Jack Reacher

Considering the mixed reception that 'Jack Reacher' has garnered, most of the critical external reviews have been positive or mixed feelings but it also received a lot of backlash from fans of the books, it was hard to say how 'Jack Reacher' was going to turn out.

When finally seeing it, the film is far from perfect by all means but to me it was not bad at all. In fact it was very enjoyable with a number of strengths. It's a very well-made film, stylishly and atmospherically shot with a neo-noir feel while there are some good use of locations and the editing is tight and crisp, making the action coherent and not resorting to the often seizure-inducing shaky cam technique. The music is energetic and haunting without being brash or overly-bombastic, with very effective use of silence.

Despite a few draggy and too padded out scenes (particularly the overlong and far too talky scene with Jack and Helen trying to piece things altogether) and an anaemic - due to the lack of tension-, anti-climactic and all too convenient ending, the story is paced very nicely and is always diverting. The twists and turns ensure some good tension and suspense and it never feels too predictable, hackneyed or convoluted. There's also the use of flashbacks to remind the viewer of anything important, thankfully they're not overused or repetitive. The action is exciting rather than overly-loud and generic with the right amount of chaos and urgency, like the brawl and the fight in the hallway. Character interaction is strong, with the central one between Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike having some nice moments, and Jack is a very interesting character.

Most of the acting is good. Whatever has been said of Tom Cruise being physically completely wrong (often described by detractors as one of the biggest miscasts ever), he still makes for a charismatic and intense hero that has steel in his eyes and plays it appropriately straight despite the campiness of some of one-liners. Am amazed at well he deals with the action, his energy and dexterity are enviable. In support, two fare particularly strongly. One is Robert Duvall, his role is quite small but he brings a very memorable curmudgeon wit. The other, and even more so, is Werner Herzog's spine-tingling villain, his story of how he came to lose his fingers is the film's most chilling moment. Richard Jenkins is strong if underutilised, likewise with David Oyelowo. The biggest surprise was Jai Courtney in the best performance this viewer has seen from him, unlike his awful performances in 'A Good Day to Die Hard' and 'Terminator Genysis' he actually isn't annoying and he has a personality too. 'Jack Reacher' starts on a wonderfully tense note too, so much so that one wishes that that quality of tension was there at the end, and while Christopher McQuarrie is a better writer than he is a director he directs more than serviceably here.

Sadly, there are drawbacks. Much has been said already in the review about the ending and some draggy pacing and padding, but another problem is the overlong length with some of the third act feeling forced dialogue-wise and bloated. The two biggest problems with 'Jack Reacher' are the script and (as much as I hate to say it) the performance of Rosamund Pike. There are some clever and funny moments in the script but the amount of times the one-liners were cheesy and forced and the film became too talky in a long-winded fashion were more numerous. Pike is a much better actress than she is given credit for, and she has given some good to great performances in good to great films (especially her brilliant performance in 'Gone Girl') and has even been a redeeming factor in mediocre/bad ones or heavily problematic ones, but her performance here is one of her worst in a role that wastes her. She is not helped by her character, who is bland and underwritten and it was like the writers couldn't decide what personality to give her and her dialogue is well below par and is frankly beneath Pike, but this viewer has never seen her look so stiff and bug-eyed (she has showed much more expression and range than here before, despite what her detractors say) and the performance was an uncomfortable mix of melodrama and phoning in.

In conclusion, while far from flawless 'Jack Reacher' has a lot of great things still and judging it as a standalone is very enjoyable. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

Flanked by plush production values and an interesting supporting cast (including Werner Herzog as a baddie), Tom Cruise investigates at his leisure an apparent spree killing treading the mean streets as a laconic investigator after whom the film is named like Steve McQueen in 'Bullitt' (which also had Robert Duvall in it); and both prove hot stuff behind the wheel of a car.

Cruise has been shot throughout so he looks as tall as or taller than most of the other men in the film; so one admires him for agreeing to willowy Rosamund Pike as his leading lady.

Saw JACK REACHER on Monday night at an advance screening. Here's some of my thoughts. There are no spoilers.

First off, I'd say I agree with the general critical reception: 4/5 stars. To me that means it's a solid movie that delivers at the high end of its genre. JACK REACHER isn't trying to be anything revolutionary, it's more the kind of action thriller audiences haven't seen for a while.

This isn't MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE or even James Bond. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie takes his inspiration from action movies of the late 60s/early 70s like DIRTY HARRY (which has been name checked in a couple reviews already), BULLITT (for the car chase); and maybe another Don Siegel movie, CHARLEY VARRICK. The excitement here doesn't come from over the top stunts or huge explosions. Like the action movies just referenced, you thrill to watching a strongly defined protagonist outsmart, outfight and outmaneuver the bad guys.

Which brings me to the character of Jack Reacher and the casting of Tom Cruise. In the series of novels by Lee Child this movie is based on, Jack Reacher is an ex-MP detective. After a lifetime spent on military bases overseas, he lives as a drifter in the United States who adheres to a life of zero commitments: No house, no job, no car, no possessions, no family. Oh, and he stands 6'5" and weighs 250 lbs.

Clearly Tom Cruise doesn't match that physical description. What makes Reacher such a great character in Child's books though has far less to do with his exterior than it does with his intellect. If you've read the series as I have, it's a little strange at first. As the film played out however, I got more relaxed and more into it. This was definitely a movie about Lee Child's hero Jack Reacher, physical differences be damned.

Would I have preferred an unknown actor closer to Child's description to play Reacher on screen? Yes, of course. But I could say that about virtually any character, and often do. I generally want unknowns for everything.

Which is where Cruise's casting comes in handy a bit. Because his casting sort of guarantees a certain amount of box office, it means the filmmakers can take more chances. Like crafting an action movie that's longer on character and occasional brutal violence and short on mindless action and impossible nonsense.

JACK REACHER was a very satisfying action thriller for me. I felt it captured what I love about Lee Child's thrillers and Jack Reacher in particular. I'd definitely recommend it, and I'm going to see it in the theater again. That's for damn sure.

Having never read any Lee Childs novels regarding Jack Reacher, I went into this one with somewhat limited knowledge on who Jack Reacher is and what his claim to fame is. So like many, I read where the "serious" fans were disappointed that Tom Cruise was picked to portray this iconic hero. To them I say, so what, did you watch this movie? In truth Tom Cruise is very good in this role, the movie is fast paced and action packed, the writing is cleaver and spot on, so to those who would continue to pan this movie I say lighten up and relax. This was a very good movie, Tom Cruise was good in the lead role, the several one-liners were very cleaver and kept a sense of humor in a plot with plenty of violence and too close for comfort realism. This movie was good, it was entertaining, well acted, and should be viewed and enjoyed by all who watch it.

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is the tale of a very astute ex-military policeman. The army training came in quite handy as he digs into the evidence of a heinous crime that turns out to be not at all what it seems to be on the surface. I was surprised at how funny the dialogue in this film was, it is definitely not a comedy, but the sarcastic and comedic one-liners kept coming, even in situations that were completely devoid of a humorous setting there was some very amusing conversation. There was even a scene in which Reacher is attacked in a bathroom that had me cracking up at the bumbling bad guys. The comedy was heightened even further with the old codger Cash (Robert Duvall). Mr. Duvall always delivers a convincing performance, same here. As with any film that features Mr. Cruise the expectation is that it will be fast paced and very entertaining, same here. The only thing missing was his trademark sprint to or after something or anything. I've just come to expect to see him running, really running but we are getting older. The trailer is the only kind that I like, the ones that do not give away the whole movie. It shows that Reacher is bad a$$ without playing out every aspect of the story. David Oyelowo (Emerson) is one to watch, he is building an impressive resume and it is easy to see why because whenever he portrays a character he is that character. When he played a pilot in Red Tails, I totally believed he could fly a plane. When he was the head of a company experimenting on Apes, I was again thoroughly convinced and I believed every aspect of his being a police detective. One of the best car chase scenes that I've seen lately was in this film. There were so many attributes of this film that I liked, including the sexual tension between Reacher and Helen Ronin (Rosamund Pike) that I will just sum it up by saying. Everything just seemed to be genuine and authentic, even though I know that the fights are staged they looked logistically correct, but Steven Segal did come to mind. I liked that the film had a legitimate beginning and end, even if there are subsequent Jack Reacher tales to follow, there was no gaping wide open door of a final scene leaving the audience wondering 'What's up with that?!?'. But I do hope there are sequels, at least one. I give it a green light