Review - Jack Reacher (2012)

Starring Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.

From the director who brought you the movie 'The Way of the Gun' and screenwriter for the classic 'The Usual Suspects', Christopher McQuarrie teams up with Tom Cruise to bring us Jack Reacher. The movie opens up with the murder of five people. James Barr (Joseph Sikora) is caught and accused of the crime but declares his innocence. He sends for Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) - a loner, a drifter and a former military investigator. Reacher is hell-bent on proving Barr's guilt because of past crimes but as the investigation goes along, Reacher realizes he picks up more than he bargained for.

This movie was as smooth and slick as Tom Cruise's character. Jack Reacher establishes himself as bad-ass from the get-go and held that character throughout the film - despite numerous obstacles arising. The other characters were solid, especially Helen (Rosamund Pike) alongside Reacher. I know persons may wonder about the true relevance of Werner Herzog's character in this movie but it doesn't even matter, he was scary good.

I must applaud the screenplay of Jack Reacher. What was really surprising was the humor in this movie, there were many instances where I found myself laughing and I found Jack's lines to be good. The movie also began on a surprising emotional note as we see firsthand the victims innocence. It did get a bit formulaic along the way but nonetheless I was kept engaged and in suspense for most parts. What I also found rather amusing at first was that both Reacher and Helen are working together on the case but were apart on the verdict. As in, one is trying to prove his innocence while the other is trying to prove his guilt. So the story had you thinking for a second if Barr was truly innocent or guilty. I liked how the twists and the investigation overall unraveled. The movie wasn't laden with action sequences which was quite fine as the ones which incorporated were entertaining enough.

Jack Reacher is an enjoyable low-key action thriller with a humble yet bad-ass lead in Tom Cruise. A bit cliched but still interesting enough to keep you engaged.


Rating: 7.5/10



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