It’s rare to see a spy thriller which has both thrills and brains but Amazon Prime Video’s “Jack Ryan” has proven that it’s still very possible to pull off, says “Streaming” columnist NICK OVERALL. 

THIS month, bowing out with its fourth and final season, “Jack Ryan” stars John Krasinksi of “The Office” (US) as the titular secret agent.

It’s an amusing thing to have seen Krasinksi go from playing mild-mannered paper salesman of Dunder Mifflin to globe-trotting super spy, but his effortless charisma is what has made the transition work.

For those who haven’t before encountered “Jack Ryan”, he’s the brainchild of best-selling action novelist Tom Clancy, whose famed oeuvre of espionage has included 19 books which together have sold more than 100 million copies.

But while the Amazon Prime Video series shares the name of the iconic CIA agent, it’s not based on any one novel.

Instead, it takes the best parts of Clancy’s books and sticks them together to tell an original story, one that follows Ryan as an up-and-coming agent who uncovers a terrorist plot that threatens the world. This decision is what has kept the series fresh after an endless list of adaptations of the author’s work.

Make no mistake, “Jack Ryan” doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it doesn’t have to. While the plot often borders on boilerplate, the show remains fun by playing to its strengths and those are its thrillingly crafted action sequences engaging enough to even give 007 a run for his money.

The release of “Jack Ryan’s” final season comes at a heated time – mere weeks after Netflix’s Chris Hemsworth-led blockbuster “Extraction 2” – but for those in search of a straightforward spy thriller that delivers on what it promises, “Jack Ryan” is certainly more bang for your buck.

MEANWHILE on Netflix, this month marks the return of popular legal romp “The Lincoln Lawyer”.

Following in the footsteps of courtroom comedy-drama hits such as “Boston Legal”, “Suits” and “Better Call Saul”, this series stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller, an overly idealistic LA defence attorney who operates his practice out the back of his car.

Why, you might ask? Because Mickey hates the constraints of the modern-day office.

The conceit admittedly feels rather absurd, as does much of the show’s pithy script, but the first season of “The Lincoln Lawyer” still wrung out enough legal pulp to make it worthwhile for fans of the sub-genre.

At times, its first 10 episodes had some intriguing things to say about the nature of the modern legal system and who it benefits most, setting up Haller as something of an anti-hero for those most in need of justice.

However, sadly, the show always felt like it was playing in the shallow end of the pool with its social commentary.

This is a well-crafted series and has the potential to make itself stand out if it commits more boldly to what it stands for, rather than relegating itself to a people-pleasing time killer.

As such, season two will be the make-or-break for the series, with many returning viewers sure to pass their judgement on whether it’s worth continuing with.

42 YEARS since he first appeared on the big screen, Indiana Jones is back for his fifth outing in the “Dial of Destiny”.

Now on in cinemas, it’s got many fans rewatching the original films before heading out to experience the newest instalment.

In light of the return of the iconic explorer, I thought it worth mentioning where people can catch the classic line-up of films that are strewn throughout the streaming platform.

The original trilogy, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Temple of Doom” and “The Last Crusade” can all be found on Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Video and Stan.

Also available on all those platforms is the more recent and controversial film in the series “The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull”.

While by no means a must-watch entry in the Indy saga, the 2008 flick still has its highs, albeit not reaching those of its three predecessors.

You’ve got to give it to Harrison Ford. After more than four decades, he’s still able to bring his eye-catching A-game to the big screen.

Talk about a fair crack of the whip.