, he finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens to ignite an all-out war between the U.S. and Russia.
7
8The film was released on April 30, 2021 exclusively on Creator/PrimeVideo. A sequel based on ''Literature/RainbowSix'' is confirmed to be in development with Jordan reprising his role and will be helmed by ''Franchise/JohnWick'' director Chad Stahelski.
9
10----
11!!''Without Remorse'' provides examples of:
12
13* ActionGirl: Lt. Commander Karen Greer, the leader of Kelly's SEAL team.
14* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the novels, Pamela Madden was a prostitute who was drugged, raped and abused by her drug dealer and pimp before escaping and meeting John where they fell in love after the latter helps her in rehabilitation. In the movie, Pam doesn't have the same dark background like her novel counterpart. Furthermore, Pam is John's wife in this version and have known each other for a long time.
15** Additionally, Karen Greer was created for this movie primarily to modernize James Greer's role in the story. James himself exists as Karen's uncle in a thinly veiled attempt to connect with the Jack Ryan TV series.
16* ATeamFiring: Averted. John and a black-ops merc shoot at each other at close range and most, if not all, of the bullets fired between them find their mark. [[spoiler: John makes it. The merc doesn't]].
17* BigBad: [[spoiler: Secretary Clay, trying to start a war between Russia and America in an attempt to unify the country with a GenghisGambit.]]
18* BloodlessCarnage: Surprisingly for an R-rated movie. Aside from a small amount seen when John and his wife are shot, all the violence is devoid of blood.
19* DarkerAndEdgier: This is the first ''Jack Ryan'' movie to be given an R rating since ''Film/PatriotGames''.
20* DarkenedBuildingShootout: The climax.
21* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: The [=SEALs=] were deployed to war-torn Aleppo to extract a CIA agent held prisoner.
22* FailedASpotCheck: The [[spoiler:SEAL team member]] who gets taken out by a speeding car. On an otherwise quiet road. A very straight road. With excellent visibility in each direction. Made even more implausible by the fact that not only are they a [[spoiler:highly-trained operative]] but also a ''parent of young children'' whose parent supersenses would have clocked that car coming from several miles away.
23* FalseFlagOperation: [[spoiler: The confrontation with Rykov reveals that the events of the movie have been an elaborate scheme to ensure that dead Russian operatives end up on American soil and dead American operatives end up on a Russian soil.]]
24* InNameOnly: Aside from the fact that the main character is a Navy SEAL named John Kelly, the film bears very little resemblance the original novel (which is set during the Vietnam War and follows Kelly as prepares a covert operation to rescue an Air Force pilot held prisoner in North Vietnam and hunts for a mole in the CIA, all while going on a revenge-fueled assassination spree against a Baltimore drug ring).
25* INeverSaidItWasPoison: Kelly gets proof of the BigBad's identity when he casually mentions a detail of the mission to Russia that wasn't in the official After Action Report and [[spoiler:Clay]] doesn't react to it.
26* JerkassHasAPoint: The CIA coldly decides not to pursue the people who ordered the killings of Kelly's wife and teammates because they fear that senior Russian officials are involved and any retaliation against them could cause a war between the US and Russia. Kelly and Greer find this action cowardly and dishonorable and go rogue in order to pursue justice/revenge. However, the CIA is correct in their assessment and Kelly spends the climax of the movie desperately trying to cover up the presence of US soldiers on Russian soil because the revelation could provoke a war between US and Russia.
27* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ritter is ''very'' much an asshole for most of the film, but his combination of FrontlineGeneral tendencies for a politico and his discovery that he’s also an UnwittingPawn reveals him as John’s ally.
28* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: John rescues Greer in the opening action sequence because of this. Later, the trope receives a dark reprise, as their assault on Rykov’s Russian hideout has them have to carry out a dead teammate, not just from DueToTheDead, but also because they’ve realized the FalseFlagOperation above.
29* PlausibleDeniability: Lampshaded by Kelly when he realizes that the actions of the US team could provoke a war between the US and Russia. His teammates are serving members of the US military and their presence on Russian soil would be seen as an act of war against Russia. They cannot be captured or their bodies found in an identifiable state. On the other hand, Kelly is officially a rogue operator who escaped from prison while awaiting trial for murder. If the Russians catch him or are able to identify his body, the US government can deny any involvement and claim that Kelly was on a personal vendetta. This means that Kelly is the only one who can engage the Russian police and has to create a distraction big enough that his teammates can get away without being identified.
30* RaceLift: John and Pam are black in the movie while their novel counterparts were white.
31* RatedMForManly: There is no blood, swearing, sex or substance abuse to speak of in this R rated actioner. But you have a bona-fide badass AntiHero who will violate regulations to assault and torture a Russian delegate out in the open, fire upon Russian police to provide cover for his men, and beat the ever living crap out of several armored guards who have detained him wearing only prison pants; which isnt very common in many PG-13 heroes.
32* RedHerring: Ritter is established as a JerkAss willing to treat John and his teams as expendable to accomplish his mission, but he manages to convince John he’s not the BigBad setting them up even under JackBauerInterrogationTechnique. Turns out the real BigBad is [[spoiler: Clay.]]
33* ReusableLighterToss: Used to intimidate and gather information.
34* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: John is set on one by the murder of his pregnant wife. Being an Navy SEAL, it’s a brutally efficient and effective one. [[spoiler: Clay]] tries to use him as a XanatosSucker, but when that doesn’t work, John [[BackstabBackfire comes for him, backed by resources Ritter gave him.]]
35* SayMyName: Inverted as John wants the man behind his pregnant wife’s death to say neither his name nor their own... [[AndThisIsFor but that of his wife instead.]] And at the end of the film, [[spoiler: Clay]] indeed dies saying her name repeatedly.
36* SequelHook: [[spoiler: TheStinger sets up one for ''Literature/RainbowSix''.]]
37* SettingUpdate: Takes place in the 21st century instead of post-1975 after the Vietnam War.
38* SniperDuel: There is one of these in the climax.
39* SpannerInTheWorks: John’s survival of the attack on his house is unexpected and ''not'' part of [[spoiler: Secretary Clay’s master plan,]] so an attempt is made at XanatosSpeedChess to use John on the FalseFlagOperation above... but John survives again...
40* SpinOffspring: Karen Greer is established as James Greer's niece, taking over James's role in the story.
41* TheStinger: [[spoiler:John meets with Ritter secretly in DC a year after the movie to present a proposal for a multinational counter-terrorist unit called "[[Literature/RainbowSix Rainbow]]" to the President for consideration.]]
42* TwoferTokenMinority: Again, Lt. Commander Greer, an African-American woman in charge of a Navy SEAL team. To date, no SEAL team has been led by any woman or minority in real life. Just to put this in perspective, it was only very recently (like 2021 recently) that the first woman of ''any'' race completed the required SEAL/SWCC training program, and that was just to be able to transport SEALS to and from missions.

Top