Chris Pine talks about playing Jack Ryan

Chris Pine is the new Jack Ryan in Kenneth Branagh's upcoming action thrillerJack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, based on the popular Tom Clancy novels. Pine's Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst who unwittingly discovers a Russian terrorist plot and is sent into the field to continue the investigation.

Chris Pine, is the fourth actor to take on the titular role of the CIA Operative (following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck), The film co-stars Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner and Kenneth Branagh.

His films include Just My Luck, Blind Dating, Smokin’ Aces, This Means War, People Like Us, Rise of the Guardians and Star Trek Into Darkness.

You’re following in the shoes of Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Alec Baldwin. How did you make the role your own?

I think I make the part my own simply by the fact that I’m in it so there are certain things that I bring to it that are different. I watched the films and enjoyed them growing up and I really like the spy genre. What I loved about Harrison is that he has an intrinsic humility to him that I think he brings to everything he does, whether it’s Clear And Present Danger or Patriot Games, where Anne Archer drives a Porsche and he has a Volkswagen Jetta and he has a tweed jacket that he seems to have had forever and I just loved that. I did this movie called This Means War that was all about a man in great suits who wants to be the James Bond type of spy and if you see some of the suits I wear in this you’ll know that Jack Ryan is not a man interested in threads – he would much rather go to a first edition book store. So I always loved that humility of Harrison and with Alec Baldwin I just love that kind of sharp, incisiveness he brought to it. He was like a razor in terms of his ability to cut up information and put it together and process it.

And I loved that in The Hunt for Red October, in order to avert nuclear catastrophe, he had to figure out the mind of one man and it all came down to this man missing his wife. So there was a psychology to it I really liked. And I think what sets our film apart is that there is great action in this film and when Ken and I started, we talked about how often in films you see so much death and mayhem and violence and no one ever really pays attention to it – you know that a bad guy dies but he maybe also had a wife and a kid but you don’t know his background. So we thought it would be interesting to see the face of that part of the experience. What happens when an everyman is thrown into an extraordinary situation where he has to do things that you wouldn’t necessarily do on any given day and how does he deal with seeing death? How does he deal with inflicting violence? How does he deal with potentially killing someone? And I thought that was really interesting because I can’t recall where you see that happen in films of this genre; where you see people killed but you never see the effects of it. So I like that human aspect it has.

How did you prepare for your role?

I came to the UK last year before we started shooting and Ken organized some things for me. We went to the American Embassy in London and we had this little spy game to do, which was a lot of fun.

What did you have to do?

It’s known as a ‘drop’ in spy parlance and the whole thing was like being at spy camp. Ken was really proud of himself and he was like, ‘I’ve organized a little something for you Chris...’ and then we ended up at the American Embassy and the security team there were in on the plan. I had to find the people that were watching me and there was a drop at one point where I had to pick up a memory stick and do all kinds of stuff. It was a fun but as fun as it was even in that scenario, when you know that there are people out there watching you, your senses are immediately heightened and your heart starts to race.

Did it give you a taste of what it would be like to work for the CIA?

Yeah, and it certainly did that (laughs). And I obviously wasn’t in any danger so I can only imagine what people, real operatives, have to deal with.

Did you talk to any real CIA agents?

I talked with a guy there who was the head of security at the Embassy in London, which is the biggest Embassy in Europe, and his stories about being in Beirut were just crazy. And it’s often less about the stories but more about the energy you get from people like that. I talked to Bob Baer and he’s written a couple of books and he was in the CIA and being around someone like that was really helpful and his stories are great, too. It’s all about the energy that people put out in the room.

Jack has been injured at the start the story. Did you do any research into that?

Jack Ryan has suffered a major back injury and he has to recuperate I went to a facility outside of London where veterans are recuperating from major traumatic events from Afghanistan and Iraq and I got to talk to some of them. And again, we were bringing it back to the facts – if you are in a helicopter crash, what does that mean? It’s major and traumatic and if you see violence and death and all sorts of horrible stuff, that has an effect on you. And it’s the idea that this is a man who is wounded, like any of us would be, psychologically as well as physically, but he still wants to serve. And I met many people who were gravely wounded and still wanted to serve. And I wanted to get my head around that because I am certainly not that courageous. I wanted to understand what that was all about and that was a real eye opener.

Does it make a difference that Kenneth Branagh is also acting as well as directing Jack Ryan?

What’s nice about working with an actor/ director that there is an understanding of the experience of the actors. Ken knows intrinsically what you are going through and what you may need at any given moment because he’s been there himself. And there’s a level of communication that’s better and easier often than with someone who hasn’t been an actor. Ken knows the experience and how it needs to be said to get across for me to achieve what he is looking for in a scene. And then he also brought things to it that was purely down to his talent as a director. This is a big action film and we were shooting relatively easy 11, 12-hour days and that just comes from Ken not over shooting it. Ken would have three cameras and he would block it off and we’d finish a three or four page scene in a day or less, which doesn’t happen very often and I like that. So I think with Ken, a lot of it is the way he communicates and a lot of it is has to do with his talent as a director.

Were you a fan of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels growing up?

I was born a fan of the films, that’s what brought me into the fold, and then I read some of his books.

And did you get the chance to meet Tom Clancy before his passing?

Sadly I didn’t know the man at all but I’m playing a character that he created that I love and I’ve loved for many years and I’m thankful that I have this opportunity. I wish I’d had the chance to meet him. My thoughts go out to his family.

How close do you think your character, Jack Ryan, is to reality?

We talked to people like Bob Baer who was an analyst with the agency for a while, and not only are the tricks and gadgets we use in the film very real but that this kind of thing – the financial terrorism that is a big part of our story – is very current. As we all know, we are in a new world where warfare and terror takes on many, many different forms and the financial system is so complicated as it is that you would need a PhD to figure out what is going on. But Jack has one. It’s really scary. It starts with a bank and goes beneath a bank and I think it is based in reality but hopefully this won’t happen.

You could argue that a good spy thriller has to reflect the time in which it is made and the Jack Ryan books have changed according to the time. Was it important for you that the film reflects the geo-political reality of our times?

It was of the utmost importance to me and I can’t tell you how many conversations I had with everyone involved. For me, the question always came down to what it meant to be a patriot because Jack is a patriot of sorts. And my contention was that in a post 9/11, era the world is much grayer than it was 25, 30 years ago. With the Cold War, there was a kind of easy black and white, much in the same way we view World War II, there was good and there was bad and it made life a lot easier. But it was different after 9/11 and I wasn’t interested in making a film that was about espousing the ideals of America or that America was great. For me, it was like watching what Harrison was about when he did the role, that this wasn’t a man that was tied to ideology – this is a man with a great internal moral compass who knew what right and wrong was. It’s a man who would stand up for what was right and I love that. I love the fact that he has an internal flag, that’s what he goes by, and if it meant disobeying, he would do that. And I always think that’s a definition of a hero that we all connect to that more than anything else. Once I found an inroad into the character, it made a lot of sense to me and I thought if we could make a film about an American spy post 9/11, a spy who is a good man but conflicted about what he has to do and he wanted to make sure he was serving on his own terms – I could understand that and I felt comfortable with it.

The spy genre has produced some great films and some enduring characters – James Bond, Jason Bourne for example – what will Jack Ryan bring to the audience?

I would say that James Bond has Q, Jason Bourne has his fists and Jack Ryan has his mind. And it’s about a regular man, albeit a smart man, who is way more comfortable in the world of his mind, in the world of the intellectual puzzles that he likes to figure out, who finds himself inextricably pulled towards the front line. Jack Ryan has a great amount of intellect and he has to find his way out of very dangerous physical and intellectual situations. It’s about a man who has to deal with all of this stuff that we know to be a part of the spy genre like death and intrigue and it’s about how a man like that deals with committing violence and protecting the people that he loves and all of that affects who he is and he doesn’t do it easily.

And how are plans for another Star Trek movie progressing?

I have no idea. Like I’ve said before, we are the last to know. I think they have broken ground on a script and I think JJ (Abrams) was meeting with directors but beyond that, I don’t know. We all have ideas about what we want to do and I think from the last film there is a lot of different ways for it to go so I’m fascinated to see what will happen. But I’m pretty sure it will be made in 2014.

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is released and distributed by

United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp.

SHOWING on JANUARY 15, 2014. NATIONWIDE

20TH CENTURY FOX'S 2014 LINEUP GOES ALL-DIGITAL

20^th Century Fox dominates all timeline this 2014 with its lineup of movies spanning millions of years in the past and into the future utilizing unprecedented tools in moviemaking to tell the most unforgettable stories meant to be seen only in cinemas.

Experience a new kind of real in “Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie” as it transports us back in time in prehistoric Alaska. Find out what life was really like 70 million years ago when these awe-inspiring, prehistoric dinosaurs roamed the earth. At the heart of the movie is Patchi (voiced by Justin Long) as he and his family embark on a perilous and exciting journey across Alaska. The movie also features the voice of John Leguizamo ("Ice Age's" Sid) who voices Alex, a prehistoric bird who became Patchi's friend.

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” stars Ben Stiller, a story of a daydreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies. When his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined. Sean Penn, Shirley McClaine and Kathryn Hahn joins Stiller in this awe-inspiring journey of self-discovery.

George Clooney directs and stars in the action thriller “The Monuments Men” set at the backdrop of World War II based on the bestselling non-fiction book “The Monuments Men” by Robert Edsel with Bret Witter about an unlikely group of men tasked to retrieve highly regarded art masterpieces stolen by Hitler across the globe. Clooney pooled an impressive cast that includes Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban and Dmitri Leonidas.

Another kind of heist during World War II happens in the humorous drama “The Book Thief” starring Geoffrey Rush, Emma Watson and newcomer Sophie Nielsen in the titular role. Based on the beloved bestselling novel by Markus Zusak of the same title, the movie tells the inspiring story of a spirited and courageous young girl named Liesel, who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany.

Animation giant DreamWorks is set to take the audience on a wild ride in “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” and “How To Train Your Dragon 2.”

In “Mr. Peabody and Sherman,” Mr. Peabody, the world’s smartest talking dog, has invented a time machine he calls the WABAC, which enables Peabody and his adopted human son Sherman to witness world-changing events first hand. But when Sherman breaks the rules of time travel, our two heroes find themselves in a race to repair history – and save the future.

“How To Train Your Dragon 2” comes back after five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and Vikings on the island of Berk. While Hiccup and Toothless continue to fly away in unknown territories, they soon encounter a fearsome rider who is building an army of beasts by trapping dragons that will again test their strength and wits to safeguard the peace between man and dragons.

The most horrifying delivery is a about to take place in “Devil’s Due,” a movie that employs found footage style on the coming of the antichrist. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett written by Lindsay Devlin and Zoe Green, the movie stars Zach Gilford and Allison Miller as newlyweds who find themselves dealing with an earlier-than-planned pregnancy right after their honeymoon.

“Rio 2” continues the grandeur of adventure into the heart of the Amazon as we see Blu and Jewel raise their children while unexpectedly meeting relatives in the wild and dodging dangers. Along the way, they rediscover Jewel’s long-lost father Eduardo (voiced by Oscar nominee Andy Garcia) and all kinds of new friends and baddies set to rock the Amazon jungle with laughter and exciting adventure in 3D.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” recounts the adventures of Gustave H., a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The movie is directed by Wes Anderson and stars a grand coup of a cast including Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Lea Seydoux, Tilda Swinton and Owen Wilson.

“The Other Woman” stars a powerhouse cast of women led by Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton and Nicki Minaj. In the movie, a woman learns that she’s part of a love triangle, so she teams up with the spurned wife in order to exact revenge on the cheating husband.

The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” The beloved characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from “X-Men: First Class,” in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.

Directed by Matt Reeves, ““Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is set 15 years later after “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” previously starred in by James Franco. In "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.

Based on John Green’s bestselling young-adult romance of the same title, “The Fault in Our Stars” stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort and is the story of Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters, two Indianapolis teenagers who meet at a Cancer Kid Support Group. The two eventually fall in love, decides to see past their prognoses and diagnoses to experience how it is to live full in such short a span of time.

Non-stop thrills and chills await in "The Maze Runner," based on the first book of the best selling trilogy by James Dashner. The movie stars Dylan O'Brien as the main protagonist Thomas, brought to a dystopian world where the only memory remains is his name, Thomas along with the rest of other young adults thrive to survive in this world of maze known as the Glade.

Ben Affleck and Gemma Arterton star in “Gone Girl” based on the book by Gillian Flynn. The movie introduces us to the story of Nick and Amy, a married couple married for five years where Nick suddenly find himself at a loss when Amy had gone missing on the day of their wedding anniversary.

An animated comedy with a unique visual style, "The Book of Life" is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favorites, the movie stars the voices of Channing Tatum and Zoe Saldana.

"Exodus" takes us on the most unforgettable journey of Moses starring Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver, Joel Edgerton and John Turturro. The movie spans on Moses' time from near death as an infant to his adoption into the Egyptian royal family, his defiance of the Pharaoh and deliverance of the Hebrews from enslavement.

This feature-length film is not only a love story but is also a story about how two cultures can come together as one.

Capestone Pictures Inc. has joined forces with Solar Entertainment Corporation in the romantic comedy team-up of sexy and beauteous Solenn Heusaff and talented new actor Kiko Matos.

Mumbai Love is a cross-cultural romantic comedy shot on location in India and the Philippines. The story is centered on the love between Solenn and Kiko from two different worlds who will risk everything even racial differences of age-old traditions because of their love for each other.

Solenn has enjoyed doing the movie Mumbai Love. She has improved her craft, the reason why she has lots of projects both on TV and the movies.Her film titled Status: It’s Complicated is doing well in the box office and her TV series Sa Akin Pa Rinang Bukas is gaining more followers who love drama and suspense.

How does it feel to be the lead actress of Mumbai Love?

“We really became like a family and there’s rapport of the actors on the screen. The film features breathtaking scenic spots in Mumbai and I learned about their culture and traditions. I admire the kindness of my love interest in the movie, Kiko. He’s a real gentleman. I’m happy to work with such a fabulous director, cast and crew. I’m really proud of this movie”, says Solenn.

Upcoming actor Kiko Matos who first caught our attention in the movie Babagwa said he couldn’t believe that he was to become lead actor when he first auditioned for Mumbai Love. This movie is one big break for Kiko’s acting career where he really learned a lot on acting from multi-awarded director Benito Bautista.

He also auditioned for Sonder which took Honorable Mention award in the Short Films Category during the 25^th Gawad CCP para sa Alternatibo at Video. The Mumbai Love auditions were announced online and Kiko tried his luck for the lead character of Nandi. Even with his manager’s (Mell Navarro) wish for him to land even a supporting role, Kiko took the bold move and got the lead role of Nandi, an Indian tourist guide.

“I’m proudly Pinoy, although many tell me that I look so much like a native of India, and this propelled me to audition for Mumbai Love,” says Kiko. After two months, Kiko received the good news of him getting the role of Nandi with Solenn Heusaff for leading lady.

“When I first saw Solenn in the auditions, I was star-struck because of her stunning beauty and oozing sex appeal. Later on, I found her to be a really wonderful and beautiful person inside and out. I love her as a person,” Kiko muses.

Kiko also fell in love with the beautiful traditions and culture of India while shooting there, not to mention the scenic and historic places they visited. Kiko Matos was one of the winners of TV Idol, male teen talent search of MTB ang Saya-Saya. He also did fashion modeling and was seen on several TV commercials.

Mumbai Love also stars Raymond Bagatsing, Martin Escudero and Ronnie Lazaro.

Mumbai Love is directed by multi-awarded director Benito Bautista and is distributed by Solar Entertainment Corporation. Showing at your favorite theaters on January 22, 2014.

For more details visit www.mumbailovethemovie.com  Twitter: @mumbailovemovie Facebook: https://www.fb.me/MumbaiLoveTheMovie Instagram: @mumbailovethemovie Hashtag: #mumbailovethemovie #mumbailove

JACKIE CHAN BACK IN FULL BLAST ACTION IN LATEST “POLICE STORY” MOVIE

Millions of Jackie Chan fans worldwide grunted when it was announced that the action maestro is about to retire from action films. But recently, Chan had been doing the rounds promoting his latest action movie, “Police Story 2013” set to open in cinemas (Philippines) this January 22.

Now, Jackie Chan is once again in full action mode orchestrating his stunts in “Police Story 2013.” Chan began as a stuntman in Chinese action movies and became his country’s action star in the 70s with his action comedy films such as “Snake in the Eagle's Shadow” and “Drunken Master” prior his big Hollywood fame in the 90s.

In the latest “Police Story 2013,” a reboot of his previous movie of the same title (sans 2013), Jackie Chan plays policeman Zhong Wen, a man dedicated to his work to the point of neglecting his own family. His rebellious daughter Miao Miao (played by Jing Tian) who had become distant from him one day asks to meet with him in an exclusive bar in the heart of the city which is owned by Wu Jiang (played by Liu Ye), his daughter’s boyfriend. Upon arrival at the bar, Zhong senses something is definitely wrong happening in the bar and this makes Miao all the more rebellious towards him.

Zhong would prove himself right when Wu’s true intentions were revealed on the night that the guests in the bar were held hostage in exchange for the release of a criminal named Fu, a notorious criminal brought to prison by Zhong years ago. Meanwhile, Miao Miao now realizes Wu had used her to get to her father, and is filled with guilt.

Showing no signs of retiring from movies, Chan said in recent interviews that “A genuine action movie is marked by real stunts.” As with all his other movies, Chan’s fight scenes in the movie also looked very painful, and he admitted that they were as painful as they looked: “The fights were with genuine MMA (mixed martial arts) boxers, not stuntmen; so, they didn’t know how to control their strength when we were filming the fight sequences. Those were rock-hard, solid punches and kicks.”

“Police Story 2013” will open this January 22 from Megavision, Inc. in cinemas nationwide.

Kenneth Branagh playing villain and directing Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

When Kenneth Branagh is working on a project – whether it’s playing Macbeth in front of a small, lucky few in a deconsecrated church or directing, and starring in, a big Hollywood thriller, namely Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – he wants the experience to be as authentic as possible.

The chance to direct a bang up to date contemporary thriller and to introduce Jack Ryan, a character who has featured in eight novels by Tom Clancy and several films based on his books, to a modern audience was one that he seized upon immediately. Quite simply, he says, the script was a ‘page turner’ – a great compliment from an actor and director who has seen plenty down the years.

Did you read the Jack Ryan novels before taking on this project?

I had read some, but not all of them. One that I read that was very helpful for this was one of the Russian set novels, The Cardinal of the Kremlin. It’s very effective and it’s about someone in the Russian military who decides to betray the military, and Jack Ryan goes to Russia. It was very interesting and it was helpful to look at some of those novels.

There have been movies featuring Jack Ryan in the past so was there anything you had to follow or acknowledge from what had gone before?

Nobody said ‘it has to be this or that’ but the thing that David Koepp and I both identified was that Jack Ryan is a man with a very brilliant mind – he is the best of the best and in that regard we took him right back to his academic time at the London School of Economics – and numerous Nobel Prize winning economists have come from there – but that he was, in many other senses, an everyman.

So he has a revolutionary mind and a rather bourgeois background in terms of his life in Washington and Baltimore. So if you like, in the crudest sense, he is an everyman with a brilliant mind.

Does the villain who you play hark back to the Cold War?

I didn’t see it that way and I guess I would say that because I’m playing him (laughs). We never referred to him as the ‘villain’ or the ‘heavy guy.’ And I’ve just played Macbeth here in the summer and there were four other versions of Macbeth going on so everything has been done before, everything in the world of classical drama and in the world of richly trodden genre stuff, so there is no question that we have the elements of things with which we might be familiar. But for us, the starting point was, ‘who is Jack Ryan?’ Jack Ryan lives in a world that we live in and know about from newspapers today where you have people questioning what should remain secret and what should not be secret. Do secrets revealed endanger the lives of us all or endanger the lives of those who allegedly are operating on our behalf? And so apropos are its Cold War antecedents; it’s interesting and not as easy nowadays for someone like Jack Ryan to make a decision about how he enters the CIA. So the first third of our film is interesting territory where Kevin Costner’s character has to some extent persuade or explain to a Jack Ryan in the 21^st century why potentially working for a covert operation, if you believe such things are possible anymore, is a sensible way to serve and help your country. And we explore the difference between America and Russia.

And there are the other divisions that we have in this movie, which are between East and West, old and young, older and younger in terms of protagonist and antagonist, and old empire and new empire – in this case old empire is America and new empire is Russia potentially. And it’s about financial empires and the way politics blurs into that and they are the kinds of things that Jack Ryan wants to know about and wants to take a view about. Jack Ryan is not a paid assassin; he’s not being de-programmed and doesn’t have a ton of fancy gadgets. He’s a guy with a really sharp mind who wants to know why he is doing what he has been asked to do so it means he asks a lot of questions up front before he decides he’s going to arrive abandoned, friendless, deceived and deceiving in Moscow.

Chris Pine was already attached when you came to the project. Why is he the right actor for Jack Ryan?

Chris is a very smart, sexy lad and he’s also very complex and has wit. I so loved his performance as Kirk in the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie. That’s a terrific movie with substance and it’s partly because the actors are all so good in it. Chris has intelligence and he has wit and he doesn’t take himself too seriously and he has a bit of a twinkle in his eye. Chris can make you believe that his Jack Ryan is as smart as we needed him to be but kind of also in terms of the image that we could present, very WASPY. And that’s what Jack Ryan is on the surface and we weren’t denying that kind of DNA. And Chris is a very, very committed actor and performer. And when he arrived we had supper together on a Sunday night and I hadn’t told him what I was planning to do.

So the preparation with Chris was all about linking up to various aspects of Jack Ryan’s life?

Yes. For example, we took him to a rehab hospital in the southeast of England where they work with war veterans and that helped in terms of understanding the types of injuries that he might have sustained in a helicopter accident that we witness in the movie and so we already were into a whole different territory in terms of what we wanted to do with that character. And so by the end of that week of preparation, the first week that Chris had arrived in England and into proper rehearsals, and as soon as you put him into a room with Costner or Keira Knightley, it started to feel like we were doing a sort of character piece that happened to have an action movie built around it. And yes, we’ve seen Russian villains before, we’ve seen East versus West before, we’ve seen spy movies before, but our chance to make it different or original was to try and bring that specificity of character from the inside out and Chris was the one we started with and then we tried to apply it to everybody else.

What about casting the actor who plays the Russian villain?

(laughs). Yes, the director had a hand in casting that particular actor. He discovered he was very, very cheap and very available and we knew where he was every minute of the day. Paramount kept asking me to do it and so did Chris and I realized that with that part we had actually managed to stop people from talking about it as the ‘villain’ or ‘the baddie’ and they started talking about Victor or Cherevin and everything became a bit more specific.

incompetence at high levels within famous financial institutions or misappropriation of funds. And what we also know is that even if you put that financial bond in the perfect place and that is perfectly understood by a brilliant mind then, if all the variables we’ve talked about go together, it can be catastrophic and this does happen. There was an enormous impact, as we know, on the economy after 9/11 because of the reaction of the markets to that degree of instability, so it’s something that is part of what is considered by those who wish to destabilize the financial order from the point of view of terrorism.

Tell us about casting Keira Knightley as Cathy. A contemporary thriller seems like a bit of a departure from the kinds of roles she has done in the past…

Well first of all, we were trying to take the characters seriously and make sure that they have believable backgrounds. And essentially, one of the things David Koepp wanted to write about was deception inside a relationship. Jack and Cathy are not married at the beginning of the picture and Jack is hiding something. When you are in the CIA, you can’t tell people you are a covert operative unless you are married and so there is a pressure that ultimately becomes something that she is suspicious of. And he wants to marry her so that he can tell her he is in the CIA, which is obviously not very romantic if you choose to absorb it only in that way. She is a smart professional woman in her own right, she is an eye surgeon and we get a sense of her own world as a professional in this and that she is a strong and passionate character rather than just the frightened woman that can be part of the cliché traps of this world. And I’ve always thought that Keira is a terrific actress.

What was it like filming in Moscow?

It’s a hectic pace (laughs). I wasn’t quite geared up for how fast everybody drives in Moscow. I thought I had been in cities where people drive fast but they drive really fast in Moscow so crossing the road is tricky and if you are filming in the road, it’s very tricky. I found it no more or less challenging (than filming in other places) but it’s very noisy, very packed, and very dense and you have a sense of the landscape of that city changing very quickly. I felt that even in the time we were there I saw buildings go up and come down. There’s a lot of construction and it gives a kind of physical energy to the place – it’s fast and noisy and there’s a tremendous intensity. It was quite a contrast to our time in New York, a city of equal but different intensity. And for me as a filmmaker I’d not been to Moscow before so that was interesting to try and evoke what it was like and then evoke it elsewhere. I hadn’t shot as a director in New York before so that was interesting, too and in both cases we employed the policy that Jack Ryan has in the movie – we had to be very fast moving and light on our feet.

The intelligence agencies in the US and Britain have been in the news a lot lately, not least because of Wiki-Leaks. Do you think there should be subject to tighter controls about how intelligence is gathered?

I think it’s inevitable and necessary that there is a debate and the issue is addressed. The world has changed and without simply saying ‘our film is so contemporary’ it is true that one of the things David Koepp was interested in writing about was whether there is a line you draw beyond which we say to a government, an elected body in a so-called democratic society, ‘it’s all right, you make a decision for us, you decide what we need to know and if you think that a lot of people knowing this information makes us more at risk, then we empower you to make that choice.’ The spirit of the new digital age is that information should be available to everyone and it should democratize our lives. And that’s one point of view but on the other hand, we have so-called professionals telling us that it endangers us so it’s a pretty vital area of debate. And the first third of our film is Jack Ryan asking those things of Kevin Costner’s character and saying, ‘why would I join up?’ And also, ‘why would I join up and trust you? I might be one of those 50,000 secrets and the first thing that happens is my wife gets killed...’

Let’s talk about the character you play. Did you have any reference points in creating the character?

I think you look for anything where you feel you have been surprised by that kind of antagonist. You look at it from every which way. One was to look at the world of the Russian oligarch, ex Russian military – people from my generation who would have lived during the communist regime through to the explosion of the economic redevelopment with the invasion of other people who were telling the new Russia how to make money and then kicking out those people and saying, ‘no, we’ll have the money thank you very much..’ And then there were the political/ commercial turf wars and everything. Cherevin is of an age that he would have lived across all of that. And it was interesting to find models that had been there before the wall came down in another part of the empire and who had lived through a period of economic and social wild, Wild West as some people I spoke to described it. And to have survived all of that, you have to be pretty tough. And sometimes you don’t survive it even if you don’t stay in Russia – as we know there are instances of people who have met bitter ends here in the UK in unusual ways. So that generation lived across a revolutionary period and so that in itself was a way of understanding that this is a different kind of person who isn’t out to just rule the world.

‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ is released and distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp. Showing January 15. Nationwide.

Keanu Reeves battles dragons, samurai warriors and demons in 47 Ronin.

Keanu Reeves makes an explosive return to action-adventure in 47 Ronin. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honor to their people. Driven from their homes and dispersed across the land, this band of Ronin must seek the help of Kai (Reeves)—a half-breed they once rejected—as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts, shape-shifting witchcraft and wondrous terrors. As this exiled, enslaved outcast becomes their most deadly weapon, he will transform into the hero who inspires this band of outnumbered rebels to seize eternity.

What was it about 47 RONIN that made you want to be a part of it?

I loved the themes of honor, revenge and sacrifice in the script as well as the tragic love story. I also liked my character, who was an outsider trying to regain honor.

How have you been involved with this project?

I watched 47 RONIN evolve and change with Carl Rinsch, who paid a lot of respect to all the elements that were inspired by Japanese folklore. Being on this journey and collaborating with Carl on the story has been a great experience.

Speaking of Japanese folklore, were you familiar with the legend of the 47 Ronin before working on the film?

I was not familiar with the legend, but as soon as I knew about the project, I did my research and read as much as I could about it. This movie is one of those rare examples of something that comes your way and is just so exciting from the beginning.

You play the lead character of Kai. How do you see him?

I think of him as an outsider who yearns to be accepted, like an immigrant. He is honorable and a man of nature, which helps ground him. Kai is also a bit cursed, and he is aware of that.

How did you prepare for this role?

Looking at the bigger picture, I basically tried to familiarize myself with the source material and thinking about my character’s place in the story. I always thought the tale of the outsider and these Ronin becoming samurai outsiders was universal because all cities and towns and places have these kinds of events and integration problems that happen. I tried to get in touch with who Kai is and how this affected him. I wanted my character to have a dignity and respect towards the world around him and others. I also wanted him to be capable, to be a hunter and a tracker that is connected to nature.

What kind of training did you go through for the role?

I was excited to work with the katana, the Japanese long sword. I trained a lot with the expert Tsuyoshi Abe and worked with the stunt teams. Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Ôishi, also gave me some tips. I did a lot of exercises with the sword and some dieting as well.

Can you briefly talk about the main characters in the story and their relationships with Kai, starting with Lord Asano?

Lord Asano is the ruler of Ako. He sort of takes my character under his wing after he has been abandoned and brought up by these Tengu lords, who I think of as monks. I always saw Lord Asano as an enlightened ruler and a paternal figure.

Lord Asano’s right hand is the warrior, Ôishi. How would you explain the relationship between Ôishi and your character?

Initially, Ôishi thinks Kai is some kind of a demon, and he grudgingly puts up with him. However, their relationship changes throughout the course of the story. Ôishi asks for Kai’s help to restore the honor of the house of Asano.

You are surrounded by a great Japanese cast. What can you say about Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Ôishi?

I had already seen some of Hiroyuki’s work in the past and knew a bit about him, but meeting him was special because he is such a gentlemen and a movie star on an epic level. Hiroyuki is a master actor, and it was wonderful to work with him.

You also worked with great actors like Tadanobu Asano and Rinko Kikuchi among many others.

I had also seen Tadanobu Asano and Rinko Kikuchi’s work before getting involved in the movie. The truth is that everyone was so excited about this story and participating in the world that Carl Rinsch was creating. We all got along very well and felt we were a part of something special.

What is Carl Rinsch like as a director?

Carl is very collaborative and passionate. He is amazing with story, but he is also a visionary with great energy and enthusiasm.

Did you enjoy the martial arts and action side of the shoot?

I love shooting action and was very excited to be in a samurai film. The fights were tough but fun to do.

Were there any bumps and bruises along the way?

As I was working with great professionals, I didn’t get beat up much, although I did hit Hiroyuki Sanada a couple of times by mistake.

The story wouldn’t work without a powerful villain. Here we have Lord Kira, who is aided by a witch and dark magic to obtain his evil goals.

Lord Kira and The Witch both made a great couple and I really thought they managed to put their performance between their teeth, as I would say. I think they are wonderful and delicious villains with even a kind of yearning to them, which made them a bit sympathetic.

In what way did you find Lord Kira and The Witch sympathetic?

Lord Kira feels underappreciated. The same thing happens to The Witch, who wants to have this earthly love that he is denying her. In a way, they are victimized by their passions. I liked that sophistication, the complexity of both of them being extroverts that go for what they want but are so wounded at the same time.

You have worked on a number of movies with groundbreaking special effects. 47 RONIN combines CGI with practical effects harbored by the detailed sets that were created for the film.

Yes, they built such remarkable sets that made you feel you actually were in that world. There was so much that was there! Then, the work they did with the special effects and the creature creation was awesome.

In this case, what do you believe 3D will add to it all?

The filmmakers knew they were making a 3D film from the beginning and everything was considered in that regard. I appreciated that they took the time and effort to work on it specifically. It was great to see the care they took with the story and the storytelling.

What should the audience expect from 47 RONIN?

The audience should expect a big movie with great themes. I think it is a film that is entertaining but also has an intimacy to the story and the acting that I hope people will enjoy as well. There is action, drama, love and suspense. It has it all!

“47 RONIN” released and distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp. SHOWING ON JANUARY 8, 2013. Nationwide!

Chris Pine is going up against Mother Russia in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.”

Based on a script by Adam Cozad and David Koepp and directed by Kenneth Branagh, Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit takes us back to the earliest years of the titular character’s career in the CIA, working for the Financial Intelligence Unit.

Working undercover in Moscow for a company owned by a mysterious billionaire (Branagh), Jack (Chris Pine) discovers a terrorist plot that would shut down the entire United States economy.

Working with his handler (Kevin Costner) , the hero must work to save millions of lives from an incredible threat. Also star Keira Knightley, Nonso Anozie and David Paymer.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is scheduled to hit theatres January 2014! Released and distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp.