Jack Reacher, 2012.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
Starring Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Werner Herzog and Jai Courtney.
SYNOPSIS:
When a military sniper kills five victims, homicide investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is brought in to crack the case.
I can’t really think of a Tom Cruise film that I have disliked. There’s still a few on his list which I haven’t seen – Knight and Day, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, but other than that I can’t think of a film of his I didn’t enjoy in some capacity. Until this.
Not that it started that way. At first the jokes are funny and some of Tom Cruise’s wit and dry humour as Reacher does work, but unfortunately it soon dissipated and became painful at times.
The plot starts out really intriguingly and I was expecting a great detective story, but as it unfolds the plot gets weaker and weaker, and weaker. The action the film so heavily relies on is never filled with any tension nor is it ever exciting as a result; in fact, it’s to the films detriment that Cruise was cast in the role as certain scenes seemed tailored – i.e. shortened and not enthralling – to make Cruise’s stature appear that much larger. The final fight is extremely short and Cruise’s lack of frame really shows against Jai Courtney’s imposing figure.
Then there is the acting; Rosamund Pike as defending lawyer Helen, Vladimir Sizov as the big bad, Vlad, and David Oyelowo as Detective Emerson all put in brutally painful performances. I cannot stress enough how much the acting reaches woeful levels in this film at times – a lot of times. They’re not helped by the dialogue they are given though, which at times was pitiful; Jack Reacher’s meant to be this really smart, imposing, sexy guy, WE GET IT! Cruise himself doesn’t put in a bad performance, he just wasn’t right for this role and I didn’t buy him as the character once. I’ve never been anywhere near the books so please don’t think this is some longing for the movies to be like the books – it isn’t, it’s just that Cruise was not suited to this role and should never have been anywhere near it.
There are a couple of moments in the film which really take you out of the story, one you’ve already seen in the trailer so I don’t consider this a spoiler… at one point Reacher is being chased by the police and is pursued by several police cars and a helicopter. In order to evade he gets out of the car – leaves it rolling forward – and hides among a crowd huddled at a bus stop who actually protect him from the gaze of the passing police. Let me remind you that the set up for the film is that 5 random people were gunned down in public by a shooter, and yet when the public see a man being chased excessively by the police they protect that person. They protect him! Imagine if that happened on an average day in London – I don’t think anyone would be lending that person their baseball cap to hide their face. Then there is a scene where Reacher is attacked in a bathroom which plays out like a skit from Laurel & Hardy or The Three Stooges. It’s laughable.
There are too many moments in Jack Reacher which detract from what at times tries to be a serious film, and unfortunately the acting and the dialogue means the film soon descends into a pit of despair and boredom.
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ / Movie ★ ★
Martin Deer
Originally published December 22, 2012. Updated April 14, 2018.
