Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for director Kenneth Branagh's upcoming thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.  Based on the Tom Clancy character, the film stars Chris Pine as the titular Ryan, a Moscow-based financial analyst who faces off against his employer when he discovers a plot to finance a terrorist attack designed to collapse the U.S. economy.  There's plenty of action to be found in this first look, and it's complemented nicely by snippets of intrigue, espionage and a complicated web of character relationships.  My only knock on this first trailer is that there doesn't appear to be a jaw-dropping action centerpiece, opting instead for a number of glances at a series of action scenes around the world.  As a teaser, it works great and I'm sure we'll see much more between now and it's theatrical release in a few months.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Branagh, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, David Paymer, and Peter Andersson.  Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit opens in theaters on Christmas Day.

Here's the first trailer for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (via Yahoo!):

Based on the character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, “Jack Ryan” is a global action thriller set in the present day.  This original story follow a young Jack (Chris Pine) as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot.

The story follows him from 9/11, through his tour of duty in Afghanistan, which scarred him forever, and into his early days in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the modern CIA where he becomes an analyst, under the guardianship of his handler, Harper (Kevin Costner).  When Ryan believes he’s uncovered a Russian plot to collapse the United States economy, he goes from being an analyst to becoming a spy and must fight to save his own life and those of countless others, while also trying to protect the thing that's more important to him than anything, his relationship with his fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley).

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner

Written By: Adam Cozad and David Koepp