Review: Jack Reacher

I don’t care what anyone says about him…I’m still in Tom Cruise’s corner. There was a flooding of outrage from fans of the novel One Shot when word hit that Cruise would portray Jack Reacher, but their fears were unfounded. Sure, he’s not 6’ 5” and blonde, but how quickly people forget that this is the guy who brought Ethan Hunt to life is astonishing. Tom Cruise is still a bona fide badass, and without him Jack Reacher would falter. Thankfully, the Tom Cruise of old, complete with magnetic charisma and convincing action work, is on display here, and his performance enables Jack Reacher to achieve its goals.

            Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a groundbreaking, hard-hitting film, but I don’t believe it intends to be. Jack Reacher is simply an exercise in old-fashioned crime drama and action, and it’s a successful exercise at that. Set along the beautiful 3 rivers of Pittsburgh, the movie finds the perfect balance between action, mystery, and humor. Outside of Cruise’s Reacher, the supporting cast is merely average, but they aren’t the stars here and they know it. The highs are wildly satisfying (namely Cruise fending off 5 guys at once outside a bar), and the lows are disappointing if not confusing (Michael Raymond James’s entire character), but on the whole Jack Reacher is a ton of fun. It should also be mentioned that this film contains one of the more exciting car chase scenes in recent memory, and it is scenes like that that go a long way in establishing Jack Reacher as a worthwhile watch.

            Tom Cruise may be the one who brought us Ethan Hunt, but Jack Reacher is no Mission: Impossible. On one hand, that’s a criticism in that it lacks the smarts and sex appeal of M:I, but on the other it spares us any self-indulgence and gets straight to the point. Jack Reacher is barely more than a popcorn flick, and I mean that in the highest regard.

Score: 3.5/5