Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo, Robert Duvall
Rating: [2.5/5]
The greatest action stars in history have proven time and time again that they can elevate even the most pedestrian scripts because then they get to show how they carry a magnanimity that allows all else to fall away. For the most part this happens in films led by Tom Cruise, and for the positives Jack Reacher has it mostly falls flat when thinking of the plot that even the famed movie star cannot fully save.
Following the tragic outcome of a man gunning down five individuals with a sniper rifle, the individual, all the evidence points to have a request to find Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). As Reacher strolls into town, he finds this entire circumstance suspicious and decides he will make sure to get to the bottom of it all.
Operating as a vigilante provides an extra level of danger for bad guys whereas the person does not work within the confines of the law and basic liberties they must allow with their tactics. Someone like Reacher does not have to read the miranda rights and search only after a warrant is issued. Reacher does what he needs to with the particular set of skills he has amassed, which makes him incredibly dangerous and helps craft the action scenes this film sought to bring out, and the film certainly succeeded in this aspect but mightily struggled in others.
As far as the action goes, the film mostly lives up to its promise, which makes sense given the personnel involved. When you have Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise at the helm of your action film, it will certainly deliver. When Reacher has to take on a hoard of foes to protect someone, the scene gets filmed in an engaging manner. From the close hand-to-hand combat and the larger plotting scenes this film does what it intended to do in telling a Jack Reacher story in proficient action sequences but with the issues laid bare below, it never quite made up for it. This ultimately becomes the barometer of success for these types of films where a weak narrative receives a boon from incredible action and while getting the job done, nothing in this film really astounds.
Watching how Reacher operates throughout this film did nothing but induce multiple eye rolls from me in how it felt so dated with its action hero tropes. While having no experience with any of the Jack Reacher material in either print or other media, nothing about this character even felt the slightest bit compelling. One of those action characters from yesteryear that existed as this dangerous and cool figure just because but had no depth or anything to pull us other than the plot wants us to. He did not present any vulnerabilities we could cling onto and fear for because Reacher presents this hardened front with a situation that did not leave much nuance to navigate. Reacher’s character can have its fans where people just want to watch some cool dude knock out a bunch of bad guys, but I sought something more and if the action sequences don’t dazzle then this becomes a requirement and one this film never met.
For as much as I did not particularly care for this flavor of action film, I do appreciate its place in the story of Christopher McQuarrie’s career. A career writer who only dabbled in directing with The Way of the Gun over a decade before the release of this film. Jack Reacher essentially served as his audition with Tom Cruise for the future, where he would direct his sensational Mission: Impossible films, including my favorites of the storied franchise. In those films he certainly pushes the envelope on what’s possible in action films and even though what we see in this film comes nowhere close, I’ll remain satisfied with this serving as a test run.
Ultimately a forgettable action film with a slight glean to it because of the surprisingly strong cast and director attached to bring it all together, Jack Reacher left my memory not long after the final credits roll as it had no reason to attach itself to any further thought. It can certainly scratch a particular itch for someone who wants to see Tom Cruise beat up some bad guys but other than that it just never builds anything largely compelling.
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